Tag: Wine Pairings

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Being back in the states for the holidays for the first time in five years, we’re excited to jump back into the family traditions we’ve missed for so long. Everyone’s holiday feasts are different, but no matter what is on the table, sharing a meal and spending time with family is part of what makes the holidays so special. For our family, Christmas Eve is a meatless observance of the traditional Polish Wigilia. Our feast begins with everyone breaking a wafer (called opłatek) and wishing each other well in the new year. After everyone is seated and grace is said, we feast on mushroom soup with potatoes, then fish, pierogi (both potato and cheese, and sauerkraut filled), beets, cabbage salad and finish it all with mountains of Christmas sweets and last but not least Krupnik, a honey liquor.  For this Christmas Eve, I’m surprising my cousins who have been working tirelessly in the kitchen preparing the pierogi and fish. I’ve prepared a six-pack of wines to go with the feast. Here’s what we’re drinking:

  • 2014 Landhaus Meyer, Grüner Veltliner, Lower Austria –  Nice spiciness and acidity with some citrus/grapefruit with the peppery signature of Grüner Veltliner. Good with sauerkraut…
  • 2014 Paolo Scavino, Langhe Bianco Sorriso, Langhe DOC, Italy –  A blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Viognier from Northern Italy along the Austrian border. A little floral and fruity.
  • 2014 Erste + Neue, Müller Thurgau, Südtirol/Alto Adige DOC, Italy –  Perfect for fish. Nice acidity with fresh fruitiness. From the beautiful region along the Italy-Austria border.
  • 2014 Will M, Riesling Réserve, Alsace AOC, France –   Crisp acidity with apple notes and some of the minerality typical of Alsatian whites.
  • 2015 Loius Jadot, Pouilly-Fuissé AOC, France –  As with all white Burgundy, this is 100% Chardonnay. Some peach, apple and floral notes with great acidity and some minerality.
  • 2014 Ravines, Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes, NY –  A wine we’re proud to put up against quality Old World Wines. Great minerality and fruitiness with crisp acidity.

Christmas Day is filled with Italian/Sicilian treats. My mother-in-law prepares a giant pot of sauce the day before with meatballs, Sicilian brasciole, chunks of pork chop and, wait for it… eggs. The hard-boiled eggs cooked in sauce are superbly delicious. The trick is cooking them just long enough to pick up the flavor but not become rubbery. For this feast I’ve selected a couple of bottles of Chianti Classico:

  • 2013 Fèlsina, Berardenga Chianti Classico DOCG, Siena, Italy – A deep and fruity wine with some spice. Great aromas and nice tanins.
  • 2011 Lamole di Lamole, Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, Greve in Chianti, Italy –  Another great Chianti, deep in color, rich fruitness with some herbal notes and nice tanins.

Wherever this holiday season finds you, and whatever holiday you will be celebrating, we wish you peace, joy and good wine!  -EZ

 

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As winter has eased its grip, Easter and the beginning of Spring are finally here. Sometimes for those with demanding or unpredictable life/work schedules, advance planning for large holiday get-togethers can be quite a challenge. We’ve decided to host a last minute, quasi pot-luck Easter feast and with the help of 14 of our amazing friends, it’s going to be a great one.  So if you’re still trying to decide what wine to serve with your family feast, let us try to help. Here’s what we’re planning.

For the variety of appetizers our friends are bringing, we’re going to open a couple of bottles of Prosecco. Since we don’t know exactly what tasty bites are coming our way, we’ve found that a nice dry Prosecco is versatile and can stand up to a variety of different flavors. You could certainly choose to serve a Crémant d’Alsace, or Champagne. Bottom line, in our opinion, bubbles are always great.

Our other friends are bringing an apple and feta salad with almond vinaigrette. To match the flavor profiles and acidity of both the apples and the vinaigrette, I think I’m going to bring out a Grüner Veltliner from Austria.  A 2014 Josef Ehmoser Grüner Veltliner from Hohenberg, Austria will hopefully do the trick.

The Big Ham: For a taste of home we’re going to serve a 2014 Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Riesling from the Finger Lakes. Riesling is incredible with a baked ham, but you can also opt for Gewürztraminer. As an experiment we’re also going to open a 2004 Domaine Le Conte des Floris Villafranchien. I want to see how the Grenache, Carignan and Syrah blend work with the ham.  A Pinot Noir from Olivier Leflaive is on stand-by as well.

Lamb or Beef: If you’re serving a delicious roasted lamb instead of ham, go with a bolder, heavier bodied wine like a Zinfandel/Primitivo, or a Cabernet Sauvignon. Our friends are bringing the ham, and we’re also making braised beef. The Cabernet and Zinfandel would be great with the beef as well but we’re pulling an affordable and tasty 2010 Chateau Trois Moulins from Bordeaux.

Be sure to stop back this week as I update how our Easter meal went and if the wine pairings worked out as planned. If you try any of these pairings, let us know what you thought of them.

We wish all of you, your families and friends a happy Easter and a very happy Spring season! -EZ