It’s that time of year again. Time to deck the halls and break out the good cheer. The world has opened back up and families and friends are once again allowed to come together and celebrate the season. How marvelous! If you’re planning a little holiday get-together with your nearest and dearest and worrying about which wines to serve, fear not. Proper wine pairings can easily be found for your holiday meal, from a Partridge in a Pear Tree to a Whoville-style Roast Beast, and beyond!
Wine can make people nervous. No one wants to be exposed as a wine dilettante. It’s easy to be intimidated by the world of fine wine. Upon first glance, it appears to be a somewhat exclusive club, made up of highly educated snobs who effortlessly mix French words into casual conversation and seem to innately understand esoteric wine terms like ‘minerality’ and ‘autolytic complexity’. Not exactly welcoming.
For that reason, many people stick to the same old humdrum wines they’ve been drinking for decades. They know they’re safe and they know what to expect. Better boredom than a faux pas. Others may take a chance and purchase extremely expensive wines, in the hopes that their guests might be impressed with the labels, if not the wines. Neither is a great solution but take heart! A little knowledge can go a long way. You can shake things up this year without breaking the bank and you’ll be the toast of the town.
The bottom line is, there are no ‘right’ wines. Beauty is in the palate of the taster. Everyone has different taste preferences, and those change with time. Just because a wine is pricy doesn’t mean you will like it, and likewise, just because a wine is inexpensive doesn’t mean it’s bad. Often, the perception of a wine has little to do with the wine itself. The best wine professionals always keep a handful of tricks conveniently up their sleeves to ensure the success of every soirée.
Before you consider buying the wine, take a good look at your stemware. If you’re serving your guests in cheap wineglasses from the grocery store or old spares embossed with the names of vineyards you’ve visited in the past 20 years, it’s time to make a change. Wine tastes better in crystal. Even a cheap wine is somehow elevated when sipped from a crystal goblet.
Crystal is elegant and beautiful. It makes your table sparkle in the candlelight and raises the quality of the overall dining experience in your home from so-so to truly divine. Crystal stemware comes in all shapes and sizes. Buy the best you can afford. Riedel from Austria is a personal favorite of mine and can be found in fine shops and online. Your stemware reflects you. Be fabulous.
While you’re buying that new crystal stemware, go ahead and purchase a crystal decanter as well. Pouring a bottle of wine into a decanter exposes the wine to oxygen and opens up the flavors and aromas. Most wines improve markedly from decanting, the exception being very old wines, which are sometimes too fragile to be decanted.
If you are on a strict budget and have purchased inexpensive wines or wines in larger format bottles, decanting is a great way to conceal the bottles from your guests. No one considers the price of a wine being served from a stunning crystal decanter.
Seek out wines from different parts of the world. The professionals in your favorite wine shop likely have a few favorites they can share with you. Generally, the more unusual the wine, the lower the price. There are hidden gems in obscure regions. It’s about knowing what you’re looking for and looking outside the box. There are bargains to be had and every bottle is a new adventure.
Look for Furmint from Hungary, Txakoli from Spain, Morellino di Scansano from Italy, Malbec from Argentine, or Xinomavro from Greece. You’ll find new flavors and terrific quality for a fraction of the price of a fancy brand.
Consider the temperature of the wine you are pouring. Wine served too warm or too cold loses its endearing qualities. Most red wines should be served at room temperature, about 68 degrees Fahrenheit. As we tend to keep our homes much warmer than that, always lightly chill your reds before serving. The wine may eventually rise to the ambient temperature of the dining room but by then, your guests will already be enjoying it.
Whites, rosés, and sparkling wines are meant to be served chilled. However, if you serve them straight out of the fridge, they will be too cold, and their delicate aromas and flavors will be subdued. Chill your bottles for 15 minutes before serving in a bath of 50/50 ice and water. Never put bottles in the freezer as subzero temperatures can damage wine.
Let the holidays be filled will good wine and good cheer this year. May all the joy of the season be yours.
Cheers!
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