2009 November | Global Food & Wine Network

Special Food & Wine Pairing for the Holidays

Make your holiday food and wine selection memorable. Choose a different type of meat and wine for your friends and family this time. Make them feel special!

If you do not mind serving another kind of bird or meat this season, then you might want to follow my instructions of what to serve for the holidays that would be memorable and very satisfying for you, your family and your friends.

Two excellent choices for food to replace the traditional turkey or ham would be roasted duck or leg of lamb.

* Duck, roasted correctly and served with an orange or raspberry sauce can only open up your friends and family for everlasting compliments. It can become a hit in your circle of influence.

* Leg of Lamb, marinated or stuffed with the right ingredients, roasted slowly, nurtured with regular basting and served with your favorite sauce can also make your holiday gatherings notable.

The good thing about serving duck or lamb for the holidays is that you can become creative and still serve a lot of the side dishes and deserts that your family has enjoyed for years. Now, to make your holiday meals a complete smash you want to make sure you serve the following types of wine that are guaranteed to impress your guests:

If you are serving duck then you want to choose from the following three choices depending on your budget:

- Cote du Rhone (Perrin Reserve) from France, approximate price: 9 to 15 U.S. dollars
- Cote du Rhone(Guigal) from France, approximate price 15 to 20 U.S. dollars
- Chateau-neuf-du pape(Guigal) from France, approximate price 35 to 55 U.S. dollars

If you are serving lamb however your best choice would be the one and only:
*Amarone della Valpolicella from Italy, this wine can cost you anywhere from 18 to 35 U.S dollars or more, but it is one of the best wines you have ever tasted.

These are some of the most impressive wines available in the market that are extremely smooth in taste and pleasing on the palate and the perfect match to your holiday meals. Remember The Cote du Rhones are also ideal to serve with turkey if you decided to keep it traditional.

Visit the following links to get some ideas on recipes:

http://www.cuisine-france.com/recipes/duck-orange.htm

http://www.epicureantable.com/recipes/L/lamblegprov.htm

or simply search the web for recipes that suit your style.