With the holiday season upon us, your food menu is likely set and guest list complete. Whether you’re gathering with family for Christmas, or planning a small New Year’s Eve celebration with friends or solo, there’s another guest that can always elevate any experience: wine. You don’t have to be an expert or know how to explain the notes in your glass. What you should do though, is a bit of research. Moving beyond your go-to bottles can help not only expand your palate, but also give a whole new flavor to your holiday food favorites. There are a few apps that can help get you started, including Sippd and Vivino.
Personal recommendations always help, too. In my pursuit of wine certification and passion for traveling over the years, I’ve lucked out and met some pretty incredible women in the wine industry. Just recently, I returned from an incredible road trip to Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe region with Lydia Richards, a sommelier, Wine Enthusiast Top 40 under 40 recipient, and co-founder of the non-profit organization Hispanics in Wine. We checked into El Cielo Resort, home to 15 grape varieties across 73 acres, where we were introduced to Mexico’s terroir for winemakers (natural environment where wine is produced), then had one of the best meals of our lives from Chef David Hussong Castro at Fauna alongside winemaker Lulu Martinez Ojeda of Bruma. In 2018, a chance email exchange with sommelier and beverage programmer Cha McCoy led to a full day of tastings in Lisbon and my first deep dive into Portuguese wines. And after a few years of referring friends to her wine tours, I finally got to enjoy glasses of bubbly in Paris with Tanisha Townsend, one of France’s top wine educators and influencers. I reached out to these incredible oenophiles to get their best picks for holiday pairings, and share some of my own, too.
Move Beyond Your Comfort Zone
Think about your grape of choice, then think beyond it. While it’s always nice to have that one wine that’s never let you down, there’s a whole world of new notes for your palate out there to explore. If you love chardonnay, consider an Argentinian white malbec, charged with fresh acidity and delicate floral notes. One of my favorite picks is the juicy, citrus forward Artesano Organic White Malbec, and best of all, it’s under $20.
“If you’re nervous to step out, try a different grape variety, but from the same producer. You already trust them, so it’s not too far outside of your comfort zone. Or, try sparkling wine from your favorite region–because who doesn’t love sparkling wine?” says Townsend. Richards agrees, and recommends Benvolio Prosecco NV as her sparkling wine of choice because of its affordability and bright and fruit-forward notes. “For affordable bubbly, go for everyone’s favorite Italian bubbly, Prosecco! It is light, fruit-forward and bright, ready to be opened and enjoyed immediately as an excellent food pairing partner as well as in cocktails,” Richards says.
If you lean toward red wines to pair with heartier dishes like roast or steak, consider exploring regions of the world beyond the tried and true French cabs. I’ve found some incredibly bold (and splurge worthy) red blends from Uruguay, like Bodega Garzon’s refined and jammy Balasto. For a more budget-friendly red blend, try the Paring Red Blend from Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara County, a refreshingly sweet and savory bright red fruit adventure. And, if there is one bottle that I can never, ever get enough of, it is Trapiche’s Iscay Malbec-Cabernet Franc, produced in Argentina’s Uco Valley with notes of oak spices and berry so memorable that I served it once at a holiday party, blinked, and it was gone.
“Traditionally, going with a pinot noir or gamay is common for turkey and ham pairings, but try a Zweigelt, an Austrian varietal with medium tannins and body with fresh red cherry notes,” says McCoy, who sells a number of bottles available at her retail shop, The Communion.
Consider These Food and Wine Pairings
When it’s time to start mapping out your food and wine pairings, there’s no limit to how many options you can explore. “Holiday meals can be tricky as they tend to have such a variety of flavors and textures (rich, spicy, salty, crunchy, or sweet, etc), so it’s completely understandable to be overwhelmed as to which wines to buy that will complement such a wide spectrum of dishes,” says Richards. She recommends three rules of thumb:
Aromatic whites with high to medium acidity: “I find wines with vibrant flavors and aromas to be incredibly exciting, and excellent with rich, spicy, salty, or sweet foods. The key lies in how balanced they are in terms of the intensity of their flavors, aromas, sweetness level and acidity,” she says. “Think riesling, chenin blanc, viognier.” Recommendations: MAN Chenin Blanc from South Africa, August Kesseler R Riesling 2022 from Germany, Alois Lageder Am Sand 2017
Light to medium bodied reds: “If you are thinking of reds for the entire meal, I recommend light to medium-bodied reds, focusing on those with higher acidity and softer tannins to enhance the different flavors,” Richards shares. “Examples are pinot noir, grenache and malbec.” Recommendations: Kara-Tara Pinot Noir from South Africa, Vincent Girardin Pommard Vieilles Vignes 2016 from France, 2019 Ram’s Gate Bush Crispo Vineyard Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley
“Workhorse” wines: rosés and/or bubbles: “Sparkling wines are incredibly food-friendly wines and in general, tend to have higher acidity than other wine styles,” she notes. “Acidity is a component that cuts through the fat and creaminess of the dishes, and provides a palate cleansing effect, refreshing your palate for the next bite; this is why most dry sparkling wines pair with just about anything.” Recommendations: Champagne DeLaMotte Blanc de Blancs NV, The Donum Estate’s 2017 Blanc de Blancs and 2020 Carneros Estate Pinot Noir holiday duo.
What the Experts Will Serve This Season
Richards’ go-to holiday pairing involves the celebration of cuisine from Panama. “My favorite holiday dish is tamal de olla, and it’s a staple in my home country, Panama, that includes ingredients such as meat chunks (usually pork or chicken), raisins, olives, and capers. I love to pair it with a light to medium-bodied red with good acidity and softer tannins in order to enhance the different flavors – think pinot noir and grenache,” she says. “As I’m currently living in Santa Barbara, Calif., two local recommendations would be the Cambria Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir and Jaffurs Santa Barbara County Grenache.”
For Townsend, being based in France means leaning into a number of producers from the Rhone Valley like M. Chapoutier, Xavier Vignon, and Château de Beaucastel. Her favorite holiday pairing? “Steak frites and a left bank bordeaux. Left bank specifically as there’s typically more cabernet sauvignon in the blend. Those fatty proteins tame the tannins of the wine and you leave you with all the dark fruit and smoky flavors of the bordeaux. These flavors together just take your meal to a whole new level,” she says.
For a beef and wine pairing, McCoy recommends a few options, too. “Avid Napa cabernet sauvignon lovers will need something fuller than the Zweigelt, so share a Chilean carménère (similar profile as merlot) or mencía (aka Jaen in Portugal), which is a great medium tannin and medium body wine that works well with all staple proteins. Her favorite pairing for the holidays includes a bit of bubbles. “I enjoy a good lambrusco brut, typically affordable, enjoyed by all wine lovers, and it’s something unique to bring to the table. If budget is not an issue, go for blanc de noir style champagne, which gives interesting red fruit characteristics including sugar-coated fresh cranberries, and white raspberry with a strawberry muffin finish,” she says.
Lately, I’ve been exploring wines out of Italy and Spain to pair with both my tried and true and newer holiday dishes. My annual pot of gumbo (a dedication to my late grandmother, Gwendolyn) is beautifully complemented by the minerality and crispness of a Fillaboa Albariño and Casal di Serra Verdicchio 2022 from Umani Rochi. When preparing a hearty steak (my favorite go-to for the holidays is the dry age cuts from Flannery Beef ), I lean toward elegant and structured rioja wines from Spain like Marques de Murrieta Gran Reserva Rioja 2015 and Macan Clasico from Tempos Vega Sicilia – an iconic brand to be on the lookout for if you see it in a store. Monteabellon in Ribera del Duero is a producer I’ve just been introduced to, and their delicious portfolio of tempranillos remind me of one of the reasons I love Spanish wines so much—silky, memorable and often budget friendly.
Or, from Italy, I lean toward a classic sangiovese and barolo, including the Castiglion del Bosco Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Millecento 2016 and Pio Cesare Barolo 2019. I like to pair these reds with holiday pasta samplers from Rubirosa (topped with Frankie’s Organic EVOO) and A-Sha Noodles’ playful Hello Kitty Gift Box that features their popular Mandarin noodles with two sauces, sesame paste and original soy, which are both great options for vegetarians during the holidays.
Lastly, dessert lovers, I haven’t forgotten about you. Nothing says dessert pairing quite like bubbly, or, the French dessert wine, Sauterne. It has honey notes from sémillon grapes that dance beautifully on the palate with creamy desserts like panna cotta and pineapple upside down cake. My pick? Château Climens’ Premier Cru Barsac 2015.
Cheers, and happy holidays!