BASICS TO PAIRING WINE WITH HAM Fruity Wines – Ham, with its sweet-and-salty richness, pairs best with wines that have a touch of sweetness, plenty of acidity and bold fruit. Great ham-wines include Riesling, Moscato, Chenin Blanc, Rosé, Lambrusco, Grenache and Zinfandel. What wine goes with ham? The general profile of ham is sweet, salty, textured and rich, but you’ll find quite a bit of variation in ham depending on what you get. Because of this, you can pick from a range of wines that work great! A Li’l History: Ham has been a big deal for a very long time–at least as far back as the time of Gaul. In the 1700’s, ham was a primary component of the sailor’s diet and demand spread throughout the world. Today, the pig-based cured meat has quite a range of tastes; from the specially smoked Westphalian hams of Germany (made from acorn-fed pigs), to the thick-sliced deli-counter “honey ham” that you’ve been putting on your croque-monsieur. There are 3 major production methods of ham, which include salting (dry-curing), wet-curing and smoking.

However, since some producers use a combination of all 3 methods, we’ve organized ham by taste (and cited a few examples) so that you can get a better idea of the flavor pairing ideology. Perfect plate of Prosciutto di Parma source Thinly-sliced, bold flavored hams with a chewy texture and typically higher salt content. A classic example of this style of ham, that nearly all of us know, is the Italian favorite, Prosciutto. You’ll find ham in this style typically served in micro-thin sheets as a melt-in-your mouth appetizer. The high saltiness factor and dryness of the meat begs for sparkling wine. You’ll also do very well with a sparkling Rosé or even a sparkling red. Other great pairing options include still Rosé, crisp minerally and herbaceous white wines, dry Sherry (perhaps a Fino or Manzanilla Sherry), and dry Madeira (such as a 5-year Verdelho or Sercial Madeira). Medium to thick cut sliced ham with a medium to bold flavor that’s not sweet. This style is typically smoked but ranges in size from full-sized fresh hams that you bake in the oven to pre-sliced ham that you buy at the grocery store.

This less-sweet style of ham could also include processed ham like Mortadella and Spam. Since this style of ham is juicier and not as salty as a dry-cured ham, it is one of the better choices to match with lighter red and rosé wines. With less sweetness and more texture, you’ll be delighted with a medium-bodied fruity red with moderate acidity. best advanced wine booksThere is a great range of wines to choose from in this style and here are a few favorites to know: Grenache-based reds (such as the GSM blend), Zinfandel, new-world style Pinot Noir, Zweigelt (from Austria!), Dornfelder (Germany), deeply-colored Rosé, The Corvina-based red wines of Valpolicella, Aged Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Primitivo-Negroamaro blends from Puglia, and “Secco” (dry) Lambrusco.wine and food coupon

Canadian Bacon aka “back bacon” source These are typically medium to thick cut hams with a chewy texture and noticeably sweet flavor.Since this style of ham is sweet, you’ll want to match with wines that are also sweet or taste very fruity. You might be surprised by some of the recommended pairings but they taste outstanding!beer and wine logos The best way to pair with foods that have sweetness is to have a wine with sweetness too. best cooking wine to drinkOn the more dry side, pick a Riesling, Chenin Blanc or White Zin/Merlot. best wines of englandOn the sweeter side go for Moscato, Brachetto d’Acqui, Vin Santo and White Port. wine buy online europe

You can probably get away with more new-world style reds including Australian Shiraz, South African Pinotage and American Petite Sirah. Here are a few pairing ideas for wine with ham to get you started. Classic Regional Ham Pairings In Europe, there are many different types of ham with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. best red wine in nzPDO is a classification method similar to wine or cheese (think Parmigiano-Reggiano) that guarantees the regional specialty.best wine for mac Try local regional wine with it! best english wine awardsHere are a few great examples: Jamón Ibérico with dry Sherry Prosciutto with Moscato d’Asti Speck with Rheingau Riesling Pair Wine with Food Everyday See the advanced food & wine pairing chart to match wines with different ingredients and preparation methods.

The Advanced Food and Wine Pairing ChartAdd your favorite wine ham pairing to the comments! Do you like this post?Easter Sunday is not only a time to reflect and celebrate but is also when family and friends gather around the table to share a special meal together. Traditional Easter menus tend to center around either a roasted ham or a leg of lamb. But which wines go best? Here are suggestions for pairing wines with your Easter dinner entrees. Ham is often prepared with glazes or toppings that are sweet and can balance the inherent saltiness of the actual meat. Well paired wines can accomplish the same objective. For ham, the best "tried and true" companion wines are--hands-down--a Riesling or a Gewürztraminer. Both wines tend to offer fresh, flavorful taste profiles with enough sweet fruit to balance the salt in the ham and enough acidity to support the combination without compromising the flavor in either the ham or the wine.There are plenty of easy-to-find Rieslings that offer good value and high quality.

Consider an Alsatian or German Riesling for their mineral-laden Old World character or a bright Washington state Riesling from either Charles Smith or Chateau Ste. Michelle. If you are opting for a spicy Gewürztraminer, you may consider successful vintners such as Columbia-Crest, Trimbach or Domaine Schlumberger.Both Riesling and Gewurztraminer are crowd-pleasing white wine favorites that have the versatility to handle a wide variety of palates while accommodating plenty of preparation options for ham. A lightly oaked Chardonnay would also handle ham well if you are partial to this particular white wine.If red wine is your first choice, then a Zinfandel is a perfect pick, as the higher alcohol content and fruit forward approach can handle the ham's sweeter side.As for lamb, whether rack of lamb, leg of lamb or roast of lamb, the strategy is to stick with your well grounded red wines--a red Burgundy, a northern Rhone red, a Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot or a Tempranillo or Shiraz.