Wines to drink with ham this Christmas: Types to attempt
Reds
- Beaujolais (Cru) / Gamay
- Zinfandel
- Châteauneuf-du-Pape / Grenache, Syrah & Mourvèdre blends
- Pinotage
- Shiraz / Syrah
Whites
- Sémillon
- Viognier
- Gewürztraminer
Wines to drink with ham: it’s all in regards to the glaze
Relating to pairing wines with ham, the one factor you could be positive of is that your ham will probably be candy.
No self-respecting Christmas ham comes with out some form of a glaze and that’s the important issue to take note of in any wine pairing.
Granted, it makes extra of a distinction when the ham is served scorching than it does as soon as it’s chilly.
Leftovers, notably mixed with turkey, will rub alongside fortunately with an honest Beaujolais cru or a recent younger village Burgundy; wines that might style sharp and weedy with the identical ham served scorching.
Many glazes have an orange or marmalade element that tends to work properly with vivid, fruity reds like Australian Shiraz from Barossa or McLaren Vale, or a GSM mix; Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre.
If there’s a level of warmth and spice concerned, as is the case with glazes or rubs that use mustard, look to the form of purple that may deal with spicy meals.
Zinfandel instantly involves thoughts, or an excellent Pinotage.
Each of these wines also needs to be capable of deal with the marginally smoky style you get when a ham is cooked in cola, Nigella-Lawson type – even with the treacle glaze.
In case your ham coating is barely much less candy that might carry into play an Amarone, a wine that’s too highly effective for the turkey I are likely to really feel.
And many individuals’s Christmas favorite, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, is usually a winner particularly if the ham is served alongside the turkey.
A little bit of bottle age could possibly be even higher, bringing some complexity to the pairing.
Matching white wines with ham
Lastly, what a couple of white wine with ham? It’s trickier than a purple, I’d say. Once more, you need one that may deal with the sweetness of the ham.
A wealthy Sémillon, similar to one from Australia’s Hunter Valley, is the apparent name; take into consideration the traditional ham and pineapple mixture.
In any other case, look to full-bodied whites similar to Viognier, or outdated vine Chenin Blanc from the Cape in South Africa. As a wild card, a grand cru Gewürztraminer from Alsace could possibly be an important match.
See Fiona Beckett’s web site, MatchingFoodAndWine.com.
Wines to drink with ham this Christmas: Bottles to search for
Opinions by Decanter consultants, up to date in December 2024. You can too search all Decanter wine opinions right here.
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