It’s that time of year—baseball season is underway. The Stockton Ports start playing ball on May 4. To celebrate, we’re rounding up our favorite ballpark culinary items and pairing them with vinos you can find throughout Lodi wine country.
Hotdog
The key here is to choose a wine that will complement the toppings on your stadium dog. For something simple—think mustard and sauerkraut—a gewurztraminer makes a good pairing. Some lighter whites might fall flat against the bolder flavors. If you prefer your hotdog like a five-year-old (ketchup only), a wine with ripe grapes and higher alcohol content will better stand up to the vinegary taste of the ketchup. Lucky for us, this describes many of the Valley’s zinfandels.
Corndog
Corndog afficianados might already know that it’s champagne that pairs best with salty, fried foods. You don’t have to be too picky on which champagne or sparkling wine you select, anything from a true champagne to a prosecco will stand up to the fried treat.
Cracker Jacks
One trick for pairing wine with something sweet is to outdo the sweetness of the food with the beverage. For this reason, a Moscato or other dessert wine is a fine pairing for that infamous ballpark snack. And, the same rule holds true for kettle corn.
Garlic Fries
Much like the hotdogs, you’ll want to match your wine to the toppings—in this case, garlic. Garlic can be an overwhelming flavor, but a GSM blend is popular to pair with garlic-heavy Italian cooking for a reason.
Peanuts
If you’re chucking your shells onto the ground while noshing throughout nine innings, we have a surprising revelation. Port is an excellent way to bring out the flavors in peanuts. For a lighter beverage, reach for that sparkling, which will balance the saltiness of the peanuts.
Sunflower Seeds
Another crack-and-go snack, sunflower seeds whether mixed into another dish or eaten on their own do nicely with a sauvignon blanc. The white wine with flavors of citrus and lemongrass add flavor to the easy snack food.
Nachos
Here is another ballpark staple that pairs nicely with a sauvignon blanc. The rule we’re invoking here is to pick a wine with the opposite flavor profile of the food. In this case, a crisp white will cut through the cheese and salt providing balance on the palate.
Catch a Game:
Banner Island Ballpark
404 W. Fremont St., Stockton
MILB.com/Stockton