Holiday Wine for Everyone
by Andrea Robinson
No one ever ruined a holiday party or meal with the wrong wine and food match, but anyone can make their meals more delicious with wine, no sweat. That's the kind of advice Andrea Robinson, master sommelier and author of
Andrea Immer's Wine Buying Guide for Everyone, offers wine drinkers, who say they are puzzled about serving the right wine with the right food.
"The holidays are fun—but people put a lot of pressure on themselves when it comes to shopping for and serving exactly the right wine to pair with the meal," says Robinson. "The biggest thing for people to remember is that wine and food are meant to be enjoyed together and shouldn't become a source of stress, particularly during the holidays."
According to Robinson, wine is simply a great choice for holiday entertaining. It's versatile, easy, affordable, and people love it - and she just wants you to have fun.
For those who are seeking advice for wines to serve for holiday occasions, below are wine suggestions and pairings from Andrea Robinson and other wineanswers.com contributors:
Cocktail Party Wines
Wine with Leftovers
Here are some of Andrea Robinson's easy and foolproof tips for buying, serving, and enjoying wine:
- Experiment and enjoy - Consider holiday wine shopping an adventure rather than a chore. Have fun with it and enjoy the wine tastings offered at many wine shops and grocery stores. Tasting is a great opportunity to learn what you like - and experiment with new varieties. Robinson's book Great Wine Made Simple is also chock-full of easy wine "tasting lessons" to help readers experiment and learn their preferences
- Don't sweat the wine shop - Have no fear of the wine shop. It's just like going food shopping—just imagine that you're visiting the butcher or the fish counter—and feel free to ask questions, trust your instincts and buy what you like.
- Benefit from buying by the case - If you're planning on doing a lot of entertaining throughout the holidays, do all your wine shopping at one time. That way you can benefit from some of the discounts that are available to those who buy a lot of wine at once. Some wine shops offer a 10 to 15 percent discount when buying a full case. Or, if you don't plan to purchase enough wine to fill an entire case (12 bottles), consider coordinating with your neighbors, friends or family so that you can all receive the full benefit.
- Look for good "food" wines - Food-friendly wines, or those that pair well with a variety of foods, are easy to come by. Some great white wines include Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc, which offer excellent value and great taste. Some red wines include Beaujolais from France, Pinot Noir, Chianti from Italy, and Rioja from Spain. If you're planning for some bubbly, Spanish Cava and Italian Spumante are also great "food wines".
- Find the good deals - Don't be scared off by "cheap" wine prices. More often than not the lower price means that the wine offers a good value in order to compete with better-known varieties.
- No need for high-class glasses - One good all-purpose wine glass will do the trick when serving wine to family and friends. People tend to get bogged down in the white wine and red wine glass "rules" but the truth is that any glass will serve as a wine glass.
- How much wine do you need? - Plan for about two glasses of wine per guest. To determine which types of wine, follow this formula: 60 percent white wine and 40 percent red wine. Champagne, sparkling wine and rosé are considered white wine for these calculations. For a champagne toast, buy one bottle for every eight guests.
- Try these cocktail party pleasers - Now, it's time to enjoy the wine you've purchased with your guests. Serve some fruity reds and whites, like Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel or Shiraz (Syrah) and have your guests serve themselves. For those who are curious about classic cocktail party combinations, click on the Classic Cocktail Party Pairings above.
- Remember red and white with turkey - Since the traditional turkey feast offers a variety of flavors—from sweet potatoes to tangy cranberry sauce—the best bet is to choose red and white wine, place both bottles on the table, and let everyone enjoy whichever variety they prefer.
- Just recork and refrigerate - After the gathering, you may have both food and wine leftovers. Just treat your wine leftovers like you would food—reseal (or recork) and refrigerate—and enjoy within the next 3-5 days.
In addition to contributing to wineanswers.com, Andrea Robinson is the author of Great Tastes Made Simple: Extraordinary Food and Wine Pairing for Every Palate, Andrea Immer’s Wine Buying Guide for Everyone, and Great Wine Made Simple: Straight Talk from a Master Sommelier. She is also a columnist for Esquire and other publications, and Dean of Wine Studies for the French Culinary Institute in New York. Former Beverage Director for Windows on the World in New York, Andrea now serves on the committee for the Windows of Hope Fund that raises money for the families of the Windows on the World employees affected by the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center disaster.
|  |