By Margie Roelands, Vintner for Raimondo Winery

It’s that time of the year when families and friends gather together at the table to give thanks and share a meal of great food and wine.  This holiday season you can show off your wine and food pairing skills simply by following a few principals. The great thing about pairing wine and food is the wine not only enhances the food, but the food enhances the wine. Take the dominant flavor of the food and match a wine that complements or contrasts with that flavor and pair the richness of the dish with the weight of the wine. Wine is ONE of the ingredients in a recipe. For example, if you are using a sauce on a fish, poultry or meat, pair the wine with the sauce rather than the protein since it becomes the dominant flavor of the dish. You can either complement or contrast as you pair your wine.

Complementary pairings – delicate dish with delicate wines. Contrasting flavors –sweet wine to make a salty dish stronger.

The four elements of complementing or contrasting pairings: weight, flavor intensity, taste, and smell.

•What is the body/weight of the wine? heavy, medium, or light-body

•What is the flavor intensity of the wine?    subtle, strong, complex

•How intense if the smell and aroma in the wine?    earthy, fruity, smoky, herbaceous 

•Most important - What does the wine taste like?  sweet, spicy, acidic, sour, bitter - do you taste apples, leather, molasses, etc.?

Body/weight of the wine -  Select a wine that will work with a broader range of foods. For example, a medium-bodied, moderately oaked Chardonnay pairs with most dishes better than a super oaky, buttery, high alcohol Chardonnay would. Pairing a big, powerful, high-alcohol or high-tannin wine with a light, delicate dish (and vice versa) is rarely a good idea.  Nor do you want to put a red wine on a white fish and most chicken dishes because the red wine structure is too heavy will turn the dish red or pink.

Flavor intensity -  The five basic tastes are sweet, sour, salt, bitter and umami (savory). If you have an amazing bottle of wine you want to show off, don’t serve a wildly complex dish with it because you'll lose the flavor of the wine. A simple dish will allow the wine to be the center of attention. Likewise, it you are cooking a complex dish like lamb stew, you need to pick a wine that can stand up to the bold flavors of the lamb and seasonings.  Tannins pair well with fat because the astringency of the tannins cuts through the viscosity of the fat.

Smell and aroma - Back to our lamb stew, a big earthy wine can really enhance that dish. But if you were to serve a big earthy wine with creamy sweet dish like lobster bisque, it would overpower the dish.  If you need to add an element of fruit to a recipe, pick the wine that is fruity.   The wine is one of the ingredients in your recipe so think about what your dish needs: apple goes well with pork and turkey, smoke is great for grilled foods, and earthy needs a wild or red meat, mushrooms, a dish that uses herbs, etc.  Pick a wine that adds those flavors.

Taste is key!!!  - This is where you use the contrast and complement  - Sweetness in a dish will increase the awareness of bitterness and astringency in wine, making it appear drier, stronger and less fruity. High amounts of acidity in food will decrease awareness of sourness in wine and making it taste richer and mellower, sweet wine will taste sweeter. Starting with acid, there’s no better quality in a wine for matching rich, creamy or cheesy sauces, deep-fried foods or fish dishes.  Tart wines go better with tart foods, such as a vinaigrette on a salad. Some fish—cod, haddock, mackerel, shellfish are high in iodine so you would use a white wine rather than a red, because the iodine reacts with the tannins in red wine and makes both the fish and the wine taste metallic. Lightly sweet white varieties work well with spicy foods because the sweetness cuts the heat of the spice, and the firm acidity helps balance the richness of the oil. 
  

Here is a list of wines that you can pair with turkey, ham beef and other holiday cuisine.

                    • Albarino:  This Spanish grape is perfect with  appetizers and  and seafood.   It is light and fresh with a slight fruity mid-palette.

• Beaujolais: This light-bodied red wine is easy to drink; even white wine lovers enjoy it. It has a fruity aroma and pairs perfectly with holiday turkey or pasta dishes. It also works well on a buffet that includes a variety of foods.

• Chardonnay:  It can stand up to richer foods such as the salty, earthy flavors of turkey, sausage and dressing, and complements the sweetness of side dishes like corn pudding and winter squash.

• Pinot Noir: Another red wine that’s quite flexible and goes with the multiple layers of flavors presented at a holiday table. It is smooth and bright and pairs beautifully with turkey recipes.

• Red blended table wine: Select a red blend that uses Sangiovese, Barbera, Tempranillo and light-bodies red grapes.  These grapes produce a lighter, smoother red wine that won't overpower a turkey or ham.

• Syrah: If you like a heart red wine hearty, full of flavor and spice, a Syrah/Shiraz can balance even the most flavorful and spicy holiday dish.  Try it with beef, lamb, and even ham.

• Verdelho: This Portuguese white wine is easy to drink, even during the cocktail hour when you may or may not be nibbling. It is fresh, crisp and slightly fruity and pairs well with many holiday foods including creamy cheeses and seafood.

• Viognier: This dry white wine is best suited to the holiday’s full-flavored dishes. Light to medium body, it’s a good basic white to offer throughout the season.

• Zinfandel: This red wine is a medium-bodied wine with full flavor. It works with turkey, ham, roast beef, and any spicy foods you might be serving

• Dessert wines and sparkling wines:   Most people think about port as the only choice for dessert wines.   Actually there are many good choices including late-harvest wines, which provide sweet and rich flavors.  Riesling and Zinfandel are popular   late harvest dessert wines. Sparkling wines make a good dessert wine and can also be served with appetizers and light, creamy main dishes.   Don't forget to grab a Zinfandel or Cab. with a chocolate cake.