Which wine for your holiday hors d’oeuvres?
The holiday season is here, and it’s time to celebrate with friends, family and with wine. If you are hosting small get-togethers or a party and serving hors d’oeuvres, here are a few partnerships that will certainly work.
It is best to group one wine with two to three hors d’oeuvres. That way you are not spending a small fortune at the LCBO. As I say every year, conversations are the focus, not the liquid in the glass. So, refrain from spending too much money on wine when no one will be “present” enough to appreciate the wine’s finer qualities. Look for easy drinking quaffers offering value for the price.
Many hors d’oeuvres like to celebrate both savoury and sweet taste sensations, such as Crostini with Pear and Chevre or Fresh Figs Wrapped in Bacon. Remember that if you are featuring fresh fruit in any of your hors d’oeuvres, choose a wine with sweetness to match. Whites with sweetness include off-dry Riesling, off-dry Gewurztraminer, off-dry rose. And make sure that the wine is sweeter than the hors d’oeuvre. Otherwise, the heavy sweetness in the hors d’oeuvres will cause your semi-sweet wine to taste acidic and offensive.
Pear is an ideal fruit to feature. It is not too sweet and works nicely with an array of cheeses that can be incorporated into an hors d’oeuvre. A super-easy hors d’oeuvre is Pear (cubes) Sprinkled with Feta inside Endive Boats Drizzled with Olive Oil and Fresh Lemon Juice. Fresh Guacamole with Diced Pear adds a hint of sweetness that becomes the bridge ingredient to pair with anoff dry Riesling.
I absolutely love Mini Toasts with Gorgonzola and Topped with Prosciutto and Fresh Pear Slices. Drizzle honey on top. The sweetness from the pear will complement the sweetness in an off dry white. The wine’s acidity will also work well with the saltiness of the cheese and prosciutto.
Toasted Head Chardonnay, (CSPC 594341), $15.95, is a reliable big, fat white. It has lots of fattiness and creaminess to pair nicely with rich and fatty hors d’oeuvres. Remember, your job is to entertain and make sure your guests get home safety. So, fatty hors d’oeuvres are fashionable during the holidays.
Hors d’oeuvres with bacon work nicely with this wine. Some of these include: Bacon Wrapped Smoked Oysters with Cream Cheese; Bacon Wrapped Potato Wedges; and Mini Potato Skins with Brie and Bacon.
Terrazas de los Andes Reserva Malbec 2015, (CSWPC 29280), $19.95 is a lovely red with berry fruit and smoky notes on the nose and palate surrounded by firm tannin and medium weight. This wine can be paired with hors d’oeuvres celebrating salty cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano and Asiago and red meats.
Wrap chunks of this cheese with prosciutto and secure with a toothpick. The saltiness of this cheese nicely offsets the astringency and tannin in this red wine.
Terrazas de los Andes Reserva Mal be cw ill also complement Crock Pot Meatballs with Rosemary and Parmigiano; Beef Sliders with Bacon and Parmigiano; Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs; and Pepper Crusted Steak (thin slices) on Crostini with Horseradish Cream.
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