Would you rather drink Wisconsin wine or California beer? Try both 'em on Packers game day

Wisconsin wine. California craft beer. Nachos topped with kimchi and gochujang crema. This week's food and drink roundup as it relates to the Green Bay Packers playoff run is the word equivalent of a casserole made from tasty tidbits.

It's a good time to try Wisconsin wine

This Sunday when the Packers take on the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game, California wines can be banished from game day spreads in favor of local varieties. Wisconsin is home to plenty of winemakers, and if the wine is named Frozen Tundra, well, all the better.

Frozen Tundra red and white varieties, from Parallel 44 Vineyard & Winery just east of Green Bay, are semi-sweet and have won numerous wine competition awards. A portion of Wisconsin-grown grapes are used in each Frozen Tundra blend.

"Steve Johnson (Parallel's co-owner) prides himself on using locally sourced grapes and makes some very good real Wisconsin wines," said Ralph Witte, the wine expert at Ridgeview Liquor just down the street from Lambeau Field.

The winery also makes sparkling wines Bubbler and Sparkler in case fans want something bubbly on hand if the Packers win.

Wollersheim Winery also uses a portion of Wisconsin grown grapes in its Domaine,  Reserve and Eagle White wines. These wines are available statewide, said Witte, "and are all excellent award-winning wines."

Drinking local beer around the bay

For those of you lucky enough to be heading out west to watch the Packers in person, California is best known for wine the way Wisconsin is known for beer, but there are more than 100 craft breweries around the bay. And those are just the members of the Bay Area Breweries Guild. 

For the rest of us, though, there's no need to catch a flight west to sample a tasty California beer, as there's a notable one distributed throughout Wisconsin.

Anchor Brewing in San Francisco isn't part of the guild and no longer considered a craft brewery by the Brewers Association definition since it was purchased in 2017 by Japanese beer corporation Sapporo, but it has been brewing beer in San Francisco since the 1800s. Notably, it has a steam beer that's fermented in big, open-top steel bins relying mostly on cool San Francisco Bay breeze for temperature control.

Dining at Levi's Stadium

The 49ers football team isn't concerned about making the field at Levi's Stadium hospitable for the Packers players, but Levy, the 49ers’ dining and hospitality partner that oversees all food and beverage inside the stadium, is giving Wisconsinites attending the game a taste of home.

Beer Cheese Bratwurst Nachos, a specialty dish for the NFC Championship game, starts with Tostitos round tortilla chips that get topped with grilled beer brats, cheese sauce, caramelized onions, tangy sauerkraut, queso fresca, and scallions. (Sections 108, 302)

All the usual suspects are sold during 49ers games — hot dogs, nachos, beer, yada, yada, yada — as well as a few specials from last week's tilt with the Vikings. 

• Loaded Bulgogi Pork Nacho: Pulled Korean barbecue pork topped with jalapeño cheese sauce, kimchi, green onion, and gochujang crema. (Sections 124, 313)
• Loaded Big Kid Dog: Foot-long hot dog topped with mac and cheese and Flamin’ Hot Cheeto dust. (Sections 126 and 304)
• Loaded Tots: Pulled buffalo chicken, jalapeño cheese sauce, pico de gallo, green onion, and Frank’s RedHot Sauce. (Sections 122, 319)
• Dungeness Crab Sammy: Dungeness crab with lemon, chives, and Old Bay seasoning, served on a buttered spilt-top roll. (Section 124)

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Contact Daniel at (920) 996-7214 or dphiggin@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @HigginsEats.