I really do think that this year’s World Cup has the makings of a perfect drama: Devastating losses, underdogs slaying football giants, bad guys versus personifications of positive masculinity, political intercessions, supposed sabotages, and a ton of emotions from both the fans and the teams. I personally have very fond memories of the series since I started watching in 2014 (Deutschland!).
As of writing, the Semi-finals are coming up and we’re down to four teams vying for the championship. While I’m a little bit miffed that Norway didn’t make it (how can anybody not love Haaland the cyborg or get caught up in doing a Ro), I’m still excitedly rooting for a couple of teams… So I thought, wouldn’t it be great to match what I’m drinking during the games?
In the spirit of keeping this unbiased, I decided to make a few suggestions on what to drink while rooting for one’s favorite Semi-finals team… in alphabetical order.
Argentina
The Asociacion de Fútbol Argentino is the administering body of the La Albiceleste – the Argentine men’s football team. Argentina’s undeniably talented monster of a star player Lionel Messi can be polarizing… but I think most people would agree that their culture of Asado can bring anybody together. More of a social ritual than just a bunch of people cooking and eating, the Asado requires three elements: La Parilla (the grill), delicious meats (I am partial to the morcilla, or blood sausage… and different cuts of steak such as the vacio or the entraña), and proper condiments (like the herbaceous concoction of oil and vinegar called chimichurri). I could not imagine a better pairing for Asado meats than a proper Argentinian Malbec… It’s typically dark purple with floral aromas of violets. It can be rich, but some styles are much more approachable and allows for easy drinking. I prefer the classic robust, tannic style with rich red and dark fruit flavors, plus a hint of spice from the wood aging. The classic style goes better with the Asado meats, with the salt of the meat tapering off the wine’s tannins… letting the delicious fruit characteristics of the wine come through.
England
Run by the Football Association (FA), the English football team – The Three Lions – has broken my heart a couple of times: Once was this weekend for eliminating Norway, and the other was 2018. It was the 12th of July 2018… I was in London to get a teaching certificate. My English classmate warned me to stay indoors that night (the night before our exams) because… Well, let’s just say English football fans can be quite passionate. I did as I was told, prepped for my finals while watching the game on the telly and… England lost to Croatia, the underdog of the match. The mood was tense the following day with a slightly somber professor in our classroom, me having to walk through the London streets with remains of the previous night’s devastation littered everywhere, and just an overwhelming feeling of sadness across the city. Anyway, while I do not ascribe to drinking our feelings, I do believe in the deliciousness of a proper gin and tonic. I had to look through the annals of the website to find a proper English gin, and remembered falling in love with Langley’s No. 8 Gin. Classified as a London Dry (may only be re-distilled with juniper and other botanicals but may not have other flavorings added post distillation), it has refreshing notes of juniper, coriander seeds, sage, and citrus. I’m too lazy to replicate the cocktail I featured in that article, but with proper tonic water. I highly, highly recommend Fever Tree Premium Indian Tonic Water, which is made with botanical oils and high-quality quinine – designed for classic London Dry Gins.
France
The Équipe de France de Football, popularly known as Les Bleus, are highly favored to win this year. In fact, coming off that story about the 2018 World Cup, they were the ones who dealt that devastating loss to Croatia. I remember watching snippets of it in my hotel waiting for the car to pick me up and take me to the airport, the driver gamely listening to the game with me en route… and eventually finding out Les Bleus won, with Kylian Mbappé scoring from outside the penalty area. Thinking about what French wine to recommend, however, I could go so many ways… After all, the French, with its giant land mass, grow wines from a myriad of different regions, maximizing each area’s terroir. I could talk about the delicate yet powerful Burgundian reds, the crisp and refreshing rosés of Provence, the classically hardy Bordeaux legends… but in the spirit of celebration, I think a proper Champagne would do the trick… preferably a Blanc de Noirs. Champagne is typically a blend of the region’s classic grapes Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay… Eliminating the Chardonnay would highlight the wine’s acidity, which would be perfect on a French summer day (it can get hot there during World Cup season). This would work well with most light canapés… I personally prefer eating light food on a hot day.
Spain
The Selección Española de Fútbol, or the La Roja, is the Spanish national football team. In 2014 I wanted to root for them… They were the previous winners, and my husband and I are part Spanish. Unfortunately, they were eliminated in the group stage (but Germany won that year, so I was still happy). This year, Lamine Yamal is making me wonder what on earth I was doing at 19… I sure wasn’t on the world stage scoring goals and contributing to national pride. Yamal is Catalan, and that makes me want to recommend drinking Cava while watching him score goals for La Roja. Cava is special in that it is made in the same Traditional Method that Champagne uses – having the secondary fermentation (which produces the bubbles in the wine) done in the same bottle. This also gives it that signature bready aroma from the more integrated yeast exposure, and it can be easy to confuse Cava with Champagne on the nose. The classic grapes are Xarel-lo, Macabeo, and Parellada, but the region is free to use other grapes too. This sparkling wine pairs so good with tapas. I have fond memories of getting lost around Barcelona with a newspaper cone of jamon and a glass, but I find that it also goes well with la bomba (a spicy deep-fried dish with meat and potatoes made into a ball), or pa amb tomaquèt (bread with tomatoes which I love making on a lazy day).
