Look beyond your go-to vinos and brews.
There's no greater joy than when you find your beverage of choice—something delicate, refined, intricate on the the palette. For this holiday, we've assembled choice selects from local wine and beer experts to pair with your holiday feasting.
Peter Eastlake, Sommelier and Owner, Vintage Berkeley and Solano Cellars
(Courtesy of Marietta Cellars)
Eastlake set up shop in Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto in 2005 and has built a reputation on his stellar selections of small-production wines for under $30. In addition to owning Vintage Berkeley and Solano Cellars, he is also the wine curator for Wine Lands at the annual Outside Lands Music Festival. Here are his picks for specific food pairings:
Roast beef:
"Most red wines are happy at the table with roast beef, but I'm a sucker for a young, dark, and juicy Cabernet Sauvignon during this season. Marietta Cellars makes two rib-sticking Cabs: 2014 Game Trail Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Grown, Yorkville Highlands and 2015 Arme Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Grown."
Dungeness crab:
"California Chardonnay and crab on New Year's Eve is one of the great coastal California pairings. If Chardonnay isn't your thing, winemaker Leo Hansen serves up a California Chenin Blanc that hath no peer. His 2015 Leo Steen Chenin Blanc Saini Vineyard Dry Creek Valley is taut and creamy."
Roast fowl:
"Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and Beaujolais have always ruled the pairing conversation for turkey while Loire Valley Cabernet Franc gobbles up the wine nerd crowd. Husband and wife winemaking team of Ryan and Megan Glaab at Ryme Cellars craft a Cab Franc that tastes like liquid cranberry sauce. The alcohol is modest too, so it's a perfect for long dining sessions. Check out their 2016 Ryme Cellars Cabernet Franc Alegria Vineyard, Russian River Valley."