At this time of year, we prepare for our most festive gatherings with family and friends. Wine is a natural part of any holiday meal, but what do we match with our celebratory fare? Fortunately, we are living in an age when more good wine is being made than at any time in human history. The variety is amazing, and it’s easy to find a good quaff for any holiday get-together.
Turkey is a tradition in many households—and why not? What’s not to like about such a wonderful bird? For my dinner, two wines come to the fore: Pinot Noir for a red and Chenin Blanc for a white.
The amazing thing about turkey is that it is probably the most wine-friendly dish that you can serve. Pinot matches the bird with a fruity lightness and a long finish that also goes well with various other festive dishes. It is easy to find a good one, most notably from California and Oregon. Now that the “Sideways” fad has passed, quality is up and so is availability.
Chenin Blanc is the great fruity grape from the Loire valley in France, where it is known as Vouvray. It matches the noble bird with a light sweetness and good acidity. It will also stand up to side dishes but goes hand-in-hand with most desserts. This great grape is also very popular in South Africa, where it is known as “steen.” It’s not quite as rich as the French bottling, but still good.
Another popular centerpiece for a holiday meal is ham. The Germanic grapes match well with the sweet and salty flavors of this holiday favorite. Riesling and Gewurztraminer are from Germany, while Gruner Veltliner is the major white grape from Austria. These three are from the center of white wine production in central Europe. The great thing is that they have crossed borders and are now easy to find from many other parts of the world.
Riesling is low in alcohol while big in flavor and freshness. Light and easy drinking, it’s a perfect match for holiday dinners. Gewurztraminer is a spicy wine filled with pungent flavors and aromas. This seems to be a match made in heaven for pork and sweet potatoes. Gruner Veltliner is a minerally wine with more subtle flavors than its German cousins that works as more of a palate scrubber, making your next bite as good as your first.
The traditional Italian holiday meal is the Feast of Seven Fishes, a huge meal of seven courses without butter or meat that ends at midnight. Vermentino is the go-to wine for this fare. A white wine from the island of Sardinia, it has a reputation for being the finest available. My personal favorite for this meal is Greco di Tufo, the rich, ancient white from the Campania region. It has a unique flavor and a mouth-filling texture unlike any other wine. Readily available, try it if you can this holiday season.
Keep sipping, Steve.
