For those lucky ducks who pre-ordered the whole applewood-smoked bone-in heritage hams from D’Artagnan (now sold out), we polled our wine gurus for what wine they’d pour. Seth says you can’t go wrong with any of his rieslings. Mike agrees but also adds:
With ham I would even serve a rosé like our new Chateau de Roquefort Corail Rosé 2008. The vineyards are just over the ridge from Bandol and the wine has bright strawberry and raspberry fruit with lively acidity and a nice clean finish. For red, I’d go lighter bodied like Artazuri Garnacha 2007. An incredible value, it is a fresh and fruity wine, with an underlying minerality that is great with or without food. Another solid option is the Clos Roche Gamay 2007, a spicy, certified organic, light-bodied red. Try serving it chilled. Or even the Vivalda Dolcetto 2007. Its low acidity and low tannin makes it thoroughly gulpable and at the same time surprisingly versatile when pairing with food. Vivalda’s dolcetto is aged for 3 to 4 months in stainless steel, keeping intact the intense bouquet and clean, bright cherry fruit.
All these wine options are under $20, so you can’t go wrong. Hop on over to the wine store with a receipt for $10 or more from the food store and take 5% off your wine.