Wine Pairings for Sweet Potato Casserole

WINE PAIRINGS FOR SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

as recommended by Karen Bonarrigo

• Sweet potatoes are a classic Southern comfort food ingredient and a holiday table staple.
• Its firm shape allows sweet potatoes to be sliced and diced to suit an endless list of recipes. Cooking sweet potatoes breaks down the structure and lends it great options for mashing and making into purees.
• This starchy root veggie can be presented and cooked in numerous ways, including raw preparations, steaming, roasting, frying and baking.
• Sweet potatoes are often confused with yams or potatoes, though sweet potatoes are a distinct species than both of those vegetables.
• Roasted sweet potatoes transform into sweet and candied flavors. They match beautifully with baking spices and nuts to bring out more pronounced richness and warmth.
• The inherent sweetness of sweet potatoes can pose a challenge to some wine pairings because the sweetness can overwhelm delicate wines or feel mis-matched with tannic wines. But wines with a hint of sweetness, fruit-forward nature and rounded mouthfeel make sweet potatoes the treat of the table.
• Scale back added sugary ingredients when preparing sweet potato dishes, such as sweet potato casserole, to make wine pairings that much easier and highlight the beauty of the wines.
• Recommended wines:
  • Sparkling Rosé (refreshing palate cleansing option)
  • Private Reserve Chardonnay (oaked Chardonnay provides body and structure)
  • Beau (sweet red with weight and fruity balance)
  • Private Orange Muscat (unique orange notes with hint of sweet that matches gracefully)