World Cup fever is well and truly upon us and there’s no better excuse for a few drinks while cheering on your country as it takes on the rest of the world. But while football matches have long been associated with crates of beer and lager, there’s no reason at all why football fanatics shouldn’t accompany the game with something a little more sophisticated.
Any white wine enthusiast lucky enough to be travelling to South Africa in order to catch the games live will be in seventh heaven – the country is famous for its excellent red and white wine and there will be no shortage of opportunity to sample the best that the country has to offer.
If you’re more likely to be watching the games from home, it’s still a great excuse to invest in some world-ranking wines to accompany the world-ranking teams as they battle to take home the cup.
Leaving footballing rivalries aside, a fun way to accompany World Cup football matches can be to match your wine to the team (or teams, if you feel like buying multiple bottles!) playing.
With so many teams and so many games, it might be a little difficult to sample a white wine from each and every country represented in the World Cup. So, for the sake of simplicity, let’s look at wines from countries that are particularly famous for the quality of their wines, their football, or both.
Firstly, let’s look at the host nation, South Africa. The country has long been producing top-notch white wine and socially-conscious wine buyers can now take their pick from a good selection of Fair Trade South African white wines. Stellar Organics is an excellent label specialising in quality white wines that are both Fair Trade and organic, while the Co-Operative, the supermarket that blazed a trail for Fair Trade wines, has a good range of inexpensive and very drinkable Fair Trade South African white wines.
Of course, let’s not overlook England, the country that introduced the Beautiful Game to the world. Whilst English wines might not be world-renowned, there are some very good bottles out there and these make the ideal tipple for patriotic types as they cheer on the boys. English sparkling whites have been well received internationally in recent years and the 2004 Denbies Greenfields Cuvee is an excellent alternative to Champagne should there be cause for celebration (of course there will!). At around 25 pounds it’s not the cheapest English sparkler on the market, but it has won several international awards and is well worth the money. Denbies tends to be a reliable source of good English white wine, while Chapel Down and the interestingly-named Camel Valley also produce some good, affordable whites.
Next, let’s turn our attentions to South America, where the great wine-producing nations of Argentina and Chile, alongside the emerging wine-producing and legendary footballing nation of Brazil will all be battling for supremacy. Whilst there is a fierce rivalry between Brazil and Argentina on the football front, they’re still not on a level playing field when it comes to wine. Argentina has established itself as a great source of good, very affordable wines and its Torrontes is the country’s signature white. Reminiscent of Sauvignon Blanc, with a touch of Muscat, it is wonderfully drinkable.
Brazil, while not yet having achieved the worldwide success of its footballing rival, has been increasingly producing respectable and well-received white wines. Look out for wines from the mountainous Serra Gaucha region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state. The cooler climate here lends itself well to wine making and the region is responsible for the bulk of Brazilian wine production.
Chile, meanwhile, might not be as famous as its neighbours for the quality of its football, but its wines are among the best in the New World. Chilean whites are effortlessly found on UK supermarket shelves today and you won’t need to spend a fortune to get a good bottle. Most Chilean wines are at their best when drunk young and the vast majority are made from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Look out for Sauvignons from the Casablanca Valley and you won’t go far wrong.
A little closer to home and the great wine countries of Spain, France and Italy are all contenders for the 2010 World Cup title. For all these countries, wine is almost as much a source of national pride as football and it would be churlish to suggest that one country makes better white wine than the others.
Assuming that we Brits will have something to celebrate during the cup, let’s consider the countries’ best sparklers. From Italy, light, fruity Prosecco is the ideal bubbly for a summer’s day and a fun companion to the world cup matches. Spanish Cavas are famously good, while French Champagne needs no introduction. If you’re saving the Champers for the event of a world cup final win, how about investing in a bottle of French Crement – these are quality white and rose sparklers from outside the Champagne region and can be deliciously drinkable at a fraction of the price of authentic Champers.
