Tailgating . . .no, not the uncouth individual driving perilously close to your rear bumper, but the quasi-religious ceremony that takes place today before many sporting events. Tailgating has become the unofficial, delicious start to a variety of outdoor recreational happenings.

 

Tailgating intrinsically creates a bond between fans of a particular team and encourages good-natured ribbing with fans of the opposing team. Over time, people have come to customize and make their own pre-game ritual readily distinguishable from that of fellow Bison fans.

 

Various universities around the country lay claim to starting the tailgating party trend. It’s impossible, however, to know precisely where the practice began. What isn’t disputed is the role college football has played in the development of this classic fall ritual. More than 50 million Americans tailgated sometime in a stadium parking lot in 2009. By the time I’m 100 years old in 2042 that number may have swollen to 150 million. Nowhere are tailgating parties more popular than at North Dakota State.

 

Few college programs are more ingrained in their surroundings than is the one at North Dakota State University. Game day represents football and a whole lot more. Tailgating on football game days is a long-standing tradition and has become an established part of what it means to be a Bison booster. It’s safe to say most all tailgating festivities involve some sort of grilling and beverage consumption.

 

The fall season inspires a variety of articles in a variety of popular magazines about which wines are appropriate to serve at religious and secular feasts. Although traditionally the dominion of the beer world, there are some tailgating party enthusiasts who much prefer appropriate wines for the occasion.

 

Consider the ambiance: a party mood, music, oh-so-crisp weather and air filled with smoky food aromas. How about the food you and your friends will devour? Whether it’s produce or meat, it’s probably grilled, often saturated with spicy or sweet sauces. This is a time for wine that’s robust enough to handle the food and the weather, yet still be refreshing.

 

Suppose you’re grilling a thick steak, a leg of lamb, or a juicy hamburger — would you want to drink a white wine with it? Possibly, but I would hope not. To state unequivocally: red meat cries out for red wine. It doesn’t have to be a great Bordeaux or an imposing Pinot Noir, French or American. But just about anything else red: zinfandel, for example.

 

Shiraz and Syrah are both names for the same distinctive red wine grape. The Shiraz/Syrah grape is called Syrah in the United States, France and many other countries. In Australia it is called Shiraz and is considered by many Aussies to be that country’s best-tasting red wine.

 

Shiraz is known for its spicy blackberry, plum and peppery flavors. It certainly goes well with beef and an almost endless variety of hearty foods; it also complements Mexican and various other Latin-inspired spicy fares. This wine is rich and full and should be served from a large glass at around 64 degrees F. The grape is definitely NOT the same as Petite Sirah, a different red wine grape grown mostly in California.

 

Petite Sirah is in fact one of California’s few remaining untamed red wines. A little rough, some wine connoisseurs would say, but having plenty of color and flavor. Foppiano, an old-line Sonoma County winery, has long championed Petite Sirah and knows how to make it exceedingly well. Benziger has a wonderfully tasting one too.

 

If there’s one all-purpose red wine for tailgating parties, it’s Beaujolais. No vintner has come up with any wine to match the versatility, availability and still-remarkably-reasonable price of Beaujolais.

 

Hearty Burgundy has an uncomplicated taste and just enough sweetness to defuse (partially anyway) fiery tailgating party food. It seldom has a screw-on top anymore, but I wouldn’t serve Burgundy to the executive director of your local wine society. Then again, maybe I would if it was poured from a decanter.

 

Tailgating is generally not the place for white wines, except for one that some people consider absolutely essential: sparkling wine. If you’re one such person, I recommend either Spanish Cava ($9-$12) or Italian Prosecco ($12-$15), because both go well with most all tailgating foods.

 

Except for sparkling wines, a tailgating wine’s primary duties are to be red and robust. Their second duty is to be richly endowed with fruit extract and only moderately tannic, an essential combination to give wine a sensation of sweet succulence that allows it to balance the spicy/sweet sauces, smoky grilled flavors and rich texture of the meats. Less concentrated wines will wimp-out against the foods, while dry, less fruity reds will sometimes taste bitter against the sweet/spicy sauces.

 

California offers a marvelous array of zinfandel choices. What they all share is a scrumptious fruit explosion on the palate with a structure that is firm but rarely astringent.

 

Italy is also a treasure trove of zinfandel options, but for tailgating purposes I’d stick to Barbera from the Piedmont region. While not overly robust, they offer a delectable fruity palate filled with dark berry fruit, moderate tannins and crisp acidity. If you crave a Bordeaux grape, it’s hard to beat a Cabernet or Carmenere from Chile, or Malbec from Argentina.

 

Something fairly new on the beverage scene are wine blends. The Luna di Luna brand of wines offers six different blends in variously colored bottles---a blue-bottled Chardonnay/Pinot Grigio, a red-bottled Merlot/Cabernet, a purple-bottled Sangiovese/Merlot, a yellow-bottled Pinot Grigio/Pinot Bianco, an orange-bottled Shiraz/Merlot, and a green-bottled Chardonnay/Sauvignon. At around $10 a bottle, they’re a great value in wine and can simplify beverage choices at a Bison tailgating party.

 

At NDSU, tailgating before football games is allowed in select Fargodome parking lots and, of course, a person must be at least 21 years old to consume alcoholic beverages in those lots. There are also pre- and post-game time limitations and various other rules such as the prohibition of glass bottles containing beverages. Before heading out each year review the latest rules and regulations at www.gobison.com.

 

Another tip: do keep whatever leftover food and drinks you have stored in a cooler. That way, instead of sitting in traffic trying to get out of the parking lot immediately after the game, you and your friends can stay put and enjoys the leftovers for part two of your one-of-a-kind North Dakota State tailgating festivity.

 

College football tailgate partying can be an awesome experience. Nowhere else can one find thousands of fans decked out head-to-toe in their school’s colors congregated around a stadium for hours before the big game. Whether grilling up a storm, trading score predictions or tossing a football or Frisbee around, football tailgating has an uncanny ability to make complete strangers feel like neighbors united around their alma mater.

 

Fueled in part by the slumping economy, versatile gadgetry and a love of college football’s grand pageantry, tailgaters are big on creating self-contained, raucous celebrations. A good wine definitely has a role to play in commemorating what has been called The Last Truly Great American Neighborhood. Go for it, enjoy yourself and, please, for your sake (and mine), always have a designated driver.