« Italian Whites | Main | Squares »

Easter Wines

The next big seasonal feast on the calendar is Easter, complete with the joys of chocolate and other sugar-laden treats.

For the most part, Americans associate ham with this holiday meal. The tradition has its roots in Colonial North America. Hogs were slaughtered in the late fall, eliminating the need for feeding the animals throughout the winter months. The hams were preserved with salt cures and eventually smoked, adding wonderful flavors. In the five to six months that the process took to complete, Easter arrived. The cured hams were either boiled or baked and the meal could begin.

There is a myriad of choices for pairing wine with a ham dinner. A Cabernet Franc, Gamay, Petite Syrah or even a Pinot Noir will all match nicely with the flavors of ham. But, for my money, I’d suggest a Grenache. And, there are some fine Grenache available which hail from Spain, where the grape is referred to as Garnacha. It just happens to be the most planted grape in all of Spain, with a history of cultivation that’s literally hundreds of years old.

Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha of Spain, vintage 2003, is perfect for your Easter Dinner. A deep garnet color in the glass, the wine displays very attractive legs after vigorous swirling to aerate the liquid. The nose is of medium strength, offering the essence of currants accented with wisps of black pepper, raspberries and strawberries. Savor this wine and see if you don’t revel in its medium body that impresses the tastebuds with nice forward fruit, just a hint of sweetness and a very acceptable and enveloping mouth feel. There’s a pleasant dryness that lingers on the finish, culminating as a warm black pepper glow. This wine is pleasant to drink, especially when paired with the saltiness of the ham.

If you’d prefer a white wine with your ham dinner, consider a wine made with the Chenin Blanc grape. Allow me to gush a moment.

Vouvray is a wonderful wine from the Loire Valley of France, and it’s made solely with Chenin Blanc. Find a bottle of Domaine Pichot, 2003 is nice, and pull the cork. Poured into a big glass, this Vouvray will impress the eyes with the color of a pure mountain stream. This is a gift from Mother Nature. Inhale the bouquet and allow yourself to be captivated with a floral essence that might conjure up a perfume base laden with layers of mango and lilac. When you taste this wine, distant honey will be the very first notable flavor detected which graduates to ripe grape tones, perfect acidity and a beautifully structured wine rich with ripe fruit. The luscious finish washes over the palate, completely convincing the tastebuds that it’s easy to drink and completely enjoyable. Paired with the saltiness of ham, the contrast of this delicious wine is a match made in heaven.

“Wine is sunlight, held together by water.” - Galileo (1564-1642)

Posted by Floyd at March 25, 2005 08:47 AM