Don’t Forget the Indiana Grown Beverages for Christmas

Indiana Milk and wine for ChristmasGot the Indiana milk and Indiana wine ready for Christmas? Both have their place at Christmas time, and Hoosier-made wines make a great gift.

This Christmas Eve American Dairy Association, Indiana wants to see pictures of those special milk and cookie preparations for Santa, according to general manager Deb Osza.

“As we all know Santa drinks milk and you can follow our hashtag, #SantaDrinksMilk. We’re involved with dairy promotion with Santa in Dairyland at two of the biggest Simon malls in the state, and we’ll be awarding prizes. We want you to show us your milk and cookies and we’re going to have a lot of fun with that.”

Someone who shares will win an iPad Air. And if you’re close enough to one of Indiana’s 71 wineries Jeanette Merritt with the Indiana Wine Grape Council suggests picking up a bottle to pair with that Christmas meal.

“One of my favorite pairings for a honey glazed ham or a ham loaf that you’re having for one of your Christmas meals, is a dry rose. Chambourcin is a grape we grow a lot here in Indiana. It makes a red grape and many of our wineries, like French Lick and Mallow Run and Oliver Winery make a dry rose. So it’s a pink wine but it’s different than a pink zinfandel that people may be familiar with that comes in a box and you can buy in a grocery store. This would be a dry wine that would pair fantastically with a pork dish.”

Merritt suggests the state signature wine, Traminette, a white wine, if you’re serving poultry. She thinks beef needs a red wine.

“I think Chambourcin is another great option for a beef dish.”

Gifts of Indiana wine are a nice touch at Christmas or New Year’s, and Merritt adds, “We don’t always have to worry about pairing it with food. I don’t want people to over think what they’re going to eat and drink, so if you’re taking a wine as a hostess gift it’s not necessarily something that person would have to open up at the table and share.”

This year was a fruitful one for Indiana grape growers. Learn more in the full HAT interview:Jeanette on Indiana wines