Your Holiday Wine Pairing Ideas should start with the menu!
Once you have established the menu it will help to narrow down the list of wines. First consider the progression of courses along with the progression of flavors. The order of serving wines with courses should be light bodied wines before full bodied wines. A dry wine prior to a sweet wine. Low alcohol prior to high alcohol wine. A youthful wine prior to an older wine and the simple prior to a complex wine.
At the average holiday table we plan for four food courses. First Course would be your starter or appetizers. Second Course would be a soup or salad. Third Course would be your main and side dishes. Course Four would be the dessert.
Starters or Appetizers – Course One
A festive way to start any holiday celebration is with Champagne or Sparkling wines. We like to serve our starters with a Blanc de Blanc Champagne or crisp Sparkling wine.
We are also fans of serving a light zesty Sauvignon Blanc or French Chablis. Both choices are light on the palate and allow you to build on the body of the wines served with your next courses.
For the red wine lovers in any family, a crisp French Rose’ is always a winning selection.
Soup and/or Salad – Course Two
When it comes to soups and salads you want to think about the level of spice in each dish. With a spicy soup pair a high acid aromatic Riesling. This is a great choice to cut the spiciness in the soup. With a milder or creamy soup a nice choice for wine would be a French White Burgundy or Chablis. Both of these wines are made from the Chardonnay grape.
If the decision is to serve salad the dressing is a key component to what wines should be served. When serving a vinaigrette you will want to select a light, high-acid white wine. so a Sparking wine or Champagne pairs well. You might select a Champagne Vinaigrette for a lovely match of flavors. We have several vinaigrette’s on this site. Click here for the link to the Champagne Vinaigrette recipe on our site.
Entree and Side Dishes – Course Three
This is where your wine selection can get tricky. We all have family traditions that we love to continue from holiday to holiday. Some families serve poultry, some love a standing rib roast, others prefer a seafood dish. Let’s give you a few ideas to help you navigate these waters.
When serving poultry as the entree, like turkey, goose or other poultry dishes, two wonderful wine selections would be a medium-bodied buttery Chardonnay. This can be served along with a light to medium-bodied Oregon Pinot Noir. Both wines will display an aromatic range of flavors with delicate floral notes that make a beautiful pairing.
If you decide on Prime Rib or Filet Mignon your selection of wine should steer you to the big full-bodied red wines. A Cabernet Sauvignon, a full-bodied Zinfandel or an Italian Sangiovese would all be excellent wines to pair with these dishes.
With the choice of a seafood dish your wine selection can vary. Here are a few great choices for the different fish dishes you might select. If you decide on oysters, a great option is Champagne or Sparkling wines. With crab or shellfish, a nice buttery Chardonnay goes well. You can also look at a crisp Pinot Gris with cold shellfish or a refreshing Riesling with warm shellfish.
With a pasta seafood dish, a crisp white wine makes a great pairing, and a Pinot Gris, Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc are all excellent pairings.
With a more meaty or dense fish, like salmon or halibut, you can introduce light and lovely Rose’ or light to medium bodied Pinot Noir. These dishes also pair well with a light crisp Chardonnay or Pinot Gris.
Dessert and After Dinner drinks – Course Four
So here is where the fun begins and your imagination can take off.
The dessert course can be formal or light and include after dinner wines or liqueurs. Here are a few ideas for you to consider:
- Port Wines are a wonderful dessert companion. Either Ruby or Tawny Port can accompany many dessert selections.
- If you are serving a heavy cake or tort look into the late harvest dessert wines at your local markets. They make a wonderful companion.
- Sherry Wines such as a Fino or an Oloroso make a wonderful dessert course. Fino can also accompany meat and wild game. Oloroso pairs well with shellfish.
- Different liqueurs can accompany many kinds of desserts and make a sweet addition to an after dinner coffee. In the past, we have provided a liqueur bar, so everyone can make their own choice.
Once you have your menu in place, and the Holiday Wine Pairing Ideas complete, it will have you singing along with the best Holiday Carolers.
Enjoy a very festive Holiday Season!
A very special thank you to our dear friend Kathy A. for sharing her wine country Christmas photos for this post.
]]>There are some simple truths of pairing food and wine. Below we will give you some guidelines for your next get-together or dinner party
In today’s kitchen, long gone is the old myth of red wine pairing with red meat and white wines pairing just with fish and poultry!
Luckily, we now make decisions on choosing a wine to pair with food based on whether we want to complement or contrast the dishes or snacks we are serving
Five simple things to consider when pairing food and wine:
- Try to match the regionality of the food and wine by pairing the county of origin of both
- Consider the occasion and/or the weather. For example, is it summer or winter?
- Wine can be served at least as sweet as the food it is served alongside
- You can beat the heat in food with some sweetness in the wine you choose
- Food that is smoked always goes well with an oaky wine
Remember:
The most important thing is to drink what you like!
The simple truth about wine:
A simple truth about wine is that the flavor of the wine will change when served with food. The wine’s flavor and characteristics, when tasted on its own, will not be the same as when it is tasted with food.
We differentiate with four sensory tastes:
- sweet
- salty
- sour (acidity)
- bitter
The Impact of Food on Wine:
If you apply some simple basics of food and wine pairing it will help you start down the road to great new adventures. These adventures can lead to exploring wines from different regions and countries. Begin to try pairing wine with foods from the same regions and the related season.
We hope this will help to open your mind to discovering new wines, regions, and their countries of origin.
Continue to follow us and look for additional information to learn more about the amazing art of pairing food and wine.
Some of our favorite snacks and appetizers to pair with wine:
]]>Let’s discuss and enjoy what we love in a California Chardonnay. To find the rich attributes of a big, oaky, buttery Chardonnay, you need to look no further than all the regions of California. They supply an amazingly wide variety.
Warm climate and Cool climate Chardonnay’s
Warm climate Chardonnay’s are rich and full-bodied with toasted oak flavors, and notes of butter, vanilla, even some caramel. “They can be referred to as creme brulee in a glass!” This is what we love and have grown to expect from a warm climate California Chardonnay.
Cool climate Chardonnay’s take on traits of soft fruit, with a light to medium body and aromas of toasted nuts and tropical fruit. California Chardonnay’s are a great accompaniment to any afternoon gatherings as well as any evening dinner party.
Some California history
The California wine country is rich in history, dating back to the 1700s and the California Missions. It has 5 major wine growing regions called American Viticultural Areas or AVA’s. In this post will focus on the North Coast AVA, which includes Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties. Along with the Central Coast AVA covering the Santa Cruz Mountains, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara.
When it’s time to pour a glass of California Chardonnay, here are a few of our noteworthy favorites:
Sonoma and Napa Valley
- Laird Family Estate located just off Highway 29 at the Oak Knoll exit in Napa Valley. Laird has a wide variety of complex fine wines. Today we are concentrated on their Red Hen and Cold Creek Chardonnays. https://lairdfamilyestate.com
- Cold Creek Chardonnay has aromatic notes of tropical fruit, vanilla and lemon zest. On the palate you find the creamy allure of freshly baked apple pie, sitting next to a bowl of buttered popcorn. This leaves you looking for the next glass.
- Red Hen Chardonnay is a uniquely sophisticated wine with aromatic notes of ripe pears, and baked apples. You experience hints of oak and toasted spices, finished with a hint of lemon zest. Its creamy soft finish is sure to leave you wanting more.
- Stonestreet Estate Vineyards, located in the beautiful Alexander Valley in Sonoma. The drive to this winery alone is worth your time. Take the Lytton Springs exit off Hwy 101 to Hwy 128 to the winery. With Single vineyards and Estate wines, you are sure to find a favorite. https://www.stonestreetwines.com
- 2016 Estate Chardonnay Aged in new French oak this medium-bodied wine is a classic, delivering baked apples and spices aromas. The result is silky on the palate with lemon citrus, and a long spicy finish. It pairs well with a beautiful California shellfish, like crab.
- 2015 Cougar Ridge Chardonnay is the perfect example of cream brulee in a glass. With characteristics of toasted caramel, vanilla bean, and baked apples. It is smooth on the palate with a long delightful finish.
Santa Cruz Mountains and Central Valley
- Testarossa Winery, with tasting rooms in Los Gatos and Carmel Valley, they offer guests a unique tasting experience and unparalleled Chardonnay’s. https://www.testarossa.com
- 2017 Santa Lucia Highlands: is a medium-bodied Chardonnay with aromas of caramel custard, ripe apples, and lemon zest. Vibrant on the palate it has a dense texture that gives you a long refreshing finish.
- 2017 Santa Rita Hills has concentrated aromas of vanilla bean, lemon custard and tropical fruits, This beautiful Chardonnay has a light mouthfeel. While it can be vibrant in its youth, this Chardonnay is one that will age well over the next several years.
