By Adriana Krstic
Spring is finally here, and that’s especially exciting after a winter that seemed to stretch into infinity.
Spring, the season of rebirth and renewal, also is holiday time.
Passover and Easter menus offer a wealth of options, from fresh asparagus, leeks, and artichokes to richer beef and lamb dishes, bitter greens, and sweet condiments.
While delicious, these foods are notoriously difficult to pair with wines. Passover and Easter eggs and egg dishes could leave a metallic taste in your mouth if not washed down with a perfectly chosen libation.
Enter Riesling, the grape that is known for its food friendliness.
Its high acidity allows Riesling to cut through complex sauces and it works well with fruit, and that combination allows it to frame aromatic or spicy foods with serious aplomb. If you know little about Riesling, rest assured that it is a grape variety much loved by sommeliers and discerning palates.
Rieslings exhibit a range of flavor profiles, from zesty and citrusy to floral, rich, and fruity — and that means they can complement a wide array of cuisines. The lower alcohol (7-10 percent ABV) wines with its floral notes complement poultry and seafood. The higher alcohol, drier-style Rieslings work well with rich sauces and dishes that require a bit more palate cleansing between bites.
Rule of thumb when choosing the desired style: The lower the alcohol indication on the bottle, the sweeter the wine. Conversely, if you see 12.5 percent ABV on the label, you are getting a bottle of dry wine. If you buy both, you are sure to appeal to different tastes and make everyone at your holiday gathering happy.
Another great option for green and herbaceous dishes, like asparagus quiche or salad, is a Sauvignon Blanc. Choose one from New Zealand and you are certain to enjoy richer wine with prominent passion fruit, grapefruit, and gooseberry flavors. Fumé Blanc (a style of Sauvignon Blanc) from California varies regionally with common notes of lime, green apple, grapefruit, and melon.
It may come as a surprise, but your favorite Sancerre is in fact a Sauvignon Blanc grape from the small wine producing appellation of Sancerre in France’s Loire Valley. Sancerre, famous for its rolling limestone hills, produces crisp, delicious, dry wines with flavors of citrus, flint, sea salt, honeysuckle, and freshly cut herbs.
What about a versatile red wine that will highlight a delicious, complex, slow-cooked Passover brisket or a roasted Easter ham or lamb?
Choose light- to medium-body reds like Pinot Noir or Beaujolais Cru (Gamay grape) from Oregon, or Burgundy, to complement and not overpower the protein. For a juicy slow-roasted lamb, choose a fuller body and richer style of Syrah/Shiraz (Rhone and Australia) or Bordeaux blend from Pauillac.
Robust tannins and a fuller-body wine will be a perfect accompaniment to the richness and sometimes gamey undertones of the roasted lamb.
Special note: Although Manischewitz Concord Grape wine has been served at many a seder, there is no requirement that it be the only wine you serve. Nor is it necessary to limit your wines to red. You could make your four cups of wine at seder a combination of whites and reds — serve white with the early part of the meal and move to red as you bring out the main course.
And if you don’t have time to worry about all this food and wine pairing business?
Reach for a bottle of your favorite champagne or more pocket-friendly sparkling wine made in the méthode traditionelle. Great choices in this category include Spanish Cava, Italian Franciacorta, and Languedoc’s Crémant de Limoux. California produces some nice sparklers as well. These wines undergo a second fermentation in the bottle and extensive aging on their lees, which are dead yeast cells. That gives them a distinctive toasty, nutty, brioche flavor, texture, and complexity, as well as effervescence.
Sparkling wines are known for their food friendliness and ability to pair with a wide range of dishes, from light seafood to fried chicken. Thanks to high acidity that cuts through the richness of food and provides a refreshing contrast, sparkling wines are perfect palate cleansers. If you are feeling adventurous, buy all of the above — and make sure to support your local wine merchants in these uncertain wine business times.
Whatever you decide to cook, order in, or drink, always pair them with lots of fun and laughter, which is the recipe for fantastic memories.
Adriana Krstic is a certified sommelier, Court of Master Sommeliers consultant, writer, and travel and event planner.
