Election Night Sips: The Perfect Wines to Drink While You Watch

The highly anticipated 2020 election is almost here with a little under two weeks left. Anxiety is high for about 50% of the population as we’re waiting to see if we have to endure another four years fueled by hatred and pseudoscience or if we’ll finally get our sh*t together and elect a strong leader FOR the people. Either way, we’re going to need a bottle or two of something very strong. If you’re like me and spirits aren’t your thing, hold on because I’ve got some great wine recommendations for you to get you through election day.

California Zinfandel

California Zinfandels are known for their high alcohol levels ranging anywhere from 14% ABV to 17% ABV, and usually have flavors of blackberry, black plum, prunes, vanilla, and coffee. These wines will also have medium to high acidity, medium to high tannins, and a full body with a long, lingering finish. Zinfandels are powerhouses with high alcohol and pronounced flavors, so you’ll definitely want to pop a bottle during election night. Forego the glass and drink straight from the bottle, trust me, I understand. If you’re a beginning wine drinker that prefers sweeter wines, I highly recommend Zinfandel because it’s a fruit-forward wine that gives off the illusion of being sweet, but it’s actually a dry wine!

Grenache Blend

Grenache is one of those wines I wouldn’t typically reach for as a single variety, but hear me out on this one. For the election, try a Grenache blend. When Grenache has the right climate to ripen successfully, the result is a grape with high levels of sugar and low levels of acidity. When grapes naturally have high amounts of sugar and the yeast ferments the sugar into alcohol, you’ll end up with a wine that’s high in alcohol. I recommend a Grenache-Syrah-Mourvedre (GSM) blend because it’s going to be beautifully balanced and still have a high ABV. I’m not saying you should chug a bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape because they’re pricey, but I’m NOT not saying that either if you catch my drift. However, if you’re unemployed like me, Trader Joe’s sells some reasonably priced GSMs for under $20 that are pretty delightful.

Pinotage

Pinotage is the close relative of Pinot Noir, but it’s actually its own variety grown throughout the Western Cape in South Africa. It will generally have medium tannins and high acidity with flavors of strawberry, raspberry, and red cherry. This variety will produce wines with slightly high alcohol levels for red wine. Single-varietal Pinotage wines are amazing by themselves and with food, but you can also find Pinotage blended with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, which are called Cape Blends. Pick up a bottle to enjoy and take a sip every time Trump says something racist.

Australian Shiraz

In one of my older posts, I mentioned that New World wines usually have higher alcohol levels and are more fruity than Old World wines and that’s evident in Australian Shiraz. Syrah from cooler regions will display fresh black fruit flavors (blackberry, cherry) and have a medium body compared to warm climate Syrah, which has flavors of cooked black fruit and black licorice and higher alcohol levels than what you would find in Northern Rhône. This variety is so good, you’ll keep coming back for more, so you’ll definitely want to have a bottle (or two) on hand for the election.

If all else fails, bring out the bottle of tequila you’ve stored away in your cabinet for disasters like this. It’s going to be a long night.