Pairing Wine & Spirits with Meat at Save Mart Supermarket #FreshFinds

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A few months ago I posted about enjoying the Save Mart Supermarket Pick 5 for $25 meat promotion - my family is a pack of meat lovers so the promotion is right up our alley. Well, Save Mart is running another special that my family can certainly put to good use, the Buy 4 Save 10% Mix-and-Match Wine and Spirits sale. I don't know if it's the cooler weather or the buzz of the holidays but we tend to enjoy wine & spirits more often in the Fall and Winter months. Nothing crazy {no chandelier swinging}, just a glass of wine or whiskey with {and maybe after} dinner. It makes me feel a little toasty and takes the edge off the stress of the holidays - plus there are proven health benefits to certain wine & spirits {that doesn't mean to go chug a bottle!! In moderation folks, in moderation}.

I headed to my local Save Mart to take advantage of their Buy 4 Save 10% Mix-and-Match Wine and Spirits sale. It was extremely hard to choose wines & spirits this go round {I know I will be back for more!} as there is a great selection available at Save Mart. What made the selection process a lot easier was the products being organized by type and easy to read sales tags. I was stoked to see that even the items that were on sale were eligible for an additional 10% off with the Mix-and-Match promotion.

I ended up coming home with Gnarly Head Chardonnay, Plungerhead Old Vine Zinfandel, Jim Beam Black and Hornitos Anejo. There was also an awesome surprise at the register when the bottles were placed in this complimentary bottle bag. I was already sold on the promotion and then it got more awesome! This bag will be perfect for taking wine & spirits to holiday parties.

Since Save Mart's Buy 4 Save 10% Mix-and-Match Wine and Spirits sale is running alongside the Pick 5 for $25 meat promotion it seemed fitting to put together a basic list of potential meat pairings for some of our favorite wine & spirits. I think a basic rule when it comes to drinking any wine or spirit is to drink what you like.These are all suggestions based upon what my husband and I like to eat and drink, so they may not work for everybody. It would be great to hear what some of your favorite pairings are when it comes to pairing wine and/or spirits with meat. Enjoy!

Pairing Zindandel with Meat
One of mine and my husband's favorite meat pairing to enjoy with Zinfandel is grilled steak, preferably top sirloin. Top sirloin is a lean cut of beef, which is better to pair with Zinfandel than a fattier cut due to the lower amounts of tannins in the wine. {If you like Rib Eye steaks, a Cabernet Sauvignon would be more of what you are looking for.} I will usually only use salt and pepper, sometimes garlic powder, to season our steaks to be paired with Zinfandel - marinades or a bbq sauce could be used but it is important to not make the meat taste sweeter than the wine to keep an awesome pairing!

Pairing Chardonnay with Meat
When eating shrimp and scallops - Chardonnay is our go-to wine. I like to saute the shrimp and scallops in a butter and oil mixture along with a dash of dried herbs. After removing the seafood from the pan,  I add heavy cream and bit more butter to make a sauce that gets poured over the shrimp and scallops before serving. The sauce is a perfect companion to the buttery tones of Chardonnay. Chicken could also be used in place of the seafood but it doesn't quite make the flavor of the Chardonnay pop out as much.

Pairing Tequila with Meat
This is certainly one of my favorite pairings! We are HUGE lovers of spicy foods {especially Mexican} and that is what goes perfect with Tequila. Although Tequila can be paired with foods that are not from Mexico, it really just feels right to pair the two together. My favorite dish to enjoy with some Tequila {we usually go for Anejo} is spicy pork tacos with a homemade pico de gallo {with extra jalapenos and orange juice!}. The smokiness of chipotle used in the pork is the perfect companion the the tequila's peppery hints.

Pairing Bourbon with Meat
Last, but certainly not least is a pairing for Bourbon. This is my husband's favorite spirit and it just so happens that he loves most of the food that Bourbon can be paired with. Bourbon and BBQ food is a match made in heaven. Bourbon has hints of a caramel or maple flavor that is nicely paired with the sweetness of many bbq sauces and the smokiness of slow cooked food. A rack of ribs {pork or beef} or beef brisket are favorites of ours to enjoy with the fine taste of Bourbon. {Bourbon is also nicely paired with being the one in charge of the BBQ - slow cooking along with some slow sipping!}

Those are some of our favorite wine and spirit pairings, I hope they inspire you to try some of your own that would complement your favorite wine and/or spirits! If you are in need of stocking up for the holidays don't forget about Save Mart's Buy 4 Save 10% Mix-and-Match Wine and Spirits sale - and the awesome bag that is included! {while supplies last} If you are looking for more information on wine or wine pairings with more than just meat, Save Mart's Wine Pairing Guide is a great resource.

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