最好的葡萄酒

关于葡萄酒的建议，可以带到一个锅里，晚餐是一个勺子和一口。

Here in New England we'd had our fill of winter by Valentine's Day. Now it's Daylight Savings and there's no relief in sight. But just when everyone's about to go stir crazy, in pops this note: Party here Saturday. Bring a dish. And a bottle of wine.

Potlucks break a cabin fever. They're casual and boisterous serve-yourself affairs. People arrive at odd times, and soon it's standing room only. If you do manage a place to sit, you'll find yourself in a comfy chair, your plate on one knee and the dog's happy chin on the other.

Despite their Mud Season appeal, potlucks are popular here year-round. By late June you ready yourself for the call to come the Strawberry Party and help devour the fifty pounds of berries friends picked that misty-cool morning. You provide foods that go with strawberries: pound cake, crème anglaise, lime mousse, chocolate. Mercifully someone almost always brings a main course. And to drink? Champagne, of course.

然后是一年一度的大蒜，黄油和巧克力派对。客人的任务是提供用“三巨头”中的一个或多个制成的菜，是的，总有痣，再加上至少一种创意甜点。烤大蒜奶油布朗尼，有人吗？

不论是否主题，散布始终是小巧的。食物必须很好地旅行，通常在大碗和盘子中，可以将其拖到自助餐上。很少有分钟的选择：没有煎饼牛肉奖章，没有薄饼，没有荷兰。我曾经举行过一个聚会，五个人带来了绿色沙拉，两人带来了饼干。时期。

即使狂欢者设法涵盖了课程，风味也是世界各地的旅行：印度咖喱，希腊沙拉，德克萨斯州墨西哥玉米饼，瑞典肉丸，妈妈的烤宽面条。统一主题（如果有的话）是多样性。

那那酒呢？在口味，质地和款式的噪音中，您可以选择什么，它可以品尝到一个味道的味道？下面我会提供我的最佳建议，但是首先，让我们考虑一下我认为的葡萄酒don'twork for potlucks:

Subtle wines.Wines with restrained aromatics and nuanced flavors tend to get drowned out in the din. Vintage Champagne, cold-climate reds, skin-contact whites—these tend to show best with more subtle cuisine.

Rare wines.Sure, everyone will want to try that '47 Cheval Blanc, but those lucky enough to taste it might only get an ounce. Save it for an intimate sit-down dinner when a few guests can linger over its elegant complexity.

晦涩的葡萄酒。Here's the most common scenario: You arrive, plunk your bottle onto the drinks table, then meander off toward the buffet. You don't want to hang around to explain that Dobričić is sort of like Zinfandel, or Valdigué is sort of like Beaujolais, only from California.

糟糕的葡萄酒。Plunk-and-Run不会给您借口清空壁橱的后部。如果您不想喝那瓶蓝修女，您的表弟在三个圣诞节前给了您，您的朋友也可能不会。

那个工作的葡萄酒

[[Photograph: Dan Klimke on Flickr这是给予的

So what wines should you bring to potluck parties? Generally speaking, you need wines with zesty acidity and bright fruit flavors. Their lively spirit matches the party vibe, and their juiciness keeps them food-friendly and flexible.

与太过束缚的葡萄酒相比，有良好的芳香剂和红色的白人在热闹的站立派对上更有可能在热闹的站立派对中表现出良好的表现。不过，避免使用高酒精葡萄酒；他们倾向于静音食物的风味，并疲倦，使人们的味蕾（和大脑）。带有甜味的起泡葡萄酒和葡萄酒具有多种美食的用途，而且很有趣。以下是一些具体建议：

White wines that are un-oaked tend to be more compatible with food than their oaked counterparts. On the other hand, the heft and texture of oak aging can bring whites into alignment with richer foods like macaroni and cheese or chicken pot pie. If you're in a wine shop, ask for wines that are clean, bright, and aromatic, whether they're herbal or tropical.

Chardonnay，尤其是未烤的，因为它的柠檬味使沙拉，冷鲑鱼和新鲜的奶酪变得很棒，并且其酸度有助于平衡更丰富的菜肴，例如Gratinée或Chicken Marbella。

阿尔巴里尼奥is a briny, lemony white from Galicia, Spain, that's wonderfully bracing. There are plenty available at modest prices—I like the Martín Códax, which is less than $20. Check out the Albariños now being made in California, too, especially the bottlings from Lodi.

格鲁纳·维尔特林纳（GrünerVeltliner）。This Austrian white with a lively citrus, apricot, and mineral aspect is always a crowd-pleaser—even if some at the beverage table may struggle with the pronunciation (GROO-ner felt-LEE-ner). Try options from Stadlmann, Graf Hardegg, or Anton Bauer, all of which offer terrific Grüners for $15 to $18.

Off-dry Rieslinggoes with everything. Well, nearly everything. It goes with salad, cheese, chicken, fish, cured meats, rare red meats, desserts. Look for "halbtrocken" or "feinherb" on the label, Kabinett if you want to keep it light or deeper, sweeter Spätlese if you're sure there will be a cheese plate or something spicy.

Sparkling wines.气泡使聚会变得更加有趣，并且有很多不错的选择，约为20美元。尝试法拉利的Trentodoc Brut，这是一种真正的传统方法起泡酒（像香槟一样），是100％的霞多丽。来自西班牙的卡瓦是另一个不错的选择。我喜欢Codorníu的“ Anna”，白色和桃红葡萄酒，价格为15美元。像Meinklang的生物动力FrizzanteRosé一样，波光粼粼的黑皮诺（Pinot Noir）总是对我的聚会感到震惊。

红酒有时在聚会上更受欢迎，尤其是在寒冷的天气下。在自助餐上有各种菜肴，您想打击中间地面：寻找具有充满活力但结构适中的葡萄酒。这些红色可以与肥大的番茄酱或浓郁的猪肉菜肴一起搭配，但仍然感觉新鲜和与蔬菜互补。特别是寻找：

巴贝拉. This wine from Piedmont has juicy acidity and a nice bitter snap from tannins that makes it delicious with a range of fare. Try Scagiola's Barbera "Mati" or Vietti's Dolcetto d'Alba "Tre Vigne." Also try other Italian options made from Sangiovese or Nero d'Avola—Italian reds are made with food in mind.

Grenache, both bottled alone and in Côtes du Rhône blends. I love the wine's spicy, peppery flavors as a complement to Mediterranean cuisine, but Grenache is also great with meats, cheeses, charcuterie, and eggplant or mushroom dishes. Try the Côtes du Rhônes from Domaine La Janasse or Domaine La Garrigues. Both are delicious Grenache-dominant blends costing less than $15. Consider Garnacha from Spain, too!

Zinfandel. Zin's always a crowd-pleaser, with its zesty berry fruits and chocolaty tannins. Try to find one that's under 15% ABV. Dashe Cellars makes a bottling called "Les Enfants Terribles;" the 2012, now on the market, weighs in at 13.9%. Look for other Zins from California's Dry Creek Valley AVA.

基于gamayBeaujolais, AustrianZweigelt, and Spanish offerings likeMonastrell或来自Penedes的红色混合物都共享多汁，辛辣的品质，使它们与各种食物搭配。

您可以喝得很好，而无需花钱买朴素的葡萄酒。（您真的不会打开那个Cheval Blanc，是吗？）。确实考虑包装袋的葡萄酒 - 现在有一些不存在的绝佳选择；请您最喜欢的葡萄酒商店推荐一家。三升格式通常每升10美元。另外，他们方便的齿轮让客人轻松地为自己服务，便餐风格。

关于作者：梅格·休斯顿（Meg Houston Maker）是一位新英格兰的葡萄酒作家和执行编辑Grape Collective, and she also contributes regularly to other wine, food, and lifestyle publications. Find her musings about the pleasures of the table atMaker's Tableand follow her on Twitter at@megmaker.

Martín Códax, Codorníu, Ferrari, and Stadlmann were provided as samples for review consideration.