Wine and Ham This Sunday

Filed in archive Holiday Wine on April 7, 2007

Are you planning a big holiday meal this Easter Sunday? Many of us will be sipping vino and chowing on various Easter Sunday staples such as ham. Luckily, I'm not a big pork person, so the whole what wine to drink with ham is usually a non-issue for me, but for those who enjoy ham, it can be an problem. I've heard a few different suggestions for pair wine with ham, most recently this article says Zinfandel is the way to go:

A popular dish for the Easter holidays is honey-baked ham, the sweetness of which can present problems for matching with a wine. One approach is to pick a very dry, acidic wine that serves in contrast to the ham's sweetness - such as a pinot noir. Another idea is pick a high-alcohol and-or fruity wine, such as a zinfandel. We asked our wine-tasting group to compare wines as a match to honey-baked ham in a blind tasting.

Wine of the week: 2003 Haywood Los Chamizal Vineyard Sonoma zinfandel.

Price: $21.99.

Aroma: Raspberries, cherries, vanilla and spice.

Palate: Scents carried over along with orange, pepper, ginger and chocolate flavors.

Verdict: This was our favorite pairing with the ham. It was mellow, sweet and soft.