what wine goes with a traditional polish meal?

Question

I am having dinner with some friends of the family tomorrow night and ...you guessed it...they are Polish. We will be having cabbage rolls...I know they would love wine, but what kind?

Answer 1

Dry red, e.g. cabernet sauvignon

Answer 2

I think beer, mead (like wine) are best but here is some nice info
Polish Mead - mead is a beverage similar to wine with between 14 and 19 percent alcohol content and is obtained from the fermentation of a mash of honey previously diluted with water. Yeast is added to the mash to accelerate the fermenting process. The alcoholic content is evident after 4 to 6 weeks of fermentation and the mead must then be left to mature for anything between several months and even years. Mead can be either natural, without additives, or spicy, herbal, fruit, or based on hops, these being added when preparing the mash. Mead can be unsaturated or saturated, depending on the way the mash is prepared. There are also many varieties of mead depending on the dilution of the mash: półtorak (three halves), dwójniak (double), trójniak (triple) and czwórniak (quadruple). The best is półtorak containing 1 litre of honey for every half-litre of water but is extremely difficult to ferment and must mature in oak casks for even as many as 10 years before being drunk. This variety is of a dark amber colour, very sweet and has a characteristic aroma as a result of the added portion of buckwheat honey. The dwójniak variety, with 1 litre of water for each litre of honey, is not so sweet and must mature for around four years, while the trójniak (two parts water for one part of honey) requires about two years to mature. The czwórniak is the driest variety which can be bottled after one year of maturing but is the least refined and can be brewed at home.


Polish Beer - Poland is famous for a vodka-drinking tradition. Nevertheless, there are some popular Polish beers. One famous brewery is Zywiec which was founded in 1852 and nowadays owned by Heineken. Another well know beer brand is Okocim; an old-established brewery (founded 1845), which is now owned by Carlsberg. Both Zywiec and Okociem lagers consist of more than 5 % alcohol.



Grzaniec - wine, ale and mead can be mulled Polish style, which means with the addition of spices and fruit juices. The drinking of mulled-beverages reached Poland from Scandinavia and rapidly became very popular. Most pubs, restaurants and clubs only serve mulled beer with juice, sometimes with cloves, but you can only get a real mulled drink if you make it yourself. Prepared in the traditional way this brew has more fruit juice added, especially raspberry or orange, with a piece of orange or lemon peel as decoration. Cloves, cinnamon, a bit of nutmeg can be added and on special occasions, a few drops of high octane rocket fuel, Polish spirit, for a little kick. An inventive approach is recommended even though it might make your head spin. A stick of vanilla might be added for a moment to make the drink a little sweeter. Spices enhance the flavour and the mulled drink's effect, but avoid excesses particularly cloves and make sure that no single component dominates the experience. When served hot it will keep you really warm during even the coldest evening. And the best time to try it is after a long walk in the snow.

Answer 3

Wine? Poland is too cold to produce wine grapes so is not usually a polish drink. Polish food is typically served with a nice dark beer.

However if you want to add wine... add a nice bottle of Merlot.