Great food and wine pairings take center stage during the holiday season, and Frank Family wines feel right at home with the best meals shared with family and friends during this special time of year. Why should great pairing stop when the main course is cleared? We’re sharing a few of our favorite holiday pies, expertly paired with the best from Frank Family Vineyards.
Pecan Pie and Zinfandel Port
If you’re not familiar with Port, it’s a combination of red wine, partially fermented, and a grape spirit such as brandy. The natural sweetness of the Zinfandel wine is preserved, and the addition of brandy gives an extra punch. It’s the height of decadence! In this pairing, the dessert’s sweetness helps acclimate the palate to our Zinfandel Port’s bold flavor, and the nutty, caramel-like notes in the wine, which come from the oxidation that occurs when the brandy ages in oak, beautifully complement the pecan foundation of the pie.
Pumpkin Pie and Lewis Vineyard Chardonnay
This pairing works because the brightness of this single-vineyard Chardonnay lifts and balances a rich dessert. Lewis Vineyard Chardonnay‘s undercurrent ofoak, coming through with aromas of vanilla and butterscotch, complement the spices used in this classic fall-time treat. Topped with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, this dessert envelops the palate, while the vibrant and persistent acidity from the chardonnay cuts through that richness, leaving our palates refreshed and light with every bite and sip.
Apple Pie and Late Harvest Chardonnay
A great pairing with dessert wine always allows the sweetness from the plate to mitigate sweetness from the glass, thereby allowing the Late Harvest Chardonnay‘s wide bouquet of aromas and flavors to shine. Baked apples, brown sugar or honey, buttery, flaky crust, and cinnamon spice— these decadent flavors all help to balance this classic, botrytized Chardonnay.
Cranberry Tart and Rouge
Great pairings are all about comparison and contrast, and with this pairing we see flavors that complement, and textures that contrast. The Pinot Noir-based Sparkling Rouge delivers fresh, bright red fruit flavors that complement the dessert’s fruit base, while its energetic acidity, the foundation of all sparkling wine, contrasts the pie’s buttery tart shell nicely.
Chocolate Cream Pie and Chiles Valley Zinfandel
During the holiday season, we make allowances for a little extra indulgence, and a chocolate cream pie easily comes to mind. With its rich and creamy texture, pairing for this dessert requires a wine that will not be easily overpowered. Frank Family’s Chiles Valley Zinfandel, a bold and determined red wine, is just the ticket. Intensely ripe flavors of plum and fig, an undercurrent of earthy dark chocolate, and firm tannins on the finish, harmonize perfectly with the decadence of this classic pie.
