by Kert Platner,
Founding Partner, Times Ten Cellars

Pairing wine and food for the holidays should be an easy part of the dinner planning process. It starts with finding wines that you already enjoy and adding in a wine or two that create some interest.

The first rule of thumb is to drink what you like. Years ago the thinking was that white wine paired with white meats and red wine paired with red meats. These days we generally throw out that way of thinking. Our holiday menus have gotten much more complex than just meat dishes.

Main Course

Dry wines tend to be better pairings for meals. The lack of residual sugar in dry wine allows you to enjoy the flavors of both the wine and food without interfering with either. Lighter bodied dry wines tend to be nice for a wider cross selection of foods. This is true for either white wines or red wines. Some examples of lighter wines are:

White wine
Pinot Grigio, lightly oaked Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and dry Riesling

Red wines
Pinot Noir, Grenache, Sangiovese (Chianti)

These wines are great pairings with a host of flavors, be they spicy, rich, smoky or complex.

Dessert

Dry fruit forward red wines and sweet white wines tend to pair with desserts. Some examples of these are:

White wines
Muscat Blanc, Riesling, and Ice Wines are nice with cheesecakes, pumpkin pie, and chocolate

Red wines
Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Franc pair nicely with chocolate and a cheese course.

Wine and food were meant to be enjoyed together, especially when you add them to a mix of friends and family. CHEERS!

Times Ten Cellars
6324 Prospect Ave
Dallas, TX 75214
214.824.9463