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Holiday Dining & Wine Pairing Tips

Wine is just the thing to pull together a variety of foods at a holiday meal.
This season, create a festive mood by pairing a new wine with a special meal.

Here are a few pointers on pairing food and wine :

• Wine should complement the food rather than dominate it: light food, light wine; heavier food, heavier wine.
• Soups, salads and light dishes will taste best when accompanied by light, usually white, wines.
• More-robust foods such as steak and pasta can handle bigger, full-bodied reds.

Keeping these tips in mind, serve a pleasing, well-rounded wine that matches a variety of foods and all the dishes will have a chance to shine. And, with so many side dishes, it’s okay to keep the main dish simple. Try this easy, delicious holiday recipe served with a glass of our Marlegan Cabernet Sauvignon.

Mustard Brown Sugar Glazed Ham

Ham comes in various sizes, plan on about one pound per person, when purchasing a bone-in ham. The tangy glaze can be used on any kind of ham you like, even a ham steak. Serve with scalloped potatoes and green beans or on a buffet with rolls and a variety of salads.

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

1 fully cooked bone-in ham (shank or butt), about 8-10 pounds
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup Dijon style mustard
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons orange marmalade

Method

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place ham in a baking pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 20 minutes per pound, or as instructed on the package.

Make the glaze by combining the mustard, vinegar and marmalade in a small bowl. Approximately 30 minutes before removing from the ham from the oven, remove the foil, and trim the rind and fat to 1/4 inch. Paint the ham with the mustard mixture and pack on brown sugar and continue baking uncovered until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Allow ham to rest 15 minutes before slicing ham into 1/2-inch-thick slices and serving.
 

Serving Suggestion

Marlegan Cabernet Sauvignon.
 

Estimated Prep Time: 10 minutes
Estimated Cooking Time: about 2 1/2 hours

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