The Holidays Start with Donuts and Wine

 

The Christmas season is upon us. That means cheer is in the air and calories simply don’t count.

              For my family, the holidays have always officially started the day after Thanksgiving. Year after year, we would wake up on that Friday morning to find tubs of Christmas decorations lining the driveaway and filling up the living room. Holiday movies were turned on and cheese and crackers set out as we would help mom put up the tree, marvel at our ornaments and Christmas books, and spend endless hours trying to figure out which bulb was burnt out on the light strand. Through all of this, the occasional cuss word would filter inside as dad created the outside display. The day would end with us basking in the glow of the twinkling lights. It was always such a magical time, and something I looked forward to every year.

              As we got older and are now traveling over the mountains and through the idiot-driver congestion to mom’s house we go, traditions have changed. Though Christmas decorating the day after Thanksgiving is no longer, that joy of Christmas starting that Friday is still with us, and we always find a way to celebrate that. This year, it was with a donut and wine pairing.

              A while back, my mom and I had stumbled upon a random Facebook post that had a suggested list of different donut and wine pairings. Though some of the donuts were quite obscure, it got us thinking that a wine and donut adventure could be the perfect Friday after Thanksgiving activity.

              If it isn’t obvious by now, I enjoy learning about all things wine, so I offered to take point on researching some potential pairing options. I spent an afternoon going through various articles, winery suggestions, and yes, even my beloved Big Macs & Burgundy: Wine Pairings for the Real World by Vanessa Price and Adam Laukhuf book to find a handful of donuts easily found in most places, and wines common enough it wouldn’t require a zillion trips to a zillion different liquor stores. My mom and I divided up the wine list, she said she would get the donuts, and the stage was set for an afternoon of sugar debauchery.

              Below, you will find each pairing we tried and a general consensus of if it was enjoyed by the group or not. For those pairings with conflicting results, I have done my best to describe the drink personality of those who liked it, opposed to those who didn’t. For example, do they typically prefer sweet wines, dry wines, beer, whiskey, etc. You will also find a picture of some of the notes that were taken during the event, but please read with caution. We tend to get a little zesty when arguing over such important matters as donuts and wine. Anyways…

 I hope that whatever your holiday traditions are, they are filled with happiness, laughter, and good wine. Cheers to all of the special memories that will be made over the next few weeks and the wines that help create them. Merry Christmas!

 

Chocolate Frosting and Sprinkles Chocolate Donut with Prosecco: This pairing was generally well received by everyone. Most of us felt that the wine highlighted the chocolate, making it taste extra chocolatey, and the donut helped smooth the wine out, making it more flavorful. A win for the first round.

Old-Fashioned Donut with Pinot Grigio: This was originally supposed be a blueberry old-fashioned donut, but unable to find them, we decided to see what would happen with just a basic old-fashioned. It really did not go over well, and we all decided this pairing needed that blueberry flavoring. A couple of us felt that it did make the glaze have a bit of a lemony note, but this still didn’t make us like it.

 Powdered Sugar Donut with Dry Riesling: This was a very unique one, as we all hated it but one person. The one person who thought the donut and wine went well together was the person who typically turns to beer as his beverage of choice. For us wine drinkers, words like harsh, too much petrol, and sour were discussed. A win for beer drinkers, a loss for wine enthusiasts.

 Cinnamon Sugar Donut with Riesling: Another interesting pairing, as the only person who liked it was me. Why did I like it? It really brought out a baking spice note. As we discussed this one, it became obvious that I was the only person there who liked a strong baking spice note in my wines and food, so it made sense why I was the only one who liked it.

 Glazed Donut with Chardonnay: Most of us either found this pairing to be just okay or absolutely disgusting. In general, the consensus was that it made the donut super sweet. A couple of people who didn’t like the wine by itself found that they liked the wine better when consumed with the donut, but they still didn’t like the pairing in general. It was one we all felt we could have done without.

 Powdered Jelly Donut with White Zinfandel: This is a pairing that has been on my list for a while, as I got it from the Big Macs & Burgundy book. I have been hesitant to try it because I am not a fan of White Zinfandel, but all of us were so glad we did. When this donut and wine are brought together, a fruit explosion occurs in the mouth. We could really taste the strawberry jelly of the donut, and all of those fruit notes in the wine just sang. It was crowd pleasing and delicious, and I would recommend it to anyone, as it was thoroughly enjoyed by every different type of palate style.

 Strawberry Frosted Donut with Rosé: For this one, the beer drinker and I were in agreement that it was a good pairing. Everyone else, who are not rosé fans in general, didn’t like the wine and didn’t like the two together. One of them felt like it made the wine bitter. I personally thought the strawberry taste in the frosting was highlighted beautifully, and for the beer drinker, he just thought they tasted great together. Apparently, this is a combo for dry wine and beer folk.

 Jelly Filled Donut with Malbec: This was my personal favorite from the day, and it made me happy that it was loved by all. Everyone felt like the wine helped to enhance the delicious raspberry jelly in the donut, and I also felt like the donut brought out a lovely spice note in the wine. Our sweet wine drinkers weren’t fond of the wine by itself, but ended up liking the wine when it was enjoyed with the donut. I found it quite interesting that the top two pairings both included some kind of jelly filled donut and a wine made from red grapes. Something to ponder on.

 Chocolate Frosted Donut with Merlot: A true study in taste buds, this one was quite interesting. The person who prefers smoother wines and spicy Syrahs liked this pairing and felt it had a nice and mellow taste. The rest of us hated it, to the point “fucking awful” and “should not have been” were used to describe how we felt about it. Weirdly though, a bunch of us tried the Merlot with the strawberry frosted donut and found it quite tasty. Taste buds, so unique, so weird.

 Bavarian Cream Donut with Port: The final pairing of the day brought a nice division to the crowd. I, as the preferer of drier wines, and the person who likes those smooth wines thought it was a decent pairing because it really brought out the chocolate in the donut. The two sweet wine drinkers and the beer drinker did not enjoy it because they felt it made everything too sweet. A fun and interesting pairing to end on.