What To Open For Christmas Ham? My Holiday Wine Choices…
Once again, a holiday meal is upon me.. And I haven’t chosen what to open. Mom is making ham, so the natural choice is a white, but for a big occasion, I prefer to open a red… A rosé would work too… There are lots of options, and the natural thought is to open multiple bottles, except as usual, I’ll be the only one at the table drinking wine and having more than one glass in front of me will cause unnecessary stress for mom. (She regularly asks my wife, “Is Neil still drinking a lot of wine?” (For Crying out loud Mom, READ THE BLOG…. I drink it for the HEALTH BENEFITS…))
So that’s my dilemma. I’m told the challenge with ham is that it’s both salty and sweet (the glaze). Because of the salt, tannic wines aren’t a great choice as they’ll end up tasting bitter. Also, overly dry reds don’t work because they’ll be overwhelmed by the sugar in the glaze.
Based on all that, here are the options I have sitting in front of me that I think will work (not to say I won’t run by the store and pick up something else entirely):
Dry whites with good acidity will cut through the ham’s saltiness and enhance the sweetness of the glaze. I have a bottle of 2007 Chateau Ste Michelle-Dr. Loosen “Eroica” Riesling that would work perfectly. Always highly rated (Parker’s Wine Advocate gave this vintage a 91), this one’s a winner.
OR: Sweeter whites and fruitier reds will complement the glaze and counterpoint the ham’s salt. A young fruity red, low in tannin with good acidity will act like a fruit sauce for the ham Here I have a few options: My 2006 Brouilly, Georges Descombes, the Beaujolais Cru I have yet to open, is supposed to be a good one, and perfect for the ham. Or I could go with the 2006 Alfaro Family Vineyards Pinot Noir that’s been waiting patiently for me. A zinfandel would also fit the bill here, and I have a bottle of Peachy Canyon Zinfandel Snow ‘05 that would definitely be the fruit sauce I’m looking for; Peachy Canyon is a favorite stop whenever I’m driving on highway 46 from the 1 to the 101. If I swing to the whites, I have a bottle of 2005 Charles Baur Gewürztraminer Grand Cru Pfersigberg that I’ve been eyeing for some time.
FINALLY: A dryer rosé would work nicely with the ham and my bottle of 2007 Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare Rosé would do nicely.
I’m not sure which way I’ll go yet, but I will report back on December 26th with a review. Any thoughts? Suggestions? Wanna tell us what you’re going to crack open? Feel free to comment and let us know.
WineExpedition wishes a safe and happy holiday to wine lovers everywhere…
