Above: Whether you’re a beer drinker or a wine fan, here’s a little something to consider this holiday season.
By Wini Moranville
For gatherings from Thanksgiving through Christmas, I seek wines and beers that are approachable to many, but also unique. Here are two favorites:
• Sauvion Vouvray 2017: This white wine is just so perfect for daytime holiday gatherings. It’s low in alcohol (11.5 percent), making it great for day drinking; it has a honeyed melon-fruit roundness and slight sweetness that make it a lovely aperitif, yet it also has a nice “thwack” of acidity that is so food-friendly. The quintessential Loire Valley chenin blanc is also available for a good price ($13.99) at Ingersoll Wine and Spirits (3500 Ingersoll Ave., 515-255-3191; ingersollwine.com).
• Shiner Cheer: I fell hard for this peach- and pecan-infused amber-brown wheat beer around Christmastime last year. Yet because I’m much less confident in my beer tastes than my wine tastes, I turned to local beer czar Jeff Bruning, partner in the spate of Full Court Press beer-centric restaurants, to ask what he thought. Turns out, he likes it enough that it’s on tap at the High Life Lounge. “When I first tasted it, I appreciated the way the tannic/bitter qualities of the pecans balanced the peach flavors,” he said. (The High Life Lounge is at 200 S.W. Second St., 515-280-1965; thehighlifelounge.com.)
• Sauvion Vouvray 2017: This white wine is just so perfect for daytime holiday gatherings. It’s low in alcohol (11.5 percent), making it great for day drinking; it has a honeyed melon-fruit roundness and slight sweetness that make it a lovely aperitif, yet it also has a nice “thwack” of acidity that is so food-friendly. The quintessential Loire Valley chenin blanc is also available for a good price ($13.99) at Ingersoll Wine and Spirits (3500 Ingersoll Ave., 515-255-3191; ingersollwine.com).
• Shiner Cheer: I fell hard for this peach- and pecan-infused amber-brown wheat beer around Christmastime last year. Yet because I’m much less confident in my beer tastes than my wine tastes, I turned to local beer czar Jeff Bruning, partner in the spate of Full Court Press beer-centric restaurants, to ask what he thought. Turns out, he likes it enough that it’s on tap at the High Life Lounge. “When I first tasted it, I appreciated the way the tannic/bitter qualities of the pecans balanced the peach flavors,” he said. (The High Life Lounge is at 200 S.W. Second St., 515-280-1965; thehighlifelounge.com.)
Shiner Cheer is also available widely at retail locations including these.
Wini Moranville writes about food, wine and dining for dsm magazine and dsmWeekly. Follow her on Facebook at All Things Food–DSM.
