Wine Tips From the Holiday Party
Despite snowy conditions, twenty-two CWIPers and guests celebrated the holidays at Robert Morris College 's culinary school on December 8. CWIP member Christa Velbel offered CWIPers tips on choosing wine for a holiday event. Here she shares some highlights from her presentation:
Let personal taste be your guide
The most important thing in picking a wine for your holiday events is your own personal taste. No critic or auction house or magazine or ad is entitled to tell you what you like. Be conscious of what you enjoy, and then figure out what foods that wine matches. The old red wine–red meat, white wine–white meat rule is too limiting. Think of seasonings and the overall recipe, not just the protein in the dish. That helps vegetarians, too—rich, earthy, herbal vegetarian dishes go with red wine despite the lack of any red meat.
Think weight and quantity when you're shopping for holiday occasion wines. If you are doing a casual stand-up reception for a big crowd, where foods are lighter, buy a younger, fresher, lighter (and cheaper) wine, whether red or white. If you're doing a richer and more elaborate meal for an elegant holiday dinner, invest in more substantial wines that are suited to the food.
Sparkling wine and champagne
Choose anything fizzy, which is good and festive—or the great original, a sparkling wine from France 's Champagne region, which may include only chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier. These are the only grapes allowed in a bottle with the name champagne on the label.
Sparkling shopping list:
• Sparklers that are distinct in style from champagne include cavas from Spain, and prosecco and Asti Spumante from Italy .
• Sparkler alternatives for people who like champagne: California outposts of champagne houses like Domaine Chandon and Roederer Estate. Schramsberg, which is based in California and does classic sparklers with the classic grapes. Gruet, a New Mexico house owned by a French family, makes affordable sparklers in the champagne style.
Wines for the holidays and the foods they match
• Sparklers: salty foods (including caviar, sushi, and hot dogs!) and strawberries
• Chardonnay: roast fowl, seafood in rich cream sauces
• Riesling: excellent off-dry match with many of the season's spices (nutmeg, cinnamon) and sweeter sides (sweet potatoes, stuffing). This is a great, clean refreshing turkey wine and is also nice the way the Germans have it, with pork roast.
• Cabernet and Merlot: the great grapes of Bordeaux , excellent with extravagant beef dishes
