Which wines are correct for a happy hour? The answer is that there is no right answer. The choice of an aperitif is personal and varies widely among wine enthusiasts. A century ago, it wasn’t customary to drink anything before
Which wines are correct for a happy hour? The answer is that there is no right answer. The choice of an aperitif is personal and varies widely among wine enthusiasts.
A century ago, it wasn’t customary to drink anything before sitting down for a meal. Social drinking took place at dinner’s end. Sparkling wine, if there was any, was drunk at that time or with the meal. Sherry or port may have been served afterward.
Times have changed and drinking wine or hard spirits for an hour or so before the meal has become commonplace. Done on an empty stomach, however, it becomes an assault on the senses and loses its purpose as a means of priming the stomach for the meal to follow. Anything eaten likely will taste pretty much the same and at that point, wine that should be savored can barely be tasted, let alone appreciated.
The term ‘aperitif’ means an alcoholic drink taken before a meal as an appetizer. The right kind of wine, if not overindulged, should help not only to stimulate the appetite but also take the rough edges off a long day or week.
Sweeter tasting wines are not good aperitifs because they tend to suppress the appetite. Wines that do make good aperitifs should be relatively dry and high in acidity, making them refreshing. They should be moderate in alcohol content and comparatively light-bodied. Most are white, but a few pinks and reds may fit the bill as well.
Dry sparkling wines are ideal. The bubbles themselves can spark up the cocktail hour. Delicate and preferably dry, a brut French champagne would be perfect, as would a Spanish cava or a California sparkler made in the methode champenoise process.
Among non-sparkling French wines, the optimal candidates would be a Loire, a Graves, an Alsatian, or a Moselle. Rieslings, too, from France or other good wine-producing regions also prove excellent as aperitifs.
Red wines, especially if they also are to be served with dinner should be light; possibly a Beaujolais or other lighter Burgundy. A French tavel rose or a rose d’Anjou would also be ideal.
An alternative classic would be the kir (pronounced ‘keer’), an off-dry cocktail made from dry, white wine or [preferably] brut champagne to which a small amount of crème de cassis is added. With the slice of a lemon peel, an outstanding aperitif is born.
Seasonal conditions should be taken into consideration. For warm, summertime evenings, a wine spritzer is a refreshing aperitif made with dry white wine mixed with a generous pour of club soda. Variations on this could be using ginger ale or a lemon-lime soda. Sangria, made with red or white wine blended with fruit juice and sparkling water, floated with sliced seasonal fruit, is also a delicious way to entice the appetite.
In wintertime and the cooler months, a dry sherry may be a popular choice. Sherries may be almost black or almost white, covering a wide spectrum between. They may be bone dry or sugary sweet but stick to the drier ones pre-dinner. Sherry may be close to perfect — an appealing aperitif, a powerful table wine with the meal, and an after dinner final course.
Remember the purpose of happy hour — to relax and unwind, and let the day’s (or week’s) stress slip away. Pop a cork on a nicely chilled sauvignon blanc, a pinot grigio, a domestic sparkler or a French champagne and do just that.
