From latkes to donuts - what wines to pair at Hanukkah?
Have you been dieting and exercising to gear up for the fried foods and sweets at Hanukkah time? Now it’s time to indulge! What about wines to pair along with your Hanukkah festivities?
The tradition of eating fried foods comes thanks to Hanukkah’s roots as a celebration of light. The miraculous oil which saved the Maccabees in battle, along with the food prepared for them as they went into battle, are the reasons why this tradition came about.
Pairing Fried Foods with Sparkling Wine
Like in Northern Italy, where semi-sparkling wines are commonly paired with local dishes, which are heavier and kinda fatty, their cuisine is not unlike the gustatory perceptions (e.g., texture, mouth feel, sensory perception) of traditional Hanukkah foods. Sparkling wines tend to have higher acidity since grapes for sparkling wines are often harvested earlier to preserve the acidity. Also bubbles in wine create a tactile sensation in the mouth which gives you the feeling that it is cleansing your palette. Both effects allow for sparkling wines to pair well with fried foods.
Latkes and wine pairing
What would go great with these latke’s along with sides of sour cream and applesauce? Col del Balt’s Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore. It has acidity, flavors and love bubbles to pair well with it. This sparkling wine from Italy is also available in an Extra Dry version, as well as a Pet Nat (or ancestral method) version. All three wines are made with 100% glera, or the prosecco grape and come from the heart of some of the best prosecco area, Valdobbiadene.
Sparkling wines are also a great celebratory wines, to toast with. Seeing bubbles dance in a glass make you feel that the wine is alive, which it is!
Just in time for the Holidays, we have our Holiday Bubbles Wine Box Set which wines like a crisp high quality Prosecco from the Valdobbiadene. All would pair well with pancakes, latkes, and other fried foods. This specially priced gift set includes shipping, and for a limited time we’re throwing, with all of our sparkling wine sets, a professional champagne stopper for free. Great as gifts too!
Donuts and wine pairing
Then, when it comes to donuts, it’s best to pair with a sweet wine that, you guessed it, also is high in acidity. We love acidic sweet wines, because the acidity plays off well with the sweetness. It’s like what they say that the best couples are opposites. So in wine, you need contrasting characteristics to give it balance and harmony.
Try pairing this sweet wine with donuts: Braschi’s Organic Albana Dolce Sweet Wine. It is a monovarietal wine made from the Albana white grape which also has lots of acidity but also has a thick skin and produces wines with structure. It is also an ancient varietal enjoyed by Romans as a sweet wine. Try pairing it with a donut and let us know what you think!
Happy Hanukkah! Happy Holidays!
