What to Eat and Drink this Holiday Season

Feast Unwrapped enlisted the expertise of John and Beth Wilse, owners of Wilmington Wine and Creative Tastings, to create a guide to festive wine and food pairings that are sure to please this holiday season. Below, John shares some of their favorite holiday dishes as well as his thoughts on complimentary wines, all of which can be found at Wilmington Wine this season.

And with that, here are John’s thoughts on selecting what to eat and drink this holiday season:

“The greatest marriage of ideas is gastronomical in orientation, if you ask me. Some cultures base their entire lives around it. What to eat and where, how to prepare it and with what accouterments, even the ‘with-whom’ is an integral part.

Equally, around our table at least, is what wine(s) to pair. Holiday fare and wine typically offer great diversity in flavor and nuance singularly and between them, ranging from salty to sweet, savory to spicy, delicate to robust, lingering in the shadows or unabashedly forward. Ultimately, personal preference wins the day and it really does come down to where one’s comfort zone is: do you stick with your tried-and-true or do you branch out, expand your horizons, so to speak and explore new territory?

I approach pairings through a comparison-contrastive methodology as both, executed well, arrive at what is effectively ‘harmony’. Sweet with sweet is an example of the former, sweet with salty or spicy the latter.

We have created some holiday recipes for your consideration as well as some wine options we feel will complement them. We felt it would be beneficial to offer general or perhaps more familiar pairing grapes and/or styles for each dish as well as some more adventurous suggestions for those who might wish to explore. We will also feature our choices for each, replete with a brief description.”

Creative Tastings’ Potato Latkes

Ingredients 

2 Russet potatoes, peeled

1 white onion

2 large eggs, beaten

3/4 cups matzo meal

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Canola oil for frying

Fresh chopped chives

Instructions

– Grate potatoes and onion into separate bowls, discarding any liquid.

– Place grated potatoes and onion in a cheesecloth and wring out all remaining liquid into a large bowl. Carefully pour out the liquid, reserving the potato starch.

– Add shredded potatoes and onion to the bowl along with salt, eggs and matzo meal. Mix into a workable batter.

– Heat oil in a large skillet until shimmering. Form latkes and fry until crispy, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towel lined drying rack or plate.

– Sprinkle finished latkes with kosher salt and chives and serve with sour cream and/or applesauce.

Our Wine-Paring Suggestions:

White: 2023 Argiolas Is Argiolas Vermentino di Sardegna– How about a 100% Vermentino from the island of Sardinia? Argiolas is one of its oldest producers and this is their top wine. Comparative interestingly first with an underlying salinity inherent in both latkes and wine. Fruit much more if with the addition of applesauce. Contrastively, I like the salinity and acid (which is why I initially chose the wine) especially with sour cream and/or applesauce as an added measure, along with minerals and spice. Also consider Champagne, Cremant, Cava, Prosecco, or any bubbles (this is supremely classic!), Pinot Gris/Grigio, Pinot Blanc, Cortese di Gavi, Albariño/Alvarinho, deep-cuts Fiano, Falanghina, or Aligoté.

Red: 2021 Gönc ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ Gamay: Going with 100% Gamay from Stajerska, Slovenia. I feel the trick to pairing a red with something like potato latkes is it needs to be on the lighter side, maybe dry, maybe a bit fruity, just nothing that is going to overpower. This falls in the latter category, light and fruity with a nice acidity and a dusting of baking and white pepper spice. I like the playfulness of the pairing. Peter Gönc is owner and principal winemaker of Gönc Winery and he has taken to naming his barrels/wines after the music he listens to in the cellar: cue Def Leppard… Contrastive on the whole, fruit mingling with acidity and spice, piercing the nice, light oily texture of the latkes. Look for a fruit-for-fruit sweetness if also with applesauce. Also consider Rosé (All-Day!), Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, and deep-cuts Dolcetto and Mencia.

 

Creative Tastings’ Creole Jambalaya

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 pounds spicy Andouille sausage, sliced into coins

1 bunch of celery, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and ground black pepper

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cups long grain white rice (such as basmati)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups diced tomatoes

1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup sliced scallions

Instructions

– Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

– Melt half of the butter in a large Dutch oven and add sausage. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes, stirring to prevent burning.

– Add the rest of the butter and stir until melted. Add vegetables and cook until softened. Add garlic and spices and stir until aromatic, about 1 minute.

– Reduce heat to medium-low. Add rice and tomato paste and stir to combine. Continue to stir and cook until rice is toasted, about 4 minutes.

– Add chicken broth and tomatoes. Increase heat to high and bring to a slow boil. Stir in shrimp and remove from the oven. Cover and bake for 30 minutes until rice is fluffy.

– Remove and let stand for 5 minutes. Add scallions immediately before serving.

Our Wine-Paring Suggestions:

White: 2023 Dr. Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spatlese– This is 100% Riesling from the steep hillsides of the Mosel region of Germany, specifically Urzig, crafted by famed producer Ernst Loosen. Ürziger Würzgarten which means ‘spice garden’ speaks directly to the peppery nature of this style of Riesling. Here is his Spätlese, meaning ‘late harvest’, a semi-sweet wine and just what the good ‘doctor’ ordered for our spicy Creole Jambalaya! An obvious contrastive melding sweet and mineral with spicy heat, salinity and acid. White pepper spice in the wine matches the heat of the dish. Also consider semi-sweet Gewürztraminer, Alsatian Pinot Blanc and Vouvray. Dry Albariño/Alvarinho, Gruner Veltliner, Pouilly Fume or Sancerre and Vermentino for what they bring to the table for seafood as well as deep-cuts Assyrtiko and Txakolina.

Red: 2019 Domaine de Hauts Baigneux Groulleau: I like medium-light/medium-bodied reds with a good deal of acidity or medium-full/full-bodied reds that are smooth, somewhat fruity, spicy, low in tannin and with moderate acidity in spicy dishes like Jambalaya. Enter Grolleau, a varietal from the central Loire Valley that is more often than not used as a blending grape or rendered as a rose. Domaine de Hauts Baigneux, however, presents in all its glory as a monovarietal that lies somewhere in the middle of the two profile camps, and it is delicious! Light enough like a Gamay or a Pinot Noir, smooth and lush fruit fruity (but not sweet), spicy and mineral-driven with an undercurrent of acid that playfully chaffs at the spice in this dish. It’s an exciting wine and one you should check out. Also consider Rosé (All-Day!), Gamay, Pinot Noir, Primitivo/Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, Montepuciano d’Abruzzo and deep-cuts Negroamaro and Uva di Troia.

 

Creative Tastings’ Maafé (West African Chicken Peanut Stew)

Ingredients

6 bone in, skin on chicken thighs

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

5 cloves of garlic, minced

2-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated

1 large red bell pepper, diced

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

4 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

– Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven and add chicken. Cook until browned on both sides.

– Remove chicken from pot and set aside. Add onions to the same pot and stir until translucent.

– Add ginger and garlic and stir until aromatic. Stir in bell pepper and canned tomatoes. Cook until softened.

– Stir in the peanut butter and incorporate well with the vegetables, stirring continuously for 2-3 minutes to prevent sticking.

– Return the chicken to the mixture and stir to combine.

– Stir in chicken broth, bay leaves, paprika and cayenne pepper. Reduce heat to low and cover the pot. Cook for about one hour until chicken is fully cooked through.

– Remove bay leaves and adjust seasoning to taste.

Our Wine-Paring Suggestions:

White: 2022 Domaine Sylvaine & Alain Normand Bourgogne Chardonnay— Maafé (in Wolof meaning ‘doors’) is a traditional Senegalese dish and, indeed, it is the gateway, gastronomically speaking, to West Africa. Intricately nuanced with a myriad of flavors, richness and spice, I immediately thought of Burgundian Chardonnay as the practical choice. This is essentially a Macon Villages, Chardonnay sourced from Mâcon Chaintré or Mâcon Igé. It sees some oak (1 year) so it has a subtle richness all its own.  The subtle spice in this dish marries with white pepper spice delightfully. Contrastively, racy acidity pierces richness, fruit rounds it and minerality smatters it. Also consider semi-sweet Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Alsatian Pinot Blanc/Pinot Gris and Vouvray. I like South African Semillon and Chenin Blanc for this one, Viognier and deep-cuts Greco di Tufo or Etna Carricante.

Red: 2021 Tinazzi Imperio LXXIV ‘Feudo Croce’ Primitivo di Manduria: Here we have a fantastic Primitivo di Manduria from the Tinazzi family vineyards in Carosino, Apulia (Southern mainland Italy right on the heel of ‘the boot’). It is the precursor—but the same grape—as Zinfandel though here, in Manduria especially, they are not quite as bold and tend to be fruity but much softer, more velvety and I feel this fits the dish succinctly. We’re looking for something with ample fruit and spice that will not be overly tannic and can stand up to the spice of the dish and sustain the flavors but not overpower them. This is on the bolder side of the spectrum, but lighter wines with similar attributes like Gamay or Pinot Noir would also work well. Also consider Zinfandel, Grenache, Sangiovese, Barbera, Rhone and US West Coast Red Rhone Blend, Montepuciano d’Abruzzo and deep-cut Valpolicella Ripasso.

 

Creative Tastings’ Bourbon Glazed Ham

Ingredients

6-8 pound bone in city ham (not spiral cut or sliced)

3/4 cup brown sugar, loosely packed

1/2 cup bourbon

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Fresh ground pepper

Kosher salt

5 tablespoons butter

Whole cloves

Instructions

– Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

– Bring ham to room temperature and score in diamond pattern and stick cloves in cross sections of the diamond cuts, spacing about every inch.

– Pour about 2 inches of water into the bottom of a roasting pan with rack. Place ham on the rack and cover loosely with foil. Bake for 45 minutes.

– While ham is roasting combine bourbon, honey, Worcestershire, mustard salt and pepper in a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. Add butter and whisk to incorporate.

– Remove ham from oven and increase heat to 400 degrees F. Baste the ham with about 1/4 of the glaze and return to oven. Continue baking ham, basting every 20 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F (about 60-90 minutes). Remove ham from oven and let rest for 30 minutes before slicing.

Our Wine-Paring Suggestions:

White: 2019 Damien Laureau ‘Les Genets’ Savennieres– This is 100% Chenin Blanc from Damien Laureau, sourced from my favorite appellation in the Loire Valley of France, Savennieres (Moulin de Beaupréau). Selected for several reasons, firstly as a contrastive to the inherent sweetness of the ham, offering a savory, oak-and-mineral-driven component that speaks also to underlying acidity and counters the fat. Also consider Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Sec or Demi-Sec Vouvray (also a Chenin Blanc), deep-cuts white Rhone varietals Marsanne, Roussanne, and/or Grenache Blanc and deep-cut Arinto.

Red: 2021 Famille Guérin ‘Les Thorins’ Moulin-à-Vent: Another 100% Gamay, this from its spiritual home in Beaujolais, particularly from Moulin-à-Vent a Cru on the border between the Rhône and Saône-et-Loire. Crafted by Elisa Guérin, a fourth-generation winemaker of the Guérin family. It is a complex Beaujolais, being both comparative and contrastive. Fruit and sweetness are fast friends but there is light tannin along with smoky, spicy and, again, savory notes that offer a tantalizing counter. Also consider Rosé, Pinot Noir, Barbera, Zweigelt, deep-cuts Grolleau, Ruchè and Poulsard.

 

Creative Tastings’ Red-Wine Braised Brisket

Ingredients

4 – 5 pounds beef brisket

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 large white onion, chopped

2-3 leeks, chopped

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

4 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 (750 ml) bottle dry red wine, such as cabernet sauvignon

2 cups beef broth, unsalted

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 bay leaves

Fresh thyme and rosemary for garnish

Instructions

– Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring beef to room temperature and season well with salt and pepper.

– Heat oil in large Dutch oven. Brown the brisket, about 5 minutes on both sides.

– Remove brisket from pot and set aside. In the same pot, add the onion and leeks and sauté until soft. Add salt, garlic and tomato paste and continue to stir until fragrant.

– Pour in the wine and deglaze the pot, scraping up any brown bits. Simmer for about four minutes.

– Return the brisket to the pot, ensuring it is about three-quarters covered with liquid. Lay the carrots on top of the beef and cover.

– Place the pot in the oven and bake for 3 hours.

– Remove the pot and uncover. Let the brisket rest until it cooled off enough to handle.

– Slice the brisket against the grain and serve with the carrots, spooning the sauce over the dish.

Our Wine-Paring Suggestions:

White: 2022 Post & Beam Chardonnay– If I am looking for a white with a braised brisket, I want something with body or weight—with some ‘meat’ to it—that can hold up, something that won’t get drowned out by the power of the brisket. Perhaps it is counter-intuitive since we are also cooking with red wine but choosing a white that covets and retains some richness, particularly one that has spent some time in oak, could pass muster. This Post & Beam Chardonnay from Far Niente, long one of my favorites, gives a great sense of the special Carneros terroir, as well as its delightful richness and toastiness in the comparative. Also similar to the counter is the retention of lemon acidity, commingling with and cutting through the richness of the dish, offering a lengthy sustain. Also consider other oaked whites. Look for Semillon, Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne and deep-cut old-vine Viura from Rueda or Rioja and Arinto.

Red: 2020 Alto Moncayo Veraton: The classic pairing (and the preferred) is a red wine also medium-full to full-bodied. There are different ways to go, rich and full, savory, earthy, spicy, peppery, and/or tannic are all in play and, for this reason, I also like to cook with the same red I am going to drink—at least to kick things off. Hailing from the imposing Moncayo mountains in the Campo de Borja DO of Spain, Aragonese producer Alto Moncayo specializes in high-elevation, 100% old-vine Garnacha (Grenache), indeed a crusader in the cultivation of the varietal believed to have originated here. The Veraton is seductive and yields substantive full-bodied, smooth, ripe black fruit that is in lockstep with the richness of the brisket, rounding out the earthen and savory flavors and countering with soft tannin and a good amount of acidity and black-pepper spice. Also consider Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah/Shiraz, Petite Sirah, Malbec, Primitivo/ Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, red Bordeaux blends, red Rhone blends, red Pacific-U.S. blends and deep-cuts monovarietal Pinot Meunier and Petite Verdot.