02/14/08 Winter Squash

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran and today is food and wine pairing day. I love squash in the winter and today I want to share just one last program dedicated to winter squash and the wines that go with them. Now of all of the squash out there I must admit that the hubbard squash is one of my favorites. I like it because it lends itself so well to being the entrée. You just hollow them out and stuff anything you want inside and bake it for a few hours. Any recipe that you might use to stuff a turkey would work. If I do wild rice stuffing I serve Spanish red wines or Washington Cabernet Sauvignon. If I make a sausage and bread stuffing; I like to serve big Chardonnays or really spicy reds like Zinfandel or Shiraz. The possibilities are endless with the hubbard squash. Now a squash that I have grown because I love to eat it - is butternut squash. It makes a great soup that goes well with dry Riesling, dry Gewürztraminer and fruity styles of Rose. This is a squash that combines well with yams in a puree. When you top it with toasted hazelnuts it is a great side dish and works with softer style red wines such as Merlot, Grenache or Sangiovese. Go get one of those great looking vegetables make it a meal and find a great wine to go with it! Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.