The approaching of Easter is always an encouragement to wine professionals.  Beyond the personal and religious importance that it may have to each individual, from a wine perspective this holiday is basically the first friends-and-family “wine dinner” event of the year, and signals the end of the “wine doldrums” that engulf this business for a few months after the Christmas and New Year holidays.

As with many families, if a ham will be on your dinner table, one of the first questions to ask of a possible wine match is “Is ham a white meat or a red meat?”  Actually neither (true?), so we may have some interesting flexibility here.  Ham’s relatively strong and salty flavors oftentimes combined with a sweet glaze require some thinking “outside the box.”

How about a demi-sec Vouvray from the Loire Valley?  The off dry but citrus, fruity flavors of the Chenin Blanc grape as produced by Domaine Deletang 1999 ($13.99) will pair nicely with the saltiness of the ham.  And for those who are planning a sweet glaze over the ham, the fruity, tart flavors of the Gamay grape in Georges Duboeuf’s Fleurie Beaujolais 2000 ($10.99) will make a great match.  Never forget that one of the classic matches for ham is the Riesling grape, and if you haven’t as of yet, this Easter holiday is the perfect time for you to pick up one or two examples of the fantastic vintage 2001 Rieslings from Germany.  With 30-year comparisons by wine experts being made to the fantastic 1971 vintage, sales of these wines have been very brisk over the past several months.  Two great choices for your holiday table are the Dr. Thanisch Bernkasteler Badstube Kabinett 2001 ($13.99) and the Lingenfelder Grosskarlbacher Osterberg Spatlese 2001 ($17.99), both of which display the beautiful floral aromas, well-balanced sweetness, and zippy lemon-lime acidity that are the hallmarks of this vintage. 

Happy Holiday to you and yours!

If you are planning something else for your holiday entrée stop by, call, or email us at Harry’s in Fairfield (259-4692, harrys@snet.net) for appropriate wine recommendations.  Also check back regularly to our webpage on culinarymenus.com for upcoming wine tasting classes (all levels), wine dinners, and other events that we are planning throughout 2002.

Len Gulino
Harry’s Wine and Liquor
harrys@snet.net

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