Wine + Holiday Cookies
It's baking season!
Whether you get down with a little sugar and flour in your own kitchen or opt to buy a smattering of holiday cookies from a local bake shop, we don't judge. But we do HIGHLY recommend you crack open a bottle of wine when you snuggle in with your dessert plate this winter.
Pairing wine to Christmas cookies and other festive treats is as easy as any other food and drink combination. Just remember that "like goes with like" (i.e. citrusy whites with lemon pound cake) and a good bottle of sparkling wine works beautifully with most decadent treats.
Below are a few of our favorite wine and cookie pairings to get you started. Happy Holidays and merry munching!
GINGERBREAD + SPICE
The Cookies
Gingerbread cut-outs, Pfeffernusse (German spice cookies), ginger snaps
The Wine
- Elena Walch Schiava: This light Italian red is laced with savory spice and a spot of pepper, making it the perfect compliment to warm-spiced cookies of all kinds
- Dr Konstantin Frank (Semi Dry) Riesling: A delicate and dry Riesling from the Finger Lakes, with notes of apricot, tropical fruits and acacia blossom that play well with ginger and spice.
CHOCOLATE, NUTS + CARAMEL
The Cookies
Chocolate crinkle cookies, espresso sandwich cookies, peanut butter blossoms, turtles
The Wine
- El Maestro Sierra Pedro Ximenez Sherry: This sherry's prevailing caramel and exotic spice notes play up the rich nuttiness of an espresso-based cookie or a classic peanut butter blossom.
- Domaine des Terres Dorées 'FRV 100': A light and frothy Gamay-based sparkler that loves a chocolate cookie.
BUTTER + VANILLA
The Cookies
Classic spritz, jam thumbprints, meltaways, pink grapefruit sugar cookies
The Wine
- Heron Chardonnay: This unoaked Chardonnay lush yet clean, with notes of pear, lemon, and vanilla that bring out the delicate nature of a crumbly shortbread.
- Ello Perrone 'Bigaro': A rosy sparkling Brachetto with lots of red fruit and creamy bubbles that play well with berries (think raspberry thumbprints!).
—Emily Rentsch