Serving Wine Over the Holidays

Three major holidays are now just days away. People will be entertaining family and friends. An ideal beverage to serve adults, during the holidays, is wine. This article provides some suggestions by Gail Appleson, along with my own ideas, for serving wine over the holiday season.

Before the Meal; If you have family and friends, that you don't see too often, a sparkling wine like champagne is a great idea. You don't need to invest in expensive wines. There are plenty of inexpensive and tasty wines to use. Your guests will be more interested in the beverage, than the brand. You do want something that is tasty though.

Sparkling wine should be kept cold in the refrigerator or in a cooler, that has equal amounts of ice and water. Once a bottle is open, it should be consumed in about three days. A tight bottle stopper can preserve it's effervescence.

Sparkling wine should be served in glasses of 6 ounces or less. This is to keep the wine from getting too warm. You need to have enough room in your glasses, so that the wine can be swirled. Many wines have a great aroma to them.

It is very important to have sparkling clean glasses. Glasses that sit for long periods of time will develop a hazy glaze on them. Some individuals prefer to chill their glasses right before they serve the wine. This helps to keep the wine cooler for a longer period of time.

Meal Serving; If you decide to serve wine with a meal, use lighter style zinfandel or a Beaujolais for your red wine. A dry rose will also work good. For white wines, go with a full-bodied chardonnay.

For desserts, try serving a wine that is somewhat sweeter, than the dessert itself. However, you do not want it too sweet. A sherry or madeira should work just fine. These two go great with nutty pies.

After the Meal; Finish your meal like you started it. Use a sparkling wine to top off the day. Stick with a slightly sweet wine. Moscato D'asti is a wine that almost everyone will enjoy.

Temperatures for Serving; Apply the thirty minute rule. Red wines go into the cooler thirty minutes prior to serving. White wines come out of the cooler thirty minutes prior to serving. This is an easy way to remember. Wine is an excellent choice for celebrating the holidays.

sources; Gail Appleson; StlToday.com