Holidays and Wine

Holidays and wine are a perfect pair and there is no better time than a holiday to celebrate with family and friends and enjoy our time together with good food and wine.

Fall and Winter Season Holidays

Today we live in a global environment with many cultures and holidays encompassing our communities. This enriches our lives and brings our world together. I would not be able to do justice to every holiday so I have devoted this section to the popular fall and winter seasonal holidays celebrated in the U.S.

The fall season is kicked off with Halloween in October, Thanksgiving in November, Hanukkah and Christmas in December, New Year's Eve/Day and Kwanza in January.

Of these holidays, our favorite is spent with family and friends especially those we don't often see. This gives us the opportunity to entertain and enjoy a wonderful meal and celebrate with wine.

Wine and Halloween

Are you having a costume party and serving appetizers and snacks to your guests? A good choice would be a sparkling wine. The bubbly wine cleanses the palate and cuts through the creamy dips and will also pair well with the saltiness of some appetizers or snack foods.

Do you have too much candy and want to share it with friends? A dessert wine is good with all the sugary candy -- life savers, gummy bears, lollipops and the like. If dark chocolates are your favorite try a Cabernet Sauvignon.

There is always beer, soda, and sparkling water for those who enjoy those drinks as well.

Thanksgiving Holidays and Wine

"Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!" -- You might see this sign in the window of the local wine store, Beaujolais Nouveau has arrived! Every year on the third Thursday in November France releases their Beaujolais Nouveau. This wine is made from the Gamay grape which is the only grape grown in the Beaujolais region.

Beaujolais Nouveau and Cru Beaujolais are great Thanksgiving dinner wines. Cru Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau are from the same Beaujolais region but are quite different.

Beaujolais Nouveau is a fruity light red wine with light tannins and is meant to be consumed within 3-6 months of its release. Cru Beaujolais is medium-bodied with some complexity and is also food-friendly.

Some of the individual Beaujolais Crus are Moulin à Vent, Brouilly, Fleurie, just to name a few that you will recogonize in your local wine shops.

These two Beaujolais' are "must try for Thanksgiving" wines.

Christmas To Kwanza

Big celebrations and sumptuous foods are all part of these wonderful holidays -- Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's and Kwanza. Don't be stressed trying to find a wine for these celebrations.

One tip to remember when serving wine is to choose a wine that is from the area of the style of food you are serving. In other words, if you are serving Italian food choose an Italian wine. Any regional foods you are making will pair nicely with a wine from that country.

For any celebration do try a sparkling wine. They are very affordable and food friendly.

Wine Suggestions

For your special holiday meals with flavors of spice, ginger, and cinnamon serve a Gewürztraminer which is a spicy white wine that has many of the flavors that are in the foods we serve on these holidays.

Riesling comes in a variety of styles from dry to sweet with flavors of ripe juicy fruits, honey and citrus. They are very affordable and will pair well with many foods including spicy dishes.

A food-friendly red wine to choose is Pinot Noir. It is great with turkey, ham, and salmon just to name a few foods that you might be serving.

I would also suggest trying a Rosé wine. Also food-friendly, it is also a wine that has the complexity of a red wine yet crisp and fruity like white wines. A Rosé just might be the wine everyone will enjoy.

Saluté!
Happy Holiday!!!!!

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