For the past six months, our Olympics Wine Pairing committee at WineMcGee has been entirely dedicated to finding exactly what you should drink with what you watch. Tireless 17 hour days spent watching Olympics reruns and consuming untold quantities of wine, and we have now discovered the ultimate pairings.
Moguls
Moguls are a ton of fun to watch. These skiers are flying down the moutain at the brink of losing control, each violent bump contributing to the destruction of their knees, all while launching into ridiculous jumps along the way. For this one, you need a wine with spice like a nice Syrah or Zinfandel.
Nortic Combined
This sport has heart. A combination of ski-jumping and cross country skiing, the athletes first compete at jumping which then determines the head-start they receive at an agonizing cross country sprint. This one goes great with a Bordeaux – like the sport, a blend, and a wine defined by the earth from whence it came.
Figure Skating
This one depends on your view of figure skating…
View 1 - A sport like figure skating demands an equally sucky wine. To determine the best pairing, We developed a complicated equation that includes algebra, aspects of astrology, coin flips with a double-sided coin, and a Google search for “worst wine ever”. Our selection – Harman sek beyaz sarap from Turkey, which “tasted like farts” according to this fellow blogger. Sounds like a perfect match for figure skating. Anyone else have images of a hairy Will Ferell flash into their mind in the middle of a routine? If you’ve never seen the movie Blades of Glory, and for some reason planned on it, please don’t.
View 2 – I adore figure skating. So beautiful and magical. This one goes great with a crisp sauvignon blanc.
Speed Skating
Nascar on ice – an event that sends skaters sliding into explosive collisions with the wall. You need a powerful wine, like a jammy new world Cabernet Sauvignon, an oaked Chardonnay, or poignant Viognier.
Half Pipe
The half pipe is for cool people. And cool people like trendy wine. This one goes great with a South African Pinotage or a Tempranillo from Spain.
Ski Jumping and Downhill
These people are certifiably insane. We recommend a crazy home-made mixture of 40% Merlot, 40% Pinot Grigio, and 20% Riesling. Just pop open three bottles and mix them yourself. Exact quantities and measurements not required. Just close your eyes while drinking and think “this is delicious”, and it will be.
Everything Else
All other sports are best paired with Canadian Icewine – a dessert wine created from grapes allowed to freeze on the vine. Typically made from Riesling, Vidal Blanc, or Cabernet Franc, the end result is a sweet wine with crisp acidity. Canada is the largest worldwide producer of Icewine, and it is the wine for which they are known best. But save the wine for a sport you really enjoy watching, because Icewine is not cheap. Because of the complicated production process, you’ll typically need to spend around $50 for a half bottle.
