Gingerbread Spice Cookies and Wine

The gingerbread spice cookie is back in the country. Or has it actually never been away? Either way, a bag of them makes you pretty thirsty. And of course, you’ll want something delicious to drink.

When I think of gingerbread spice cookies, I think of wine. The combination of spice and sweetness is practically crying out for a good match. Besides, good wine is the best medicine for mountains of scattered sweets and well-intentioned presents and poems.

Spiced cookie vs. gingerbread cookie

The crisp, round speculaas cookies that we persistently call gingerbread cookies are actually spiced cookies. Meanwhile, the soft, chewy taaitaai biscuit is secretly the ‘real’ gingerbread cookie. But in the meantime, the spiced cookie is also officially known as a gingerbread cookie. Same name, slightly different flavor. The real one is made from rye with an anise flavor. The wheat-based spiced cookie, on the other hand, mainly tastes of cloves and cinnamon. But their names say enough: they’re both spicy.

The perfect wine snack

Thanks to its spicy touch (speculaas spices, pepper, anise and/or cloves), the quintessentially Dutch gingerbread spice cookie is the ideal snack with wine. Besides being spicy, the cookies are also quite sweet. The wine needs to be able to stand up to that. Too dry or too austere quickly becomes unpleasant and meager. One with a touch of sweetness is therefore the most delicious.

good wine is the best medicine for scattered sweets and well-intentioned presents and poems

Bubbles
Sparkling wine is almost always a good choice, and that applies here too. And with a gingerbread spice cookie like this, you don’t need an expensive bottle at all. Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore, or a Loire sparkling wine made from chenin blanc, tastes fantastic with it, for example. Plenty of flavor with a subtle touch of sweetness. That even pairs better with Sinterklaas sweets than many a champagne.

Jammy red
Do you prefer red? Then choose something sultry, with plenty of sun-ripened fruit. Deliciously jammy, without harsh tannins. Too much bitterness isn’t pleasant with gingerbread spice cookies. Think of a velvety Australian Shiraz, or a sultry Chilean Carmenère.

Port & chocolate cookie
Many gingerbread spice cookies are covered with a generous layer of chocolate. Dark, milk, cappuccino or white, preferably all mixed together. Red Port is a perfect match. Deliciously full-bodied and fruity, with a spicy undertone and melting, soft tannins. Or Banyuls, the red dessert wine from Roussillon in southern France. Also fantastic with chocolate letters, by the way.

Dessert wine
Perhaps the most delicious option is a fresh dessert wine. Because, just like red Banyuls, many white noble-sweet wines are a wonderful match too. As long as they also have enough acidity. Think of a classic French Sauternes, a Monbazillac from Bergerac, or a Coteaux du Layon from the Loire, for example. All beautifully mature yet fresh wines, smelling and tasting of honey, apricots, nuts and spices. Or choose the nutty Vin Santo, a fresh Eiswein or the world-famous South African Vin de Constance.

Can you picture it? Bake gingerbread spice cookies, make a pot of tea and then sip from a glass like that. Let gift-giving evening come already.