Pair like a pro: Iconic Western NY dishes and wines to pair with them

You may have friends or family that moved away from Western NY and whenever they visit and they have to get one of our beloved local dishes they can't find outside of our area.  We are lucky to live in this beautiful corner of the world and doubly fortunate to have incredibly talented restauranteurs around every corner and more than ever they need our support.  So the next time you order take out from your favorite local spot, here are suggested Deer Run wines to pair with some iconic Rochester/Western NY dishes. 

1. ZWEIGLE'S RED HOTS & WHITE HOTS
This is not just a hot dog.  People who grew up eating Zweigle's long for that familiar snap and juicy flavor that is so well-renowned in Western NY.  With its roots in Rochester, NY opening up in 1880, Zweigle's has been serving up hots to the local communities for over 140 years.  Today, they're still family owned and operated, five generations later! 
Pair Zweigle's Red Hots with Deer Run Corot Noir 
Pair Zweigle's White Hots with Deer Run Moscato 

2. RED OSIER ROAST BEEF ON WECK
Our family had the pleasure of working alongside "Red", his wife, and two sons when they sponsored the 2019 Thursday Night Summer Concert Series at Deer Run Winery.  I will admit that summer I had more than my fair share of Red Osier's Beef on Weck sandwiches with piping hot au jus for dipping and horseradish cream sauce.  Red Osier's roast beef is lightly seasoned, no fatty strands to contend with and the simple sandwich is purely delicious!  
Pair Red Osier Roast Beef on Weck with Deer Run Marquette 

3. CHICKEN FRENCH (aka, Chicken à la Rochester)
I was amazed when I discovered that Chicken French isn't a staple across the country; the rest of the nation doesn't know what it is missing!  That's okay, we will keep it as one of our favorite dishes and happily serve it up at weddings and special events!  
Pair Chicken French with Dry Riesling

4. FISH FRY
There are many great places to get an awesome fish fry in our area.  In Western NY our traditional fish fry is made with haddock.  The delicate flaky white meat rocks when coated with a beer batter or panko crust finished with a freshly squeezed lemon wedge.  Many restaurants claim to have the best fish fry in town.  I recommend that you be the judge! 
Pair Fish Fry with Chardonnay 

 5. BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS
People around these parts take chicken wings very seriously.  Western NY has pretty much perfected the chicken wing and in doing so, we have set an incredibly high standard for other states to attempt to meet. While I know wings go well with beer, we can still pair wine with wings.  My suggested pairings come down to the sauce selected to dress the wings.  
Pair Wings with BBQ sauce with Runway Red
Pair Wings with Boss Sauce with Vignoles
Pair Wings with Country Sweet with Conesus Red 
Pair Wings with Frank's Red Hot with Conesus White 

6. PIZZA
Pizza is life and life is pizza.  Well, maybe not, but people everywhere love pizza and when I looked up how many pizzerias there are in Rochester, I lost count somewhere around 320 and it seems every restaurant serves some form of pizza!  The combinations of toppings, sauces and what you can do with pizza is limitless and your best bet is order your pizza they way you like it and have your favorite wine to go with it!  
Pair Pizza with your favorite wine!
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7. THE GARBAGE PLATE 
If you missed comedian Jim Gaffigan's appearance on The Conan O'brien show last year, Jim Gaffigan brought Rochester's garbage plate obsession into the national spotlight.  Jim loved our garbage plate so much that during quarantine, he made and posted a "Let's Get Cookin'" video showing how to make a garbage plate at home.  Recently, for my nephew's birthday, my sister made a garbage plate buffet which was incredible and so much fun!  I recommend you try a garbage plate buffet for your upcoming spring or summer gatherings (Yes! We will be gathering again!!).
Pair Rochester's Garbage Plate with Runway Red