Easter Ham Dinner

[guido]

I like a pretty dry wine and my wife prefers a milder wine. What would be a good compromise either red or white?

[Innkeeper]

HI Guido, and welcome to the Wine Board. Sometimes with ham, a nice rose' does the trick. With Easter Dinner, which is bound to more complex, another wine that also goes well with ham is pinot noir. Whether it comes from Burgundy, or Oregon, or a handful of California districts, or even New Zealand; there are many choices these days. Not knowing how much you desired to spend, let me recommend a nice one in the under $15 category. Joseph Drouhin, Laforet, Pinot Noir. Another option is Villa Mount Eden, California, Pinot Noir that runs a dollar or two less. You should be able to find one or the other in your area without too much trouble. Wife should like them too.

[This message has been edited by Innkeeper (edited 03-29-2002).]

[Randy Caparoso]

Easter ham, especially if it's slathered with fruity sauces, really needs fruity wines. Slightly sweet German Rieslings(Kabinett or Spatlese styles) are as good as you can get. If you prefer red, a cross-dresser of wine would be a French Beaujolais (because it "thinks" it's a white, with its low, low tannins and strawberry flavors, in spite of its dryness and color).

California alternatives to the aforementioned are often bottled as Johannisberg Riesling. And among the reds, as Gamay or Valdique.

Happy Easter!

[vinman]

Welcome!
All good suggestions. Why not a couple more. If you do your ham with pineapple,or mangos, why not a Aussie Chardonnay, a'la Lindemans, usually loaded with tropical fruit and a bunch of oak to boot! $7.00! Now if you like your ham laced with spice, cloves, and such, maybe a young, cheap, American Syrah, like Pepperwood Grove will do nicely. $6.00!