One of
the parts I love most about wine is how it turns any event into a memorable
occasion. Order pizza on a Sunday
afternoon when too lazy to cook? Uncork
a bottle of Merlot, pour in Riedel stemware, and experience the perfect way to relax
and wrap up the weekend! When wine is
added to a party or a holiday, the party, holiday, AND wine all become more
special. For Christmas this year, I
decided it was time for a very special Christmas dinner for my girl friends,
and of course, wine had to be an essential part of the important day for my
most loved companions!
First, the
ambiance must be set for a special meal.
I brought out my lovely amber cabbage rose Depression glass dishes;
having more people than I did antique dishes, I mixed and matched with a friend’s
pink and gold floral wedding china. Gold
was the theme, so the table was prepared with a linen table cloth and napkins,
gold fabric place mats, beautiful china, gold-plated silverware, red and white
Riedel wine glasses, and brass candlesticks. Now that the table was beautiful, it was time
to impress with the food!
The
actual meal started with mimosas as a twist on the traditional aperitif. Though mimosas are often a summer brunch
drink, I added frozen cranberries and a splash of cranberry juice to each glass
for a Christmas flare. Keeping with the
Christmas idea, I mulled some dry red wine with peaches, blackberries, orange
slices, cinnamon sticks, and simple syrup to serve with our cheese plate for
the first course. (For the dry red, I
used an inexpensive Beaulieu Vineyards Cabernet.) The second course was a baked macaroni and
cheese made with smoked Harvati cheese and topped with Panko bread crumbs
before baking. This paired well with a
semi-dry Riesling; ours was from producer Joel Gott. The main course was
Cornish game hen with prosciutto ham in a cream of mushroom sauce served with
Hob Nob Pinot Noir. The crowning glory of
the meal was chocolate pot de crème served with a twenty-year aged Tawny
port…oh so yummy!
Though
my friends and I get together often, the special food and wine made this meal,
and this day, even better. I’m quite
sure that my friends highly enjoyed the dinner, both the food and wine. More importantly, we truly enjoyed each
other’s company. It is true that wine
can make even the simplest meal seem extraordinary. Though I am not trying to brag, the food was
good; however, it was made even better by serving it with wine. Wine always adds a level of sophistication
and happiness to a meal. My point is,
make wine a part of your holiday meals, with friends or family. For adults, mull wine, make mimosas, pair
wine with food, or use wine as dessert (maybe not all of these at once, but
just one or two!). For children, buy
sparkling cider to toast with as bubbly, mull apple juice to serve before the
meal, or pour water in a wine glass. The
holidays are about making memories, and wine—when consumed responsibly—makes every
event memorable. So cheers to your
friends, family, and memories! Merry
Christmas and a happy winey New Year!