Holiday Meals and Wine Pairings

Holidays and entertaining go hand in hand. If you are the one hosting the holiday gathering, you are probably feeling the stress about now. From recipes to decorating, let alone shopping, your mind is probably awhirl. Take a moment now to peruse this listing of not too expensive wines and the best pairings for them. You can make your menu plans just a tad easier once you have the wine selections taken care of.

For The Savory Turkey Meal

Hmmm..You can almost smell all the rich aromatic flavors on the Thanksgiving Day Table. Turkey, sweet potatoes, and stuffing with delicious herbs. For this type of meal, a lighter oak wine will go well. A favorite you'll find on Thanksgiving menus is the Riesling. A good pick at a moderate price is the 2005 Gainey Vineyard Riesling, at about $13 a bottle.

Another good choice for this meal would be the 2005 Covey Run Geurztraminer. This is a peachy smooth wine and will compliment your turkey feast well. It will also complement budgets at about $8 a bottle.

Be sure to have red wine available at your Thanksgiving table as well. Pinot Noir is an ideal wine with turkey. Pinot Noirs do not have to wipe out your wine budget; Try the 2005 Beringer Founders' Estate Pinot Noir, usually around $12 a bottle. The 2005 Cambria Pinot Noir is wonderful to serve and will be about $19 a bottle.

Holiday Meals featuring Roast Beef or Lamb

A roast beef dinner calls for a hearty rich red wine. A good choice is the Shiraz/Cabernet Try the 2004 Wolf Bass Yellow Label from South Australia. This is a velvety soft wine, that is delicious with roast beef (or alone), and will only set you back about $12 a bottle. The taste from this wine will have your guests thinking it cost much more!

Another delicious meals during the holidays, is a Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2004 Turner Road Cabernet Sauvignon is about $11 a bottle and comes from the Paso Robles Region.

Lamb and the spicy peppery flavor of Syrah Wine are wonderful complements to each other. A nice selection for a Lamb Holiday Dinner would be the 2004 Cline Syrah that will be about $16 a bottle.

Dessert Time

Don't forget about the Dessert! Pumpkin pie and Apple pies will taste delicious when paired with a light sweet sparkly wine! A yummy choice is Bonny Doon Muscat Vin de Glaciere, or the Chandon Riche extra-dry bubbly. These will run you somewhere between $18-30 a bottle. Maybe a bit high, but oh so good to end your holiday meal with!