The holiday season has kicked into full gear and many people will be enjoying festive holiday meals in the coming days.  The joyous affairs often have several courses and can be nightmares for those attempting to pair the different foods with wine.

Before I even attempt to get technical please remember to enjoy a wine YOU LIKE.  Forget what the so-called “experts” say is a good wine or a good wine to enjoy with whatever food.  If you have a wine that you like and you want to drink GO FOR IT!

That said, there is a reason why wine & food pairing is done.  Certain elements in wine simply co-exists better with certain foods.  For example, my favorite pairing is red meat and red wine, as the tannic and often bold nature of a red wine goes quite well with the strong flavors and high fat content of red meat.

Without getting into too many wine pairing details, I want to make two suggestions for your holiday meals…

The first, go with a sparkling wine.  Said to be “food neutral”, sparkling wines are a fabulous compliment to spicy foods, fish (both cooked & raw), greasy foods (think potato latkes), sweet desserts…name it & it works.

The second is to go with a crisp, acidic white.  Similar to sparkling wines, these crisp whites (such as Sauvignon Blanc, Albarino or Riesling) provide a crisp & refreshing palate cleansing in between bites.  They help to cut through oily or cheesy dishes.  They are great sipping alone (although I think more of sipping one of these wines during the summertime months). And they are overall very versatile.

Feel free to send me a message or leave a comment if you have any specific holiday feast wine pairing questions.

Happy Holiday Wine Tasting!

WTG