The Perfect Match: How to Properly Pair Wine with Food at Holiday Gatherings

Original Story Published by: Bennet Bodenstein for Daily Star Journal
Photo Source: ©Lana Abie/Unsplash

The food traditionally served at the winter holidays usually calls for the lighter white or rosé wines. . 

The red wines would be too overpowering to accompany the turkey or ham. 

They also will not do well with the sweet side dishes so, in an attempt to save your holiday dinner from vinicological disaster, I would like to make some suggestions as to the wine too choose. 

Mulderbosch 2017 Chenin Blanc ($22) — Steen is the South African name for the Chenin Blanc grape. Mulderbosch used both names to make very sure that purchasers know exactly what they are buying. The Mulderbosch 2017 Chenin Blanc wine has an inviting pale yellow color with of hint of green around the edges. The aroma displays, pineapples, guavas, litchi, lemon and lime in abundance. The flavor is clean and lively with nuances of nutmeg and cloves. Stylistically, the wine is off-dry and displays a lightly oaked background coupled with the steely, flint-like typical South African signature flavor in the finish. This wine is the perfect accompaniment to a Christmas or New Year dinner or for that matter, any dinner. 

Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2017 ($22) — A good rosé is hard to find today, but you can stop right here; you’ve found one. This wine has been made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that the color imparting skins have been removed thus eliminating any of the food matching problems while leaving the glories of a cab intact. The wine presents a lively, bright and clear pink color and a complex aroma of strawberry, cherry, roses and fresh peaches and a spicy, slightly peppery taste on the palate. It is very well balanced with a fresh, extraordinarily long aftertaste. Seek out this wine; it’s a charmer from beginning to end.