Devour
- Every culture celebrates holiday traditions, many of which encompass food. Here are some traditional cultural favorites:
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Many Mexicans and Mexican-Americans celebrate Christmas with homemade tamales. Using a filing of anyting from beef to pork to chicken, tamales are served up steamed, often with a mole sauce poured on top. A personal favorite: red chile pork tamales, just like Grandma used to make.
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The French enjoy roast goose or duck on Christmas, with all the trimmings. For dessert, tradition calls for a buche de noel, or Yule log - a rolled cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. There is also plenty of champagne.
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On New Year’s Eve, the Chinese prepare steamed fish and uncut noodles. The Chinese believe fish is a symbol of long life, good fortune and family togetherness – a perfect dish to start a new year. Noodles symbolize longevity – the longer the noodle, the longer the life!
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On New Year’s Day in Italy, it is common to serve lentils. The practice of eating lentils on New Year’s Day ensures a year of prosperity. The lentils are usually served with sausage. And grapes are always on the table. Grapes symbolize a year of good health, so the more that are consumed, the better.
Drink
We not only enjoy traditional foods for the holidays, but also just the right beverages. Here are some suggestions from Michael Jordan for the holiday meals mentioned above:
Roast Goose (a basic recipe with red wine, a little cognac, chestnuts and prunes):
Red Wines: The most obvious pairings include Pinot Noir, with the cherries, berries and earthiness component of fresh mushroom and forest moss frequently found in great Pinot Noir. Try a ripe one from the Russian River Valley. Also in the hunt would be a Grenache-based wine from Chateauneuf-du-Pape or Gigondas with the roasted, toasted and grilled fruit to pick up the prune and gaminess of the goose.
White wine: Classic pairing with Alsace Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. But a Riesling from the Pfalz region of Germany or an Alsace Grand Cru site with a few years of age to soften the acidity and bring out the fruit and honeyed notes would be spectacular.
Steamed Fish and Noodles:
White wines: This subtle dish calls for a more delicate style wine with lower alcohol like a light and lemony Italian Pinot Grigio or Soave, if the dish has ginger or green onions, fresh coriander and other herbal notes and a ripe vintage of Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre could work or most certainly a Riesling Kabinett from the Mosel with lime and green apple notes.
Sausage and Lentils:
Go red! This one needs a classic partner like a Sangiovese-based blend from Tuscany, or a softer red like Valpolicella with velvety red fruit. And don’t forget an earthy red-fruited Montepulciano to play off the earthiness of the lentils. And since this is a southern Italian recipe lets go Negroamaro or Primitivo from Apulia or the American version - ripe and juicy Zinfandel from California.
Pork Tamales (with a red sauce):
If you can go easy on the chile peppers, there are several wines for this classic dish. If hot chile is your thing, it can be a very difficult dish to pair. Wines with higher alcohol make the chile hotter and the peppers make wine seem “hot,” too. Wines with lower alcohol, like a slightly chilled Gamay-based Beaujolais or a red California Valdiguié, could be just the trick. But slightly sweet “off-dry” wines really cool down the fire. So, Chenin Blanc, Riesling and off-dry rosé like White Zinfandel can be perfect for this type of dish. But sometimes my best wine pairing for Mexican food with lots of robust flavors and hot chile is…beer!
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Uncorked - Holiday Edition
Home for the Holidays (and time to enter!)
Details
 Happy Holidays! The end of one year and the beginning of a new one are always filled with celebrations. Uncorked hopes you get a chance to enjoy your favorite wine and spirits with family and friends.
And for you wineries and winemakers, we hope you plan to submit your best creations in the 2012 Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition. The dates are May 16-18 for wine and May 21-22 for spirits. Don’t forget to take advantage of the early registration discount for wine; deadline is March 30. New for 2012, the extra virgin olive oil competition will be split into two dates: March 27-29 for northern hemisphere and July 24-26 for southern hemisphere. The date changes offer optimal timing for harvests.
In other news, restaurateur and Master Sommelier Michael Jordan is the new honorary chairman of the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition. Jordan, the former global manager of wine sales and wine education for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts® worldwide, is being tasked with assisting in growing and expanding the breadth of the competition, including refining its new point-system ratings.
Jordan is quite familiar with the LAIWSC, having served as a judge for many years. He is one of few to hold both the Master Sommelier and the Certified Wine Educator  diplomas. Jordan created his own brand, Word Vineyards, and also serves as the host of a syndicated weekly radio talk show that is broadcast in several major AM Radio markets across the US. Jordan has had a hand in the operations of the award-winning Napa Rose Restaurant in Anaheim and the openings of Pinot Provence, Pavilion and Bella Teresa - top restaurants in southern California. He is currently vice president of food and beverage of The Ranch restaurant, soon to open in Anaheim.
“I'm honored and delighted to be named as the Honorary Chair of the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition. It has been an absolute favorite wine event for me, something I have really enjoyed participating in each year,” Jordan said. “I look forward to working with the amazing team of top industry professionals that produce one of the most seamless and well-run competitions in the world.”
With the assistance of Jordan’s expertise and background, the 73-year-old competition is planning to increase its number of entries and participants as well as grow consumer awareness. The competition is the foundation of a large public wine education program that’s available to the nearly 1.5 million visitors during the annual L.A. County Fair. Said Jordan: “The public looks to the LAIWSC to evaluate the wines, spirits and olive oils that are entered from around the world. The top award winners are also presented during the L.A. County Fair along with daily seminars and tastings given by the best and brightest in the wine industry. It is a fun way to taste and learn!”
Design
The Holidays and Wines
By LAIWSC Honorary Chairman Michael Jordan MS, “Sommelier for the People”
 For holiday gift giving I always say, “give the wines YOU love to drink!” However, I have found that Sparkling wine is always a welcome gift during the holiday season, and it won’t stain the carpet (if you give someone a bottle of red wine and it gets spilled on their rug – they will always remember you – but not for the reasons you may hope!). Also, Sparkling wines are perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
I love to drink Riesling (from anywhere) or Sonoma County Zinfandel with turkey.
With baked ham, I really have fallen in love with Dry Rosé, especially from blends like Fred Scherrer’s Syrah-based blend from Russian River  Valley or the great Rosato di Sangiovese wines from Gargiulo, Miner Family or those from Carmignano in Tuscany.
With Spicy curry. try a Verdelho from Australia or California. And for midnight on New Year’s Eve, I am drinking a sweet Sparkling Rosé - Brachetto from Piemonte with a chocolate-dipped strawberry ….and a kiss! We will toast with Champagne much earlier in the evening…. Dry Champagne isn’t always so good with dessert.
Here’s to you and yours this holiday season! Be well.
Don’t forget to share your wine – that always makes it taste so much better!
Cheers!
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