Wines For Your Spring Holiday Meals
It’s been a long, wet winter and I’m looking forward to some beautiful weather and some wonderful holiday meals.
Whether cooking ham, lamb, brisket, fish, veggies, or a delicious brunch, you’re probably going to want to add some great wines to go with your holiday meals.
Ham is one of the most popular choices for holiday meals. Full of salty, rich, and smoky flavors, it’s best to balance out these flavors with a wine that is light-to-medium-bodied, low in tannins, and with loads of fresh fruit. Possible choices include: Riesling, Albarino, Rosé or sparkling wine, as well as Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, and Zinfandel.
DOMAINE WEINBACH RIESLING RESERVE PERSONNELLE (Alsace, France): Domaine Weinbach is a former monastery built in 1612 that has belonged to the Falle family since 1898. The family made the choice to produce biodynamically in the 1990s.
This is a beautiful dry Riesling. It has a wonderful combination of crisp, ripe acidity, and fine minerality. It is juicy with a long, lingering finish. This Riesling is a very flexible food wine, and can pair well with many entrees including seafood, chicken, ham, smoked meats, and Gouda cheese.
STOLPMAN VINEYARDS L0VE YOU BUNCHES ROSÉ (Central Coast, California): Stolpman started producing Love You Bunches Rosé in 2019. It is floral breezy, the fruit is pressed quickly for a beautifully pink-hued wine, and 2023 is a great vintage. “Love you bunches” refers to the extra-loving treatment of grape bunches during harvest.
PEDRALONGA SEREA ALBARIÑO (Rias Baixas, Spain): This is 100% hand-harvested, organically farmed, fermented in stainless steel. “Serea” means mermaid in Gallego. The Albariños made at Pedralonga have remarkable texture and structure, balanced by bracing acidity and rich minerality. This is a fresh, lovely wine laden with minerals and salinity, with hints of citrus, honey, plum, and green apple.
DOMAINE CORNU-CAMUS HAUTES-COTES DE NUITS ROUGE (Burgundy, France): The Cornu family has lived in the Burgundian town of Echevronne since the 13th century and you will find their wines there today. This is a pretty, floral wine with hints of red raspberries, dried cherries, and rosemary. It is fresh with easy tannins. It is perfect to enjoy now but can be aged for five years.
Another popular choice for special spring meals is lamb. Pairing wine with lamb depends on the cut and cooking method of the lamb being served. Lamb chops are a lighter, more tender meat that can be paired with a medium-bodied red that won’t overpower the flavors. Suggested pairings would be Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Grenache, Ribera del Duero, you can also try a heavier rosé such as Tavel or a Chardonnay. The richer meat of a lamb roast can handle a full-bodied, fruit-forward wine with decent tannnins.
Suggested pairings would be Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Rioja, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and Brunello di Montalcino.
BANSHEE SONOMA COUNTY PINOT NOIR (Sonoma, Calif.): This is an elegant and energized wine, combining bright raspberry and cherry aromas with flinty mineral accents and lip-smacking red and black cherry flavors. It strikes a great balance.
VINA ZORZAL MALAYETO GARNACHA (Navarro, Spain): “One of the true bargains from Navarra and the whole of Spain is Mayaleto,” according to Wine Advocate. The palate is elegant, seamless, and balanced with very fine tannins. There is great integration of oak and very good freshness. Bravo!
POST & BEAM CHARDONNAY (Carneros, Calif.): This outstanding Chardonnay is backed by the expertise of Far Niente Wine Estates. There are aromas of subtle oak and vanilla. It has rich fruit flavors along with a creamy texture. This is a true expression of Carneros Chardonnay.
CHATEAU LEYDET-VALENTIN SAINT-EMILION GRAND CRU (Bordeaux, France): Frederic Leydet’s vines are located just near the border of Chevalier Blanc, sharing a similar soil distinguished by its iron content. Iron in the soil is particularly good for growing Cabernet Franc and is the reason Leydet works with a higher percentage of Cabernet Franc in comparison to others in the appellation. This is an organic wine blended with 73% Merlot and 27% Cabernet Franc. The result is a fresher, brighter style of Bordeaux. Broad, smooth, and elegant with good structure and length. Even though this wine is structured to age, it is very open now and drinking well in its youth.
TEMPOS VEGA SICILIA PINTIA (Ribera del Duero, Spain): Pintia is a project of Vega. Fresh and very floral with violets and berries, it is medium-to-full-bodied with firm linear tannins. It has excellent length and structure. Better after 2024, but already drinking beautifully.
If you choose a fatty fish entrée, pair it with Pinot Noir or Beaujolais.
MICHEL GUIGNIER BEAUJOLAIS (Burgundy, France): Michel Guignier is a fourth-generation vigneron committed to producing wine in the most natural way. His Gamay vines are 40 years old and his wines are made organically. This is a vibrant blend of red and black cherries, violets and fresh thyme. Delicious and refreshing.
If you are having brisket, Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic pairing.
BARON HERZOG CABERNET SAUVIGNON (California): This is a bold and rich wine displaying wonderful aromas of black cherry, boysenberry, and tobacco. Is has a soft mouthfeel and is pleasantly spicy, with rich soft tannins. This big red Kosher wine is a perfect food wine.
No matter what you will be eating, it’s always a good idea to drink what you enjoy!
