Wine
for the Holidays
... don't make the usual mistakes
...
The relatively
small amount of wine consumed per capita in the
United States is mostly taken care of by a few
dedicated wine drinkers. But once or twice a
year, between Thanksgiving, Christmas and New
Year's Eve, nearly everyone contributes a little
to the overall depletions.
Unfortunately,
these occasional wine drinkers are unlikely to
join the ranks of the regulars, because they
most often pick wines that clash with elements
of the Traditional Holiday Meal and end up
tasting not very pleasant to them. The main
offenders are the current wines of fashion --
Chardonnay and Merlot.
DRINK WHAT
YOU LIKE
The old advice of white wine with fish and
red wine with meat is obsolete; new wine styles
and complex methods of food preparation mean
almost anything goes. Most of the time, wine and
food are complimentary. Some combinations,
however, can be nasty.
The important
thing to remember in matching is: Match the
Principal Flavors. If the preparation is simple,
match the main ingredient; if the sauce is the
main flavor, match the sauce. Sweet with Sweet,
Tart with Tart, Tannic with Tangy. Sparkling
wines work great for almost everything, because
they have those scrubbing bubbles that cleanse
the palate, regardless of the food.
CHOOSE
WINES LOW IN ALCOHOL (under 13%)
Alcohol clashes with food flavors. Traditional
Holiday Meals are likely to include Sweet
Elements, such as Candied Sweet Potatoes,
Cranberry Sauce, Waldorf Salad and Apple, Mince,
Pecan and Pumpkin Pies. These flavors will make
the dry wines taste hot and alcoholic even if
they really are not. Wines that are slightly
sweet, on the other hand, will taste pleasant
and relatively dry.
|
CHOOSE
Sparkling Wine
Johannisberg Riesling
Chenin Blanc
Gewürztraminer
Rosé
Beaujolais
(French)
Gamay
Valdiguié
Pinot Noir
Chianti (Italian)
Zinfandel (watch the
ALCOHOL!)
|
AVOID
Chardonnay (If you MUST, pick a cheap
one -- it is less likely to have oak
flavors that will have the same flavor
appeal with T.H.M. as would liquid
kindling)
Sauvignon
Blanc
Fumé Blanc
Viognier
Cabernet
Sauvignon (too TANNIC)
Merlot (too TANNIC)
Barbera (too TANNIC)
Syrah (too TANNIC)
|
FIFTEEN
MINUTES BEFORE SERVING
Take the WHITE wine OUT of the refrigerator and
put the RED wine IN. The whites will taste
richer and fuller and the reds not so
harsh.
TWO HOURS
MINIMUM FROM BOTTLE TO THROTTLE
Don't drink and drive. Stay safe; that means
more than anything to you and your family at
this time of year.
These last two
tips are good advice for any time, not just
during the Holidays.
Jim
LaMar
