60 THE QUEENS COURIER • THANKSGIVING • NOVEMBER 14, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
thanksgiving
Tips and tricks for serving wine with holiday meals
(BPT) - Th e holidays are fast approaching,
as are lots of festive meals to plan,
prepare and serve. How can you reduce
your own stress, and guarantee that you’ll
have happy guests throughout the holidays?
A few simple tips for choosing versatile
wines - and how to serve them - will
not only please everyone, but will make
everything about your get-togethers easier
and more fun. Pairing delicious wines
to serve along with your meals does not
have to be complicated.
Here are a few tips to help you choose
and serve wine for a successful holiday
party or dinner.
Keep it simple
Choose just one good red wine and one
good white wine varietal to serve during
your cocktail or dinner party, if you want
to avoid feeling overwhelmed. You could
choose another varietal or two for guests
to sample, if you’re feeling adventurous,
but having two contrasting options is a
great start, and sometimes all you need.
Since holiday meals can be heavy (or at
least plentiful!), choose wines that are not
overly rich or full-bodied. Instead, look
for lighter wines that are fruity and bright,
with soft tannins, that provide a nice complement
to a big, rich meal. For example,
Sanford Winery off ers popular options in
both chardonnay and pinot noir that can
be a perfect duo to serve your guests.
Off ering a refreshing fruit and cheese
plate aft er dinner gives guests the chance
to savor the last sips of wine before dessert
and coff ee are served. Don’t let the “rules”
of pairing wine and food throw you off -
keep both a red wine and a white wine
on the table and let guests experiment for
themselves and decide what they prefer!
Wine serving tricks
Since the temperature of the room and
your guests’ hands will warm the wine
glasses throughout the meal, it’s a good
idea to chill both red and white wines for
a while before serving.
Create fun, holiday-themed DIY wine
charms for each guest, especially if you’re
serving buff et-style or enjoying a cocktail
hour before dinner. Check your local
craft store or websites like Pinterest for
fun ideas.
Each 750 ML bottle contains approximately
5 glasses of wine, so plan your
wine supply accordingly.
Only fi ll each guest’s glass one-half to
two-thirds full, to give the wine room to
breathe.
Wine left in the bottle? Freeze left over
wine in ice cube trays, then you’ll have
ready-to-use “wine ice cubes” for recipes
that require cooking with wine another
day or a fl avorful option to chill down
your next glass of wine without diluting it.
Let wine do double duty
Optimize and harmonize fl avors by
cooking a dish that incorporates the same
varietal of wine your guests will be drinking.
For example, a recipe for Citrus and
Garlic Roasted Turkey uses pinot noir
to create a sweet and tangy sauce along
with fresh cranberries, rhubarb and tangerines.
Visit sanfordwinery.com/recipe/
citrus-and-garlic-roasted-turkey for the
full recipe.
Whether you’re using a red wine or
white wine in your cooking, don’t opt
for an inferior “cooking wine,” but use
the same quality wine you plan to serve
during the meal. Because the alcohol
cooks out of the food you’re preparing,
what’s left is the fl avor of the wine - and
that will make a big diff erence to the fl avor
of your fi nished dish.
Holiday entertaining does not have to
be overly complicated. Going for fl avors
you enjoy and off ering your guests a few
options in terms of food and wine will
result in a successful meal or party, every
time. What really counts is relaxing and
enjoying the meal and the wine together.
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