Finding the Wine that Complements Your Holiday Meal
Are you planning your meals for the holiday season? Have you considered your holiday wine at Hideaway Country Inn?
You’ve chosen the perfect holiday ham. Or turkey, if you’re one of those people.
The side dishes are all planned and ready to be prepared for the yearly Christmas food-stravaganza.
Visions of sugarplums (or decadent pies, cakes, and cookies) are dancing in your head.
You want everything to be perfect. There’s just one thing.
What about the Holiday wine?
Are there wines that go better than others with ham or turkey?
Do the side dishes have anything to do with the best wine choice? Are there different wines for different seasons?
The answer to all of these questions is yes.
What kind of wine goes best with my main course?
It really depends on what that main course is and how it’s prepared, but there are some general guidelines to help you out:
- Ham. The best wine pairing for ham is one that is fruity. Great wines for ham are Riesling, Moscato, Chenin Blanc, Rose, Lambrusco, Grenache, and Zinfandel.
- Turkey. There are several that pair well with turkey, like Pinot Gris from Oregon, Cru Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Chinon, Dolcetto, and Zinfandel.
What about all the side dishes?
While there are suggestions, keep in mind that taste is subjective. If it tastes good to you, it works.
Nevertheless, here are some general guidelines:
- If any of your side dishes have a spicy flavor, you’ll want to stick with a wine that’s on the sweeter side.
- Grilled or charred foods should go with a wine that has been aged in oak, like a California Chardonnay.
- A good rule of thumb is to match mild foods with a milder flavored wine and flavorful foods with flavorful wines. Wine and food that are similar complement each other.
- Don’t pair creamy sauces with acidic wines.
- You can pair sweet with sweet and sweet with salty.
Again, you’re the boss! Go with what tastes good to you. The advice of the best wine experts in the world doesn’t matter if it isn’t what pleases your palate!
Dessert Wines
We’ve talked about main dishes and side dishes, now let’s get to the good stuff!
Desserts!
Like the other two categories, there are some suggestions, but keep in mind, they are just that – suggestions!
According to dessert expert Gale Gand, there are three different dessert categories to think about when you’re choosing a wine.
Here’s a breakdown of the categories and what wines go with each:
- Custard and vanilla: white wines, sparkling wines, and Asti Spumanti
- Fruit and spice: white wines and pink champagne
- Caramels and chocolates: red wine, port, and Grappa.
Wines that go with everything
Maybe it seems a tad overwhelming to find the right wines to go with all the varied components of your holiday meal.
When in doubt, here are some wines that you can serve with anything:
- Sparkling wines
- Crisp whites-Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc
- Lighter style reds-Pinot Noir
- Dry roses
The wines on this list would also be appropriate to take as a gift if you are invited for dinner at someone’s house and you aren’t sure what they’re serving.
Wine classes at the Hideaway Country Inn
Is your wine education lacking?
Wine classes would also make a great gift or a fun activity for your group of friends. Get some pals together, learn something new, and make some memories.
If you’d like to be a little more savvy about pairing wines with foods or would just like to be more familiar with wine in general, consider taking a wine education class at the Hideaway Country Inn.
Contact us today at (419)-562-3013 or email [email protected] for more information or to book your spot at our next Wine Snob class!