Visit Calistoga spoke with our friends at the Calistoga Winegrowers and asked them to share a few of their favorite pairings for the holiday table. Family traditions play the biggest role in selecting the dinner menu for the holiday meal. Most families settle on what grandma and mom cooked – there’s something soothing about continuing the holiday rituals and customs.
Besides the beef, ham or turkey at the center of the plate, the choice of wines to pair with the traditional meals should be as important as the side dishes and desserts. We would like to share our selections for the best wine varietals to pair with the three most popular holiday meals.
Roast Beef & Yorkshire Pudding – Passed on from the English, roast beef is a mainstay on many holiday tables. Not surprisingly, we strongly recommend the signature wine of Calistoga as the perfect wine to pair with the meaty roast: Cabernet Sauvignon. Our well-balanced Cabs have the tannins to wash away the fat in the beef, and acid and fruit to stand up to and elevate the richness of the meat. It’s truly a match made in our heavenly vineyards.
Ham & Scalloped Potatoes – It’s hard to imagine but Americans serve more than 320 million hams during the holidays. Sauvignon Blanc is the ideal foil for the saltiness of ham. This popular Calistoga wine has the perfect balance of acidity and fruit and its crispness will maximize the enjoyment of every bite.
Turkey & Sweet Potatoes – Obviously, Americans don’t get enough turkey on Thanksgiving as they consume another 22 million birds on Christmas. The sweet and savory components of the turkey meal pair perfectly with a full-bodied Chardonnay with ample acid and bold fruit.
To select your perfect bottle for your holiday table, head to the Calistoga Winegrowers website.
