Wine With Ham: Delicious Pairing Ideas, 15 Great Bottles To Pair With

Wine with ham is the quintessential holiday dinner pairing.  

Ham hits all the right spots on your palate and its rich flavors and delicate texture make it the perfect accompaniment to a variety of wines - red, white, sparkling and Rose! 

Only, there are many types of ham and you should know which wine to pair with each style. We’ll reveal the best wines to pair with your favorite ham, some delicious ham dish ideas, and the origin of the popular ham and wine pairing.

The Origins of Ham and Wine Pairings 

Ham is the cured white meat from a pig’s hind leg. It usually tastes salty, dense, and subtly sweet and has less fat than other pork meat cuts.  

But how did ham become such a popular food in the first place?

In the 1700s ham was an essential part of most sailors’ diet. Eventually, demand for this meat grew worldwide. Soon, roast ham became one of the most popular Christmas and Easter dinner dishes in Europe and the United States. 

To enhance its delicious flavors, people started pairing it with wine and the tradition lives on!

Now, while most ham dishes are a great accompaniment to bold and fruity wine styles, there are various combinations of wine with ham that can bring your dinner experience to the next level. 

Let’s take a look! 

The Best Wine Pairing With Ham 

Here are the different types of ham and some of the best wine bottles to go with them. We’ll also give you some tasty ham dish ideas for each.

1. Sweet, Salty Ham with Fruity or Sweet Wine
2. Smoked, Savory Ham with Acidic and Fruity Wines
3. Aged, Cured Ham with Crisp, Effervescent Wines

1. Sweet, Salty Ham with Fruity or Sweet Wine

This type of ham usually comes in medium-thick cuts. Here are some popular sweet and salty ham styles to try out:

• Honey baked ham: Honey baked ham is cooked over hardwood chips, sliced, and glazed.
• Glazed ham: This ham is cured and a glaze is added for more flavor, texture, and color.
• Canadian bacon: This ham style is quite popular in the USA -  it is cured, smoked, and cooked bacon from the pig’s back.

This ham is sweet and chewy, so aim for a fruity or sweet wine like Riesling, Merlot, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Gris, or a Moscato:

• 2015 F E Trimbach Riesling Reserve, Alsace, France ($28)

This great wine has citrus and tart apple aromas accompanied by stone fruit flavor notes and plenty of acidity. 

• 2018 Kapcsandy Family Winery State Lane Vineyard Roberta's Reserve, Napa Valley, USA ($447)

Here is a red wine with black fruit, gravel and chocolate aromas. It also has red fruit flavors and a long finish.

• 2015 Richard Leroy Les Noels de Montbenault Chenin, Loire, Vin de France ($237)

This Chenin Blanc wine has an exquisite nose of green apple and floral tones, along with tangy citrus and soft toast flavor notes.

• 2017 Domaine Weinbach Pinot Gris Altenbourg Quintessence de Grains Nobles, Alsace, France ($631)

Here we have a lovely Pinot Griswhite wine with ripe pineapple and spicy aroma notes. It also has delicious tropical fruit and honey flavor notes.

• 2016 Vietti Cascinetta, Moscato d'Asti DOCG, Italy ($16)

This wine has an intense nose of peaches, ginger, and rose. The palate is sweet with apricot flavor notes and fantastic acidity.

Pair your wine with the following ham dish options:

• Cheese and ham sandwich like Monte Cristo
• Marmalade and honey ham
• Appetizers with maple honey glazed ham

2. Smoked, Savory Ham with Acidic and Fruity Wines

This type of ham has a rich, bold, and smoky flavor with no added sweetness. 

It comes in both pre-cut ham slices and full ham legs in different styles:

• Country Ham: Country ham is dry-cured meat with spices and no glaze. 
• Smoked Ham Hocks: Ham hock (pork knuckle) is smoked and salted and often has a bacon flavor.  
• Black Forest Ham: This dry-cured ham comes from the Black Forest region in Germany, and has a smoky flavor.
• Mortadella: Mortadella often has pistachio pieces and is seasoned with garlic, pepper, and caraway.

A savory, smoky ham like this isn’t very juicy or salty, so choose an acidic wine style like light red, zesty white, and fruity rosé wines - like a Chardonnay, Barolo, Pinot Noir or a Zinfandel:

• 2018 Ramey Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay, Carneros, USA ($73)

Here is a refreshing white wine with orchard fruits and mineral aromas. This acidic wine has zesty citrus and peach flavor notes.

• 2016 Massolino Margheria, Barolo DOCG, Italy ($90)

This Barolo wine has hints of lilac and fruity aromas accompanied by sweet berry flavor notes and silky tannins.

• 2012 DeLoach Vineyards California Series - Heritage Reserve Pinot Noir, California, USA ($20)

Here we have an exquisite Pinot Noir wine with strawberry and cranberry aromas. The palate has cherry and clove flavor notes.

• 2018 Hartford Family Winery Hartford Highwire Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel, Russian River Valley, USA ($57)

This wine, made with grapes from 100-year-old vines, has orange peel and cherry aromas. The palate is rich with blackberry and white pepper flavor notes.

• 2012 Weinlaubenhof Alois Kracher Zweigelt Beerenauslese, Neusiedlersee, Austria ($57)

Here is a rich sweet wine with raspberry and rhubarb aromas. The palate has berry and cheesecake flavor notes.

Pair your wine with ham dishes like:

• Split pea and ham soup
• White bean soup with crispy kale and bacon 

3. Aged, Cured Ham with Crisp, Effervescent Wines

This ham style is easily the most popular with its bold and salty flavor and chewy texture. 

Thin cured ham slices are a great appetizer. Some examples are:

• Prosciutto: This type of ham comes from Italy and is salted and smoked.
• Jamón Ibérico: Jamon Iberico ham has nutty and buttery flavor and it’s produced in Spain and Portugal. 
• Serrano ham: Serrano ham is rich, sweet, and buttery with mild spice notes. 
• Bayonne ham: This cured ham comes from Bayonne, the ancient port city in France.
• Speck: Speck comes mainly from South Tyrol, Italy and is similar to Prosciutto. 

Wines that have crisp minerality, herbs, or effervescence - like Cava, Grenache, Sherry, Rose, and sparklers - are great wine pairing options:

• 2005 Recaredo Turo d'en Mota Cava, Catalonia, Spain ($149)

This sparkling wine has fragrant green apple and grapefruit zest aromas. It also has high acidity with apricot and buttery brioche flavor notes.

• 2014 Cantine Argiolas Turriga Isola dei Nuraghi Rosso IGT, Sardinia, Italy ($77)

Here is a red wine with red berries and vanilla aromas accompanied by brown sugar and coffee flavors.

• Equipo Navazos La Bota de Manzanilla Pasada No. 80 'Bota Punta' Sherry, Andalucia, Spain ($142)

This Sherry wine has a light body with honey, brandied raisins, orange peel, and herb flavors.

• 2018 Bodegas Antidoto 'Le Rose', Ribera del Duero, Spain ($49)

Here is a refreshing Rose wine with smoke, clove, and wild strawberry aromas. The palate has an exquisite balance with strawberry and raspberry flavor notes.

• 2018 Bisol 'Private Relio' Spumante Metodo Classico Extra Brut, Veneto, Italy ($40)

This delicious sparkling wine has a nose of almond and brioche along with lemon, pear, and passion fruit flavor notes.

Some great ham recipe ideas are:

• Pizza with prosciutto and arugula
• Beans with Jamon Iberian ham

Time To Enjoy Your Holiday Ham With The Perfect Wine!

Ham is always a great addition to a festive Easter dinner or a jolly Christmas meal. Once you find the right wine to pair with it, you’ll be all set to impress at your next dinner party. 

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