Wine and Food Pairings for the Holidays

Wine and Food Pairings for the Holidays

Bryce Sanders, President

Perceptive Business Solutions Inc.

Christmas will be here soon.? If you are a fan of the Hallmark Channel you might think Christmas arrives in July.? Certain foods are traditional around the holidays.? These provide wine matching opportunities from two directions: You can pick the ideal wine to accompany the food, or you can select the ideal wine from your collection and find the ideal food to accompany it.

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You might think of wine and food pairing as something associated with dinner parties.? You might not be planning any.? Rethink the concept as an opportunity for a great dinner for two, either at home or at a favorite restaurant.

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The logic of wine and food pairing is the combination of the two leads to an experience greater than the sum of the two parts.? 1+1 might equal 2 but imagine 1+1 can sometimes yield 3.

1.????? Prime rib.? Elegant beef dishes are often a staple during Christmas time.? Heavier foods are usually a great match in cold weather.? You might prepare filet mignons for two at home or order a prime rib at your favorite restaurant.

Consider matching: Red Burgundy.? This is made from the Pinot Noir grape.? A good Chateauneuf Du Pape from the Rhone is also a good match.

2.????? Champagne.? It is the ultimate festive drink.? TV programs feature it all the time.? It gets poured in flute shaped glasses, often held by well dressed people.? You can make the case champagne goes with everything.? Canapes would certainly be a good pairing.

Consider matching:? Potato chips.? This might sound surprising, but this match has been around for years.? The salty character of the chips goes well with the bubbles of champagne.? This is a treat you can easily enjoy at home.

3.????? Christmas pudding.? This is similar to what we call fruitcake in the US, but there are differences.? That isn’t important here.? It is possible you might be serving one or the other for dessert at Christmas dinner.

Consider matching: Port of almost any sort should be a good match.? The port should be red, which is the dominant type.? Tawny port has been aged in wood and is similar to vintage port, but at a lower price point.? This is another treat teo people can enjoy at home.

4.????? Oysters on the half shell.? You either love them or hate them.? There is often no middle ground.? They are consumed raw.? The paradox is often the places with great prices (buck a shuck) don’t have a great wine list and places with great wine lists charge a lot for oysters.? You might think you cannot enjoy them at home because they are tough to open.? If you have a good fish store in your neighborhood, they will often open them for you, setting them on a bed of ice in a takeout container.

Consider matching: Champagne and oysters is a classic match, yet Chablis and oysters is famous too.? Sancerre, a French white wine from the Sauvignon Blanc grape is also a good match.

5.????? Stilton cheese.? This is another British holiday classic.? It can be served in place of dessert.? It might be a course on its own.? Serving is simple.? You have the cheese.? You have crackers alongside.

Consider matching: This is another time when the bottle of port gets set on the table.

6.????? The cheese course.? In fine dining circles, this is a separate course after the entrée but preceding dessert.? Sometimes it can take the place of dessert.? It can also be an alternative to an antipasto platter if you are sitting around over drinks before dinner.

Consider matching: The original logic was pairing it with the red wine left over from the entrée course.? People associate red wine with cheese.? Dry white wine can also be an ideal pairing.? This is another easy combination to serve at home.?

7.????? Goat cheese.? You have seen it before.? It comes in little white logs.? It can be a component in a goat cheese souffle.? That is a lot of work and a dish you are unlikely going to try at home.? You might have goat cheese on its own.

Consider matching: Wines based on the Sauvignon Blanc grape are the classic pairing.? Sancerre and other wines from the Loire Valley based on Sauvignon Blanc are good matches. New Zealand built its wine reputation on Sauvignon Blancs.

8.????? Cheese fondue.? This is another ideal winter treat for two people.? Supermarkets like Lidl sell fondue in packages.? Simply follow the instructions and heat it up.? You typically keep is warm, dipping chunks of bread.

Consider matching:? Swiss white wines make sense, since fondue is associated with Switzerland.? Other white wines should be good too.? Thinking about French wines, you might try a Beaujolais, a red wine made from the Gamay grape.

9.????? Lobster.? This is another fancy seasonal dish, although you can easily find lobster year-round.? It is often served warm with a sauce, but it can also be served cold too.

Consider matching:? I think fine white Burgundy like Puligny Montrachet is a good match.? That can get expensive.? Almost all white Burgundy wine is based on the Chardonnay grape.? Chardonnay from California or elsewhere can be a good match.

Many of these wine and food matches can be enjoyed at home with a minimum of effort.? They can help create a great holiday experience.

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Bryce Sanders is president of Perceptive Business Solutions Inc.? He provides HNW client acquisition training for the financial services industry.? His book, “Captivating the Wealthy Investor” is available on Amazon.