Wine Consultant Shares Tips on How to Pair Wine with Thanksgiving Dishes

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- With the holidays just around the corner, many people are already planning their celebrations and are looking forward to enjoying traditional dishes and drinks with friends and family. To save time, money and stress, Wine Consultant Dee Ann Quinones, who works with Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, shares tips on how to host a delicious, easy and affordable holiday celebration.

"There are so many wonderful wines out there that it can be intimidating to pick the right bottles for a holiday celebration," says Quinones. "Our goal is to make the process easier, which is why we focus on offering a wide range of wines that are both high-quality and affordable."

To complement its fresh, wholesome foods, Fresh & Easy has many exclusive, award-winning wines that retail for less than $10 a bottle, perfect for holiday gatherings. Quinones suggests the following wine selection tips:

• KEEP AN OPEN MIND - Wines are made to be shared and enjoyed and should enhance the dining experience. The important thing is to have fun and try something new! There's a wine that fits every taste and personality.
• EXPENSIVE DOESN'T MEAN BETTER - Popular brands and expensive bottles don't always mean they're better. There are many wines for under $10 that are great, high-quality blends.
• WHITE & RED - As a general rule of thumb, try to serve one white wine and one red wine at parties. You want to pair lighter bodied wines with lighter dishes and fuller bodied wines with heavier dishes. For example, white wines pair well with seafood, salad and chicken and red wines with red meats and saucy dishes.
  

As far as a Thanksgiving menu is concerned, Quinones suggests serving a different wine for every course to provide guests with a unique dining experience.

• APERITIF - Serve sparkling wine, which pairs well with most appetizers and is great for toasting the holidays, to stimulate the appetite and make celebrations more festive. To save time and stress, Fresh & Easy offers a variety of appetizer platters for under $10, including a vegetable platter with ranch dip and a four dip party platter.
  • Recommendation: Ogio Prosecco, $8.99 - This Northern Italian sparkling wine has aromas of white peach, ripe melon and sweet spices. It pairs well with cheese and most other appetizers. With its low price, people don't have to spend a lot of money to serve a delicious sparkling wine.
• MAIN COURSE - There's nothing that says Thanksgiving more than a holiday turkey with all the fixings. At the low price of $0.99 a pound for a fresh Grade A turkey, there will be a lot of money left over to make homemade stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. Whether people want to make these traditional side dishes from scratch or buy them pre-made, Fresh & Easy carries everything to give customers the option.
  • Recommendations: Small Wonders Chardonnay, $13.99 - This white wine enhances the flavor of any holiday turkey with its pear, lemon and vanilla flavors
  • The Vine Yard Cabernet Franc, $7.99 - This is a bold, red wine that pairs well with turkey and cranberry sauce because of its powerful raspberry character.
• DESSERT - Fresh & Easy offers ready-made desserts such as pumpkin and apple pie for just $3.99 each. To satisfy a craving for chocolate, Fresh & Easy just introduced its new Sweet Boutique and Choc Choc lines. These lines feature everything from gourmet chocolates to chocolate covered pretzels and almonds - all under $8 each and perfect to serve or bring as gifts to any holiday party.
  • Recommendation: St. Helen Riesling, $5.99 - This Riesling has a soft peach and apricot quality that brings out spices in the pies.
    

These wine recommendations are only a few of the 170 high-quality wines Fresh & Easy carries, the most popular one being the Big Kahuna Cabernet Shiraz which retails for under $3. Eighty of these wines are exclusive to the company, have won more than 80 awards and were crafted with the help of Master of Wine Phil Reedman.

Fresh & Easy brand products have no artificial flavors or colors, no added trans fats, and no preservatives unless absolutely necessary. For more party food ideas and for a store near you, visit www.freshandeasy.com

Please note that prices are subject to change.

About Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market

At roughly 10,000 square feet, Fresh & Easy markets are smaller than the typical supermarket to give customers a faster, easier shopping experience. In addition to fresh, high-quality prepared meals and produce, Fresh & Easy offers everyone's favorite national brand products and household items, all at unbelievably low prices.

SOURCE Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market

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http://www.freshandeasy.com