Feasts with friends and family certainly make the season bright. With all of the entertaining and merriment and feasting about to take place, I thought I’d share some tips on pairings for classic holiday dishes as well as recipes for traditional drinks of the season.

Historically, the week prior to Thanksgiving is the best time to buy wine, as many wine merchants run specials on preferred wines. Since holiday fare has such a variety of tastes, textures and aromas, there is an array of wines to choose from. I find it best to pick a varied selection and let your guests try them “family style” the same way you may serve your meal — just open the selections and let them help themselves to the tastes they like. From mashed potatoes, yams and green bean casserole to turkey, ham and stuffing to pumpkin or pecan pie, it’s tough to pick just one wine to carry you through your holiday meals. Choosing several varietals will accent different components of the meal and also cater to a variety of guests’ palates. Pairing food and wine is largely a matter of personal preference, but there are some tried and true holiday meal varietals. Typically you’ll want to choose wines with light or medium body with less complexity and less tannins (a highly tannic wine is one that makes the back of your jaw clench) since they are better suited to an array of flavors.

My pairing favorite for holiday meals is Pinot Noir. It is also a traditional choice because it is easy going and will compliment almost any flavor. Zinfandel is a little more intense than a Pinot but will nicely balance the flavors in traditional side dishes. Pick a zin if you prefer heartier flavors in your wine. The peppery notes in Syrah/Shiraz will accent both white and dark turkey meat. This varietal also tends to pack a little more of a punch, so choose it for those who prefer deeper flavors. Beaujolais Nouveau is appropriate as well. It is light and fruity (a great compliment to turkey…think cranberry!) and released from France on the third Thursday in November. How nice of France to plan their timing perfectly for our Thanksgiving feasts! Sauvignon Blancs are crisp and earthy — a great choice for herb stuffing. Riesling and Gewurztraminer can be either dry or sweet — both excellent pairs to dishes with more spice or kick to them, and they’ll also compliment desserts. Don’t forget to consider sparkling wines and even Sherry. Choose either an extra-dry Champagne or sparkling wine or a dry Rose — the touches of fruit flavor will be a versatile pairing for almost any dish in your Thanksgiving feast.

Here is a quick guide:

Wines to serve with HAM: Beaujolais Nouveau, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Riesling and Gewurtraminer

Wines to serve with TURKEY: Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Syrah/Shiraz, Beaujolais Nouveau, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Riesling, Gewurtraminer, and Chardonnay

Wines to serve with GOOSE: Zinfandel, Red Burgundy, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc

Wines to serve with PRIME RIB: Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Shiraz (try to avoid whites with red meat — they have a difficult time holding up to the strong flavors)

If you’re feeling a little brazen this holiday season, why not try some traditional holiday drinks made with wine? Mulled wine, Glogg, and Wassail are all fun treats for holiday cocktail parties or just to warm yourself by the Yule log.

May you all have a very merry holiday season. Revel in the company of family and friends, toss aside the diet, drink some great wines with your happy feasts, and relish the many joys this season has to offer. Cheers!

MULLED WINE
This holiday drink has been around for thousands of years. In the old days, wine often went bad, so drinkers would add honey and spices to make it drinkable. Today, with good wine of course, it is still a holiday favorite.

Ingredients:
3 cups water
1 cup sugar
12 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 lemon peel
750 ml red wine (your choice!)
1/4 cup brandy

To mix: Simmer 3 cups water with sugar, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and lemon peel in a stainless steel pot for 10 minutes. Add wine and heat to a “coffee temperature” (DO NOT BOIL). Then add the brandy and serve hot. A cinnamon stick makes a nice accent for serving.

WASSAIL
Wassail is the Norwegian version of mulled wine. It originates from an old Norse toast “ves heill,” meaning “be good in health.” It consists of wine sweetened with sugar and flavored with spices and is a centuries-old Christmas tradition.

Ingredients:
1 vanilla bean
1 cup grain alcohol (192 proof)
2 sticks cinnamon
1 bottle red wine
12 whole black peppercorns 8 ounces water
10 tablespoons sugar

To mix: Let sugar, water, vanilla, pepper, and cinnamon simmer for two hours. Strain. Add wine and alcohol. Serve hot.

GLOGG
Glogg is the Swedish version of mulled wine. It is especially popular during Advent and Christmas. Serve it hot in cups with either chopped or whole almonds and add raisins to your servings.

Ingredients:
1/2 golden raisins
2 sticks cinnamon
1/3 cup sugar
2 pieces orange peel
1/4 blanched almonds (boil them for a minute and peel the brown coating, or just buy them peeled at the store)
3 cups dry red wine
3 cups tawny port
1 1/3 cups water
1 1/2 cups brandy
12 cloves

Combine all the non-alcoholic ingredients in a stainless steel saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. Add the red wine and the port and bring to a boil again. Remove from heat and let steep, covered, for at least two hours. Then bring back to simmer, add the brandy, and heat for 1 minute. If you are feeling particularly fancy the drink can be ignited before serving.