Wine Suggestions for Michel Nischan's Holiday Meal

Created by Joshua Wesson
Holiday feasts may need rethinking to make them healthy, but wine is fine as is. Whether you sip for the flavor or the flavonoids (disease-fighting pigments), there's no better wine adviser than Joshua Wesson, cofounder of Best Cellars (www.bestcellars.com), an innovative chain of stores that categorize wines by taste rather than by region or type of grape.

Tangy Autumn Greens with Tamari-Roasted Walnuts, Dried Cherries, and Stilton
Wesson suggests a crisp, dryish white:
  • Simonsig Wine Estate's Chenin Blanc 2002 Stellenbosch ($7)
  • Georg Albrecht Schneider's 2001 Niersteiner Paterberg Riesleng Kabinett ($12)

Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Sage Leaves
The same wines will work well with the soup, or, Wesson says, try a fruity sparkling wine to play off the natural sweetness of the pumpkin and Vidalia onions:
  • Canella's NV Prosecco di Conegliano ($11)
  • Domaine Chandon's NV Riche ($14)

Baked Fresh Ham with Roasted Pineapple and Almond Salad
Richly flavored ham pairs well with a fruity white or a wildly fruity red, according to Wesson:
  • Hope Estate's 2002 Chardonnay ($13)
  • Andrew Peace's 2002 Shiraz ($10)

Roasted Pear and Spoon Bread Tart and Chocolate Bread Pudding
Dessert means only one thing—a dessert wine:
  • R.L. Buller's NV Victoria Tawny Port ($12)
  • Osborne's Pedro Ximenez 1827 Sherry ($13)

 

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