Holiday Food & Wine Pairing

What is the best wine to pair with family get togethers. It really doesn't matter just so long as you have some...

But seriously, here's my two cents on what wine pairs with what over the holidays.

Holiday Parties: You can't go wrong with bubbles. The carbonation means the alcohol is delivered to your system more quickly. Hand your guests a small taste when they come through the door and you'll have them in the party spirit in no time. Our Jezebel Pinot Noir is another great party wine. It's fruit forward and easy drinking but still a lovely, well balanced example of an Oregon pinot noir, and it pairs with just about any kind of food. Go for our Willamette Valley Pinot Noir if you want a bit of an upgrade from the Jezebel.

Christmas Eve: Our family has a seafood buffet on Christmas Eve and my favorite wine to pair with it is our Ribbon Ridge Chardonnay. The creamy texture and bright acidity are a wonderful match for Bacon Wrapped Scallops and Crab Dip.

Roast Turkey: Maybe it's my English heritage, but I can't make a turkey dinner without a glass of dry sherry to sip on while I'm doing it. A few marcona almonds and a glass of sherry makes the perfect breakfast while I'm stuffing sausage up the birds rear end. For the dinner, I like Pinot Noir. It's such a versatile wine. It's lighter weight and acidity pair respectfully with such a wide variety of foods. If you aren't overdoing the sweet stuff with the sides (yes.. I'm talking marshmallows in the yams - WTF?!) then I'd pour a really nice Pinot Noir. Our Winemaker Cuvee Pinot Noir is lovely, or any of the other pinots like the Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir. And if you really must shove fluff in your sweet potatoes, try a wine with a little residual sugar in it, like our Jezebel Blanc. It's a refreshing Alsatian blend of Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris with just a hint of sweetness. The Blanc is also great with ham.

Prime Rib. I'd pair a juicy Prime Rib with either of the Walla Walla reds, the blend or the Cabernet Sauvignon.The lush fruit and biggeer tannins will be more than a match for that cow.

Christmas Pudding. As ridiculous as it is, I make English plum puddings every year and ship a couple back to the UK to my family. No one else seems to take the time to make them since my grandmother passed on and I kind of like doing it. But what wine to pair with it? I have no idea. By that time in the day, I'm just ready for a nice cup of tea...