what wine with ham?

[mrdutton]

I'm not sure I'm with you there. Salt and sweet are classic combinations.

Pass the watermelon, pass the salt! Cantalope and sea salt are a beautiful combination - makes the melon taste even sweeter than it really is!

Prosciutto with figs or melon.... another classic combination. Prosciutto with Pinot Grigio and what the heck it even goes okay with Prosecco.......

Roquefort with Sauternes and Stilton with Port..... classic matches of salt and sweet.

Germany's medium-dry and medium-sweet Rieslings often come to the rescue of a salt environment; they go so well with salty foods that require a bit of acid. (Acid being something that is lacking in tannic wines; explaining why tannin and salt don't go well.)

This also explains why Champagne and such things as fino and manzanilla sherries go so well with apetizers; most apetizers have a fair amount of salt in them.

Gewurtz with its spicy-sweet aroma and its finish (which is dry) with smoked salmon (no salt there, huh?).

A no brainer no-no is salt with tannin; it just does not match. And that explains your choices for reds, because they are low in tannin. Low-in-tannin red wine goes well with salt because it is also most likely high in acid.

So that being said, I see nothing wrong at all with a good Riesling or Gewurtz or Alsation going with ham......... or hey, how about a Cote Chalonnaise with a bit of ham?