Between buying presents, coordinating travel, planning menus, and making the rounds of holiday parties, the last thing anyone wants to worry about is picking the right wine for the annual holiday dinner. Luckily, you don’t have to. Mark Sayre, award-winning sommelier at TRIO restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, takes the guesswork out of finding the perfect wine to pair with any holiday meal, from traditional roast turkey to spicy Texas tamales.

Roast Turkey – Pinot Gris from Alsace
While Pinot Gris is the same grape as Pinot Grigio, you can forget the crisp austerity of the Italian version. In the northeastern part of France, Pinot Gris ripens into a full-bodied spicy white with honeyed intensity that stands up not only to succulent turkey, but to all casseroles and hearty winter vegetables.

Ham – Dry Rosé
Due to the pink colour, rosés sometimes receive an unfair reputation for being sweet. Truthfully, most rosés are dry and are packed with aromas and flavors of gorgeous red fruits, making them extremely versatile with all types of food. Rosés have the complexity and fruit of a light-bodied red coupled with the refreshing crispness of a white, making them perfect for a holiday ham.

Pork Roast – Rosso di Montalcino from Tuscany
Made from Tuscany’s flagship varietal, Sangiovese, Rosso di Montalcino has aromas and flavors of bright red cherry, fresh savory herbs and rich hints of mineral and leather. The wine’s crisp acidity and suave tannins provide a perfect contrast to pork’s richness. The baby brother to the longer-aged (and more expensive) Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino provides a lot of value for the dollar.

Prime Rib – Cabernet or Merlot from Washington State
Let’s not kid ourselves – with prime rib we want Bordeaux-inspired grape varieties without the Bordeaux or Napa Valley price tag. Luckily, Washington State is doing amazing Cabernet and Merlot-based wines loaded with all of the sultry dark fruits, spice box and fantastic mouth-feel and grip that pairs well with marbled beef. The average vine age in Washington is fairly young, so imagine how much more complex and deep these wines are going to be in the future!

Tamales – German Riesling
The challenge of pairing wine with classic Texas tamales is the spice, since spicy dishes tend to highlight only the alcohol and structure (tannin and acid) in dry wines, pushing down all of the wonderful fruit character. The only foil to spice? Sweetness. For those thinking, ‘I don’t like sweet wines’ or ‘sweet wines are for the novice,’ I need you to trust me on this one. German Rieslings, not all of which are sweet, provide some of the most complex wines on earth with heavenly flavors of green apple, white peach, quince and white flowers. Their mouth-watering acidity and low alcohol make them a favorite of connoisseurs and a wonderful match to a wide variety of foods – especially ones with Texas ‘heat.’

Pumpkin Pie – Vin Santo from Italy
If it’s possible to make this beloved holiday dessert even better, Vin Santo from Italy is the wine to do it. Historically known as ‘holy wine,’ Vin Santo has asserted itself as one of the world’s great dessert wines. Made from drying white grapes in a special ventilated room until they’re sugar-packed, intense little raisins, the nectar that results is brimming with flavors of Medjool dates, dried apricots, honeycomb and candied orange peel.

Pecan Pie – Aged Tawny Port
A staple in the homes of most Texans during the holidays, pecan pie deserves a special wine. Tawny ports are one style of the fortified specialty of Portugal and are defined by the length of time they spend in oak cask. Whether you choose a 10-, 20- or 40-year-old port, you should expect a beautiful, layered, intense wine full of maple, roasted nuts and rich dried fruit character with a finish that lingers at length on the palate (although not as long as that pie lingers on our waistlines!).

Love This Story? Buzz It Up Here!

Stumble It! Save to del.icio.us Digg Email Facebook