The ART in FIRE

Good Juice

by J.R. Guerra

It’s always this time of year when everyone is worried about pairing wine with holiday foods. Let me just start by saying that if there is a particular wine that you love drinking with dinner, and would much rather just drink that, then by all means, do so! The right wine to pair with dinner is always one that you will enjoy. However, if you are more selective about wine and food pairing, this should help you pick the right wines to enjoy with the upcoming holiday meals.
Deviled eggs are great to snack on before the bird hits the table. Hard to pair? Not at all! Just think bubbly. Champagne and Prosecco’s are not only a fun way to start the evening, but they compliment deviled eggs perfectly. The fizz clears the palate, ready for another delicious bite. If the bubbly doesn’t agree with your stomach, then a Falanghina (Italian white) is your best choice. It bridges the gap between Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. It’s a white wine that most of our customers have never had, but always enjoy once they do. It’s a great excuse to try something new that you’re sure to love!
Believe it or not, turkey is very versatile, and offers up a wide variety of wines to drink. If your turkey is prepared or served in a sweet sauce (like fruit-based, etc.), then off-dry whites are a great choice. Something with a refreshing subtle tone of acidity to it. Sauvignon Blancs, Gewrztraminers and Rieslings are what you should look for. Just make sure you don’t go too sweet on the Riesling. An Alsace Riesling is your best bet. Most California wineries tend to bottle dryer Rieslings, so you should be safe with most of them. Turkey’s drizzled in their own juices pair great with a full bodied White Burgandy. When picking a California Chardonnay, pick up a barrel-aged and balanced Chardonnay. As much as I love stainless fermented Chardonnay’s, they just get lost in the flavors.
If you’re a red wine drinker, then lean towards reds that are fruit forward. Beaujolais (Gamay’s) are a great option. I prefer Australian Shiraz’s, as most are fruit forward, but with just a touch of spice to round them out. They are also value wines, giving you great bang for your buck. They also won’t dry out your meal at all.
Zinfandel’s can make a holiday meal fun, just stay away from the overly jammy Zin’s. You don’t necessarily need a light bodied Zin, just something more balanced. Seghesio’s lineup of Zinfandel’s come to mind. However, if you decide to barbecue your bird, then most any Zin will do. Zin is always the perfect go to red wine for meat hot off the grill.
Your safest bet all around is a Pinot Noir. They compliment a wide range of foods, including fish, so a Pinot Noir is great with the whole meal, from start to finish. If you prefer to enjoy ham over turkey, this is your best choice of red wine to have with ham, no matter how it is prepared. Just pick your favorite Pinot Noir, and it will pair nicely with your holiday meal.
Heavy reds should be avoided. Turkey, stuffing and rolls are naturally dry foods, and something overly tannic will have you reaching for water every 30 seconds, just to moisten your mouth enough to continue eating. It will also cleanse your palate. That isn’t such a bad thing periodically, but the whole point of pairing wine with your meal is to enjoy the flavors that they both offer, not to wash them away. Save your signature Napa meritage blend for another time.
Of course, you can’t forget about dessert! When I think about holiday dessert, I can’t help but think of pumpkin pie. Wines that are sweeter than the pie are what you’ll want. I prefer late harvest Viogniers, Eiswiens (Ice Wines) and Muscat’s. The residual sugar is usually high enough to compliment the pie, as well as leaving you wanting more.
Now there is no need to stress about what wines to put on the table when the family shows up, all you have to do is grab the wine key and pop that cork!
Cheers, and happy sipping.

The Big Brewski
This is a special time of year, so we now stock a very special beer. Up until now, we carried only one beer from Scotland. This has recently changed. We are proud to be serving Ola Dubh Special Reserve 12, from Harviestoun Brewery. This particular beer is aged in selected oak casks, formerly used to mature Highland Park’s beautifully balanced 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky. If you’re a Whisky drinker, then you’ll definitely appreciate this. Ola Dubh (or Black Oil) is a collaboration between Harviestoun Brewery and Highland Park. It is based on Harviestoun’s award-winning Old Engine Oil (that we proudly serve), with a stylistic nod to classic Imperial Porters and Stouts of the nineteenth century. This delicious brew is the first ale to be aged in malt whisky casks from a named distillery and each bottle is individually numbered. Small batches have been aged in casks formerly used to mature Highland Park 12 Year, 16 Year and 30 Year. Further variants are planned for the future, so you’ll have to pick this up now, while you can.
Of the 3 different choices, the Reserve 12 seems to be the overall crowd pleaser. We keep this gem in our beer fridge, so it is actually too cold when served, but we pour it into a room temperature Chimay style goblet. This helps the beer warm up a little quicker, and allows the drinker to enjoy the new flavors that come through as it warms up to optimum drinking temperature.
Very dark and black out of the bottle, it offers up very little head. Aromas of tar, tobacco, smoke, malt, molasses and strong flavors of chocolate jump out at your nose. The first taste is a sweet bitterness that turns to a rich chocolate with black malts and roasted coffee. Different layers of smoke, caramel, chocolate, cherry, malt, mocha and honey all melt together. As the beer warms up, each of these flavors bounce off of each other taking turns offering up each individual flavor. It finishes with a toasty wood flavor with a nice touch of whisky. At only 8% alcohol by volume, it isn’t too rowdy to enjoy. The chocolate ensures no bitter beer face, while the whisky flavor offers up just the right amount of kick at your jaw bones.
It really is an amazing beer that won’t be here forever, so get it while you can. You can even stick this in your wine cellar and let it age for years to come. Don’t pass on your chance to enjoy this. If you can find it in retail stores, expect to pay up to $20/bottle for it. We sell it for only $12/bottle, here at The Cellar Door.
Cheers, and happy sipping!