With the New Year’s arrival, which wines might you need on hand to be ready for 2017?
If you have a large event on the calendar this year, a wedding, a birthday or a retirement, consider what the honoree(s) prefer, but don’t forget the guests. Pour a dry red that is not too big and oaky. Offer a white wine with bright acidity. Lightly sweet wines such as a rose’ or a Muscadine blend will please many.
Valentine’s Day, the next big retail holiday, is a time to indulge yourself and someone special. Be adventurous and consider desert wines, which are different from sweet wines. Desert wines offer more body, or conversely, more delicacy. How about a port-style wine, rich and deep? Cupid’s chocolate tipped arrow will be even more powerful when paired with a dry red such as Cabernet Sauvignon or an off-dry blend.
Two holidays that especially focus on large dinners often with many diners are Easter and Thanksgiving. A crisp and fragrant Traminette is a white wine that will cut through the variety of flavors offered at these gustatory gatherings as will a variety of white blends.
On warm weather holidays – Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day – we turn toward BBQ grills and picnic baskets. For grilled dishes or beef, a lighter red such as a Merlot fits the bill. For picnicking, a red blend could serve, but carry, also, a light and fruity white such as a stainless steel Chardonnay.
For next Christmas and New Year’s 2017? Champaign holds the title for the “official” celebratory wine. Prosecco, though, is my new favorite. Bubbly wines mark any special occasion, be it a holiday or the celebration of a new child or a new home. Both wines pair easily with a range of foods; however, Prosecco will please your pocketbook and a wide range of palates.
And then there are those special occasions which make up every day of our lives. Stock your cellar, be it large or small, with the wines that you love and open a bottle to share with a friend over a meal or to toast the sunset. Cheers!
Visiting north Georgia’s wineries can be a special occasion until itself. To plan your trip visit: www.georgiawine.com.
