KOL: How do you prepare for the Seder when it comes to the wine?
GM: It all begins with the food! For me it always involves multiple wines with multiple colors. It’s important to think about the temperatures of the food and the heaviness of the meal – the Passover Seder is a bold meal, so there are a lot of spices involved.
KOL: What’s a typical main course at your Seder?
GM: Our family likes to serve poached fish so that it becomes a bit of a lighter meal, especially since we have to do this two nights in a row. This year we’ll be having our Seder with friends in Maui!
KOL: How many different bottles do you typically offer?
GM: I prefer to offer one white and one red.The table is busy enough!
KOL: Got any suggestions for people who want to keep it simple?
GM: Lighter red wines that are dry will complement anything if you don’t want to buy a bunch of different wines. I’d recommend Pinot Noir or Beaujolais.
Gefilte Fish
Gefilte fish in our house is a little sweet, so I usually go with a Riesling. This will carry through with the soup. Sauvignon Blanc would do well, too, there’s lots of fruit there. Chardonnay could work, just not a heavy oaked one. That would fight against the gefilte fish
Matzah Sandwich
You need lots of fruit! The Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc would work here.
Tzimmes
You need a dryer wine with bold flavors to match with the dried fruits. When they cook out they lose some of their sweetness but they’re still aggressive flavors. A Chardonnay would work, or a Pinot Noir.
Lamb
Bordeaux or Cabernet
Brisket
Cabernet, Zinfandel or Sangiovese could be good, depending on how it’s prepared.
Passover Fruit Slices
You need a Sauternes or a heavy dessert wine. The Barton chocolate almonds go great with a Sauternes too!
Last but not least, do not get behind the wheel if you’ve had all these wines at one meal. It sounds like a great seder but please be safe!
