When it comes time to gather for the impending onslaught of holiday meals, many of us are often scrambling to choose the perfect wine to bring to the gathering (or serve if you’re hosting).
Page Springs Cellars has some quick tips and suggestions to create easy, no-fail wine pairings for some of the most common holiday dishes. Whether your main dish is turkey or ham, or you need the ultimate dessert pairing, PSC’s owner and wine director, Eric Glomski, has you covered.
“For a holiday dinner where turkey is the main dish, try a wine with a lot of body. Turkey doesn’t have a huge flavor profile, so the focus of the pairing should actually be the side dishes. Many people opt for stuffing and mashed potatoes not just for Thanksgiving, but well into the December holiday season. For a meal with so many flavors, a great bet is a medium-bodied Pinot Noir, as the mix of earthy and fruity flavors should serve to balance the abundance of tastes.”
A perfect Page Springs selection is the 2011 Vino de la Familia, in which the body of the wine helps to offset the dryness of turkey, while still playing to the strengths of all of the other flavor components in a varied holiday meal. Featuring tons of fruit, hints of herb, and enough tannins to help cleanse the palate, the Familia is a go-to for Page Springs families during the holidays.
Serving ham at your table? A meat that walks the line between red and white, ham has a tendency toward sweetness with enough fat to provide juiciness and a lot of flavor. PSC’s perfect pairing? The 2009 La Serrana.
“A juicy blend of Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne, this wine has the structure to act as counterpoint to the fattiness of ham, with enough complex notes to match sweet or savory flavor profiles.”
When looking outside the PSC label, options are abound for a holiday dinner featuring ham. Many times, the direction of your wine selection can be determined by whether the dish will be savory or sweet. A glazed ham will generally pair better with a white selection, while a savory version will work better with red. Looking for a safe bet? Opt for a dry róse.
When dessert time rolls around, ask yourself: vanilla or chocolate? In general, a white dessert wine will pair better with vanilla-based desserts while a red, sweet wine will pair better with chocolate. Page Springs recommends one of the winery’s new dessert selections – for a vanilla pairing, the 2012 Short & Sweet features exotic, tropical flavors that will pair well with a variety of fruits and custardy treats.
“For chocolate lovers, I recommend the 2012 Ranchita Dessert Malbec. Pair with a molten lava cake and you might just want to start your meal with dessert.”