Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other special day this season, wne can be an important part of making the evening special. Choosing the right wine can make all the difference, so I have put together some recommendations for food and wine pairings, as well as some basic tips that will help you create the perfect meal, or even just bring along a wine that will complement what your host is serving. Your guests will compliment you or your hosts will invite you back, as you’ll make a great impression.
Want to learn more about food and wine pairing? I have a great workshop coming up on January 18, 2024 in downtown Portsmouth, NH. Click HERE to sign up.
Somm Secrets: Wine and Food Pairing Workshop Tickets, Thu, Jan 18, 2024 at 6:00 PM | Eventbrite
Basic Wine Pairing Principles
- Match the “weight” of the food with the wine. For example, a light fish dish goes best with a light bodied wine, and a heavy meat dish goes well with a robust red wine. That way the wine will not overwhelm the food.
- Beware of heavily oaked Chardonnays or Cabernet Sauvignons – the oak can detract from the flavors of anything but basic cooked meats.
- Salt enhances the flavors of a wine as well as softens the tannins of red wine
- Fat in a dish (cream sauce, marbled beef) is balanced by acidity in the wine and makes the wine seem less acidic.
- Acidity in food (lemon, vinegar) makes a wine less drying and bitter, and seem fruitier, so pairs well with acidic wines
- Spicy dishes pair well with wines that are slightly sweet or fruity, not spicy, as this will compete
- Chili heat is amplified by alcohol, so for this kind of spice choose a slightly sweet, lower alcohol wine.
- Pair sweet foods with wines that are sweeter; also, salty foods can pair well with sweet wines (bleu cheese and Sauternes, for example)
Holiday Party Wines or Wines with Starters
- Sparkling wines (champagne, Prosecco, Crémant from France, American sparkling wines) pair well with light starters and cheese, and put people in a festive mood
- Unoaked or lightly oaked Chardonnay
- Muscadet (from Loire, France – especially great with oysters or seafood)
- Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire (France), California or Chile (these will have less overtly “green” flavors as we find in New Zealand)
- Austrian Gruner Veltliner
- Willamette Valley (OR) or Santa Barbara (CA) Pinot Noir
- Spanish Tempranillo
- Spanish Garnacha/French Grenache (especially in a lighter Cotes du Rhone blend)
Wines to Serve with Turkey
- Unoaked or lightly oaked Chardonnay (from France or California)
- Viognier (Northern Rhone or West Coast USA – I love Carol Shelton’s Wild Thing Viognier)
- A dry Riesling (German Kabinett)
- Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
- Gamay from Beaujolais (Beaujolais Villages or the 10 Cru like Fleurie, St. Amour, Morgon, Julienas, etc.)
- Zinfandel (from California – Lodi, Dry Creek and Russian River AVAs in Napa)
Wines to Serve with Pork
- Chenin Blanc (Loire Valley, France or South Africa)
- Grenache or Pinot Noir based rose (Tavel from the Southern Rhone is my favorite)
- Pinot Noir
- GSM blends (Cotes du Rhone AOC)
- Barbera (Piemonte region of Italy – Barbara d’Asti)
- Spanish Tempranillo
- Bordeaux blends – especially St. Emilion
Wines to Serve with Holiday Roasts
- Southern Rhone blends (Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas)
- Cabernet Franc (Chinon, from the Loire Valley)
- Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa, CA but also try from Chile)
- Left Bank Bordeaux blends
- Malbec (Argentina or try the French Cahors – the original Malbec)
- Nebbiolo’s from Piemonte, Italy (Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara)
- Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscan Sangiovese)
- Australian Shiraz
- Tempranillo from Spain (Rioja)
Wines to Serve with Dessert
- An off dry or sweet Riesling (German Auslese) great with apple pie or fruit dishes
- Champagne, Crémant, Prosecco – anything light and bubbly!
- Brachetto d’Acqui (a red sparkling sweet wine from Piemonte, Italy)
- Still Moscato (Muscat) OR Asti (a sweet Moscato-based sparkling wine from Piemonte, Italy)
- Ruby, LBV or Vintage Port – great with chocolate
- Tawny Port – great with pumpkin pie
