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Hooked on Classics

Every cook should master a handful of classic holiday recipes. Here are six (plus their perfect drink pairings) that will also serve you well throough the rest of the year.


Warm Onion Cheddar Dip

The luxe, creamy texture of this irresistible dip is a gooey mouthful that calls for some serious refreshment. Brut bubbles are the answer—a dry sparkling wine with vigorous acidity and enough flavour intensity of its own to stand up to the trio of onion, garlic and nippy cheese. Niagara produces some delicious traditional-method sparkling Riesling—none more appealing than Tawse Spark VQA.


Beef Wellington

A dish that lets superb beef tenderloin and supple mushrooms go on a date without the inconvenient chaperone of some overpowering sauce demands a wine of equal sophistication. Red Burgundy is the classic match, but why not choose an Ontario Pinot Noir of equal elegance and quality? Hidden Bench Estate Organic Pinot Noir VQA is a polished gem, balancing earthy, woodsy, mushroomy aromas with subtle red fruit, and perfectly integrated acidity with just enough tannin to reach out to the beef’s meaty juices.




Fancy Meatball Tarts

Rosés from Spain have a lot to say for themselves and are used to dancing a flamenco with savoury foods. Look for lively acidity and intense flavours without too much weight, and you’ll find them in Muga Rosé from Rioja. Tart white Viura adds the top note to Garnacha and Tempranillo, but it’s the fruitiness that demands attention—grapefruit and orange, and a touch of redcurrant that finds a lovely echo in this meatball dish’s Christmassy cranberry glaze.


Saucy Party Pasta Bake

You’ll need a wine with enough acidity to handle the marinara sauce and cut through the cheesy richness in this dish, but that also has something herbal to offer the spinach and basil in the recipe. A leafy Cabernet Franc from Ontario might seal the deal—or you could look at Piedmont, Italy, and be certain. There’s a reason the people who grow worldclass Barolo drink Barbera when they go home. Bersano Costalunga Barbera d’Asti DOCG is great value and extremely versatile on the table.




Holiday Fruitcake

Bourbon or brandy are viable alternatives in this festive recipe, but we preferred sherry—specifically Williams & Humbert Dry Sack—as both an ingredient and the accompaniment. This one is a blend of dry sherries (from the Palomino grape) and sweet (from the Pedro Ximénez). The result has many of the tangy, nutty rancio aromas of an amontillado sherry with a nicely judged streak of sweetness. Soaking the recipe’s dried fruit in the same sherry helps turn the pairing from a handshake to a loving embrace.


Celebration Croquembouche

A dessert where caramel is a primary component needs a genuinely sweet partner in the glass. Tawny port is the default for treats involving toffee or milk chocolate, and it would work here. Icewine is an even better idea. It has the requisite sweetness but also an intense and balancing acidity that will add an extra thrill as it cuts through the sugar. Peller Estates Private Reserve Vidal Icewine VQA is an exemplary version, full of honey, peach orchard and tropical fruit aromas that make an extra contribution to the moment.