Easter Wine Hunt.
Here we are another food holiday and the pressure is on to pick a bottle to drink with my Easter meal. The in-laws are coming to the house and I’m told they will be preparing a ham.
I had a similar choice to make at Christmas time when my mom was making ham. This time I’ll be with the in-laws in the comfort of my own home. And since spring is in the air, I’ll probably open the bottle before dinner is served and have a glass while watching some Dodger baseball.
As we discussed back in December, ham can be a tricky pairing because of the saltiness of the meat. On top of that, if it’s glazed you’ve got the sweetness to deal with.
As far as whites go, Reisling is a no brainer (I opened a bottle at Christmas)- A good Reisling generally has a semi-sweetness that counters the saltiness of the ham, and acidity that gathers up all of the ham’s flavors.
An alternative to Reisling is a Gewurtztraminer (I have trouble saying that without making a mess, so I usually call it a ‘Gu-wurtz’).
If red is more what the doctor ordered, there are a couple of great options:
A nice Burgundy (that’s French Pinot baby), is what I did at Christmas, but a fruity Zinfandel could also work hand-in-hand with the sweet glaze.
With that in mind, here are my contenders…
2006 Jean Philippe & Francois Becker Riesling Kronenbourg
2005 Charles Baur Gewürztraminer Grand Cru Pfersigberg
2006 August Briggs Napa Valley Zinfandel
2005 Marsannay Rouge, Clos de Jeu, Domaine Charles Audoin
It’s a tough choice, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out by Sunday. Tune in Monday for the results…
