Choose the right wines to go with seasonal meals

Holiday meals are the biggest event of the season, where all the shopping, organizing and menu planning come together to create a dinner to remember.

Whether you’re having turkey, ham, goose or a beef tenderloin, pairing these entrees with the right beverage to highlight the flavors isn’t as hard as you think.

Sean Beck, Sommelier/Beverage Director at Backstreet Café, Caracol and Hugo’s restaurants, said the food-friendly, fall-based ingredients that typically are included in a Thanksgiving meal make it nearly impossible to go wrong with a pairing.

“I like to pick a theme. With either American classic or Italian, you can really create your own approach. I like lower-alcohol wine. The main thing is the protein. I’m also adamant about having sparkling wine throughout the day,” Beck said.

Andrew Adams, owner of The Corkscrew, a 160-label wine bar in The Heights, is also the instructor for Corkscrew U., an educational class on different wines.

He said that hosts need to take into account that holiday dinners can last most of the day and even carry onto different venues. Adams advised that staying with a low alcohol content is as important as is taking into account the flavors to accompany the dishes.

“I would have a brut sparkling or nice cava from Spain. It’s crisp and light. You don’t want anything sweet when snacking. Also you can have viognier or a sauvignon blanc with floral undertones and low acid. You don’t want something that’s going to over shadow the meal,” Adams said.

If red wine is an absolute must, Adams said several choices are available that can deliver the taste diners are craving.

“The lighter reds like syrah, pinot noir or zinfandel are lighter and packed with lots of flavor,” Adams said. “Also there is beaujolais nouveau. You can drink these all day.”

According to TheFreshMarket.com, wine pairing while entertaining is best kept simple with a least one white wine and one red to keep everyone content. Crowd-pleasing varietals that work well with turkey and all the trimmings include chardonnay, gewürztraminer, blended whites, zinfandel, merlot and blended reds.

Marc Borel, Beverage Director at Rainbow Lodge, said one of the most obvious choices for the holidays is pinot noir.

“There’s such diversity,” Borel said. “Oregon is the place to go for pinot noir. It’s dustier and earthier. French wine from the Rhone Valley does really well with the season and spices of holiday dishes.”

Most importantly is to not forget the champagne, which highlights family and friends coming together, whatever the occasion, Beck said.

“You can never go wrong with bubbles and sparkle. It feels more festive with the dancing bubbles,” he said.

Celebrating the holidays also doesn’t have to be complicated, Beck said.

“Make it a great day with the people you love spending time with,” he said.

“You can never go wrong with bubbles and sparkle. It feels more festive with the dancing bubbles.” Sean Beck, Sommelier/ Beverage Director at Backstreet Café