Wine Pairings to Match Your Holiday Cooking Style
What kind of holiday cook are you? Whether you tend to prepare food with sweet and smooth tastes, creamy and rich textures, savoury and herbaceous flavours or using the ingredients that feature prominently in vegetarian and vegan diets, these holiday menu-friendly wine ideas are all ideal accompaniments.
Sweet
You probably don’t like the taste of bitter or sour ingredients, but you like big flavours and might use salt to balance your dishes. You are a cook who favours sweet and smooth flavours if you cook a majority of these holiday recipes:
- Cornbread stuffing
- Dishes with dried or cooked fruit
- Sweet apple or cranberry sauce
- Maple syrup flavours
- Glazed vegetables
- Marshmallow-or brown sugar-topped
If you're a sweet cook, you'll like our Sweet Potato Skillet Kugel with Bronzed Marshmallows.
These wines match your cooking style:
WHITE WINE
Your white wine is off-dry and fruity, with aromas and flavours of apple, peach and melon, but it still has enough brightness to avoid seeming cloying with your food.
RED WINE
Your red wine of choice is medium-bodied and fruity, tasting of dark tree fruits and berries. It has just enough tannins to balance your food.
ROSÉ
Rosé that’s soft and off-dry complements your palate. Though colour isn’t an indicator of rosé style, you’re likely on the salmon-coloured end of the spectrum.
PERFECT FOR HANUKKAH
Rosé that’s soft and off-dry complements your palate. Though colour isn’t an indicator of rosé style, you’re likely on the salmon-coloured end of the spectrum.
Rich
You like the style of comfort-food dishes touched with decadence. Your holiday meal gets creamy and rich flavours and textures from dairy, bacon or pastry. Does your menu feature these?
- Gratin or mashed potatoes with lots of butter and cream
- Creamy gravy
- Cheese-topped vegetables or sides
- Buttery bread or buns
- Latkes or other fried dishes
- Tourtière or other pastry dishes
If you're a rich cook, you'll like our Tourtière with a Twist.
These wines match your cooking style:
CROWD-PLEASER
A rich and complex sparkling wine will complement the robust texture of your food with brightness and toastiness.
WHITE WINE
Your white wine is full-bodied and rich, likely touched with buttery oak for creamy texture to match your cooking, with a touch of mouthwatering acidity.
RED WINE
Choose full-bodied and smooth red wine, brimming with currants and berries plus warm spice and vanilla from barrel-ageing. It has soft, velvety tannins.
ROSÉ
An all-day rosé that’s easygoing and fruity will suit your menu. While dry, crisp rosés rule the summer, this more savoury, red-fruit-driven style works with holiday food.
Savoury
Even cooking the holiday meal, you consider a lighter approach. You use savoury and herbaceous flavours to accent vegetables, grains and pulses, substituting olive oil for butter and sprinkling nuts, citrus zest and herbs liberally. This is your wine style if you favour:
- Jus-style gravy using wine or broth
- Vinaigrette-dressed greens
- Grain salads
- Olive-oil roasted or dressed vegetables and greens
- Tart, citrus-enhanced cranberry sauce
- Balsamic-glazed vegetables
If you're a savoury cook, you'll like these Balsamic-Roasted Baby Potatoes and Carrots.
These wines match your cooking style:
HOLIDAY CLASSIC
A premium wine that packs wow factor, a Gamay-based Beaujolais from one of the 10 villages graced with the premium cru appellation typically has lovely floral aromatics.
WHITE WINE
Light and crisp whites with herbaceous notes match your menu’s fresh approach. A touch of citrus in your cooking makes this wine come truly alive.
RED WINE
Your red-wine delight is fruity and light-bodied, with a touch of the fresh, green herbal flavours that enliven your side dishes.
ROSÉ
A dry but medium-bodied rosé will bring a fruity (but not too sweet roundness to your flavour-Packed food.
TRY Apothic Rosé.
Meatless Menus
You cook vegan or vegetarian main dishes, but your food has so many robust flavours from nuts, miso and other umami bombs, your guests never miss the meat. You use non-dairy products and borrow spices from various cuisines. You tend to cook:
- Tofu, Tofurky or other soy proteins
- Roasted vegetable mains
- Non-dairy “cheese” or cream sauce
- Miso sauce or gravy
- Potatoes or other starchy root vegetables
- Lentil or other pulse/bean loaves/patties
If you're a meatless cook, you'll like our Warm Green Lentils.
These wines match your cooking style:
FOR TOASTING
A sparkling wine with plenty of flavour (such as cava, which often carries an undertone of anise that will make veggies sing), offers a festive toast with your meal.
WHITE WINE
Your white wine is aromatic and flavourful, favouring New World varietals. It drinks well with most vegetables, even the brassicas and bitter greens that can be difficult to pair.
RED WINE
Think full-bodied and firm reds that ground your food and contribute earthy flavours earned through longer bottle ageing.
ROSÉ
An easygoing and fruity rosé complements a menu that might incorporate spicy flavours from Indian, Asian or other vegetarian-focused cuisines.