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Bacchanalia

Wrath of the Grapes

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The old advice of white wine with fish and red wine with meat is obsolete; new wine styles and complex methods of food preparation mean almost anything goes.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
 

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Article written November, 2001
Except as noted, site design & content © 1999-2005 by
Jim LaMar. All rights reserved.