Holiday Wine

Holiday Wine

Food, Spice & Wine

 Often the holidays reunite more than friends and family. In many homes, holiday feasts are a mixture of well meant, but completely mismatched dishes prepared with love for the sake of tradition. Beautiful and meaningful to be sure, but challenging when it comes to wine pairing. Add to the challenge our natural tendency to bring out the good stuff to celebrate special occasions and it is easy to see how the best intentions can go wrong.

The best idea, then, is to match variety with variety and serve several different food friendly wines. These are considered safe bets as they shoot more-or-less straight up the middle.

Food Friendly Favorites

Food friendly white wines for the holidays include Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc, and reds include Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Chianti and Rioja. This isn't a definitive list, but its somewhere to start. As always, let your palette be your guide.

Thanksgiving was originally a time to celebrate the end of a successful harvest, but now it’s the beginning of the long holiday season. Generally the menu at Thanksgiving is full of fresh vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, cranberry sauce, and of course the Thanksgiving turkey. Many of these foods are heavy and rich and represent a warm break from the cold.

To cut the richness of many of these foods, try a sparkling white wine like Champagne - not just for its suitability, but also for the sense of occasion.

Lighter bodied whites are solid choices for turkey and ham, because they won't overpower the mild taste of the white and light meat.

If you prefer a red, a bright Beaujolais will complement the milder dishes, while its fruity tones will stand up to the more intense.  Cabernet Franc is another lighter bodied red that has a touch of pepper and darker fruit tones that will go well with the darker turkey meat. They pair beautifully in fact, so if you want to bring out the good stuff, Cabernet Franc is an excellent place to start - or finish, whatever the case may be.

Marshmallows?

While turkey is relatively wine friendly it’s the heavier, often times orphan side dishes that present a challenge. Grandma's candied yams with whipped and toasted marshmallow topping for example. These dishes need a rich, bold wine to hold its own. Ideally, it should be one with solid acidity and strong fruit tones. Red Burgundy, Shiraz and Riesling will stand up to most holiday side dishes.

Pinot Noir pairs well with many foods, including turkey and ham. The earthiness of the wine picks up on the earthy undertones of the food, and Pinot's jammy residue complements both meats.

Ham and other classic holiday dishes, pair extremely well with fruit. Ham is generally rich and salty, possibly smoky, so choose a low acid, low tannin wine to pair.

Consider medium bodied reds with cherries, blackberries and soft tannins. The fruit in medium bodied reds will complement the double smoked baked hams. A heavy red will overpower the ham's flavor, while a wine that is too acidic will take away from the sweetness of the ham. Off dry Rieslings pair well with ham and its smoky sweet flavors, and its acidity will cut through the richness.

Other versatile wines to have on hand during the holidays include Merlot, Shiraz and Chardonnay. These varieties do well during appetizer time or during wine and cheese round the fire time. Although I’m not a fan, white Zinfandel is a good single varietal crowd pleaser.

Desserts

Quady Winery in Madera California makes Essensia from Orange Muscat grapes. Quady makes only dessert wines and Essencia is certainly one of those. Wine Enthusiast recommends serving it with cheesecake. “Drink it with cheesecake and go to heaven” they said and then they gave it 93 points.  I agree. There are flavors of apricot, honey and golden raisin, but I find a strong taste of orange. While it’s definitely sweet, it’s not cloying and the wine has an excellent balance of acid to fruit.  This would be an excellent wine to include at holiday dinner gatherings.  I like it with pumpkin or sweet potato pie.

The Final Result?

 The hands down favorite for the holidays of course, is Champagne, the one and only.  It goes with everything, everyone and every occasion - happiness in a glass.