By David Setley
Thanksgiving is upon us and we are officially entering “a season of welcome” as we invite family and friends into our homes for holiday get-togethers. At Passion Vines, we begin many of our wine events with what we call a “welcome wine.” Welcome wines provide a delicious way to say hello while establishing a cordial attitude for the evening. At home, a welcome wine is a great aperitif to create a relaxed and inviting atmosphere before dinner. An aperitif is a drink designed to stimulate the appetite and prepare the palate for delicious foods and beverages soon to follow. Personally, I discovered the idea of welcome wines in the Finger Lakes wine region when my wife and I happily enjoyed a crisp, light Rkatsiteli upon arrival to a lunch pairing. There are many directions one can go with a welcome wine, but here are a few basic rules:
Less is more! Welcome wine is the opening act that should prepare guests for the “headliners” that follow.
Lighter is righter. Ok, that’s bad English, but heavy wines are more appropriate during or after dinner. Don’t fill your guests up before you feed them. Think lighter-bodied, lower alcohol, and lower sugar wines.
Complement your food and compliment your guests. Choose a welcome wine that complements what you will be serving. It can be fun to think regionally by serving an Italian aperitif with an Italian meal, or French with French, etc. If you choose not to take a regional approach, consider your pairings. Your welcome wine should create harmony, not dissonance.
Options for welcome wines are limited only by your imagination. Sparkling wines are certainly popular, especially at celebrations; why wait until New Year’s Eve to pop the cork? Any light, crisp champagne, prosecco, or cava in either traditional white or rose’ do very well. Sparkling wines come in a wide variety of dryness and price levels to fit most anyone’s tastes and budget. Among my personal favorites are the very reasonably priced Café’ de Paris, from France, and Le Contessa, from Italy.
Bartenura Moscato d’Asti, from Lombardy, Italy, has become one of my favorite choices for a welcome wine in my home. You may not have tried Moscato d’Asti lately, but this varietal, especially the Bartenura, deserves an invitation to your next gathering. It is low-alcohol (about 5%), light-bodied, and semi-dry. Its light effervescence complements any appetizer or first course. We have served this to welcome guests at many of our recent wine events in the Somers Point store as well; it has always been a crowd-pleaser.
If still wines are more to your liking, consider a Riesling or a Rose’. If your menu would be complemented by a dry wine, I would reach for the Pierre Sparr Riesling, from Alsace as a light, crisp, and dry white. Or, for a quintessential Provence-style Rose’ with a beautiful pink hue, the lovely bright acidity and luscious mouthfeel found in Miraval is a good option. Both are reasonably priced and would set a festive mood for any of your upcoming holiday get-togethers.
I hope you will consider carrying on the tradition of welcome wines as a tasteful (and tasty) way of inviting guests into your home. As always, I appreciate your thoughts, questions, or comments. Contact me at destley@passionvines.com. Happy Wining!
David Setley is enjoying his retirement from higher education as a wine educator and certified sommelier at Passion Vines in Somers Point, New Jersey.
