'High on the Hog' host Stephen Satterfield shares the best wines to pair with holiday meals while dishing on season 2
Courtesy of Netflix
- Season 2 of Netflix's "High on the Hog" premiered Wednesday.
- Host Stephen Satterfield told Insider he hopes audiences gain a "natural curiosity" for history through food.
- Satterfield, a sommelier, also shared the best wines to pair with holiday meals.
"High on the Hog" host Stephen Satterfield hopes viewers tune in for the food but leave with a deeper appreciation for Black culinary excellence.
Before it premiered on Wednesday, Satterfield dished on season two of the acclaimed Netflix docuseries — and his wine expertise — during a conversation with Business Insider.
"High on the Hog" is a love letter to Black American culture through the lens of food, with season one chronicling the community's ancestral roots in Africa to emancipation from slavery in the 1800s. The series, which first premiered in May 2021, is based on Dr. Jessica B. Harris' 2011 book of the same name.
Courtesy of Netflix
Season two picks up where audiences left off, exploring the culinary achievements that fueled social justice movements and shaped times of prosperity like the Harlem Renaissance.
Satterfield told BI he hopes audiences will resonate with the stories told through season two and spark a "natural curiosity about history."
"You never know what stories are going to impact people, but as always, we're really looking for a deepening of empathy, a widening of the aperture of the view of other human beings, and looking at food as a powerful catalyst for that work to develop more holistic thinkers," Satterfield said.
For Black viewers, Satterfield said, "Seeing our stories uplifted in a celebration of a history that has so often not been told is a powerful reclamation unto itself."
"There's something there for everyone," Satterfield continued. "I hope people come for the food and take away whatever is impactful for them."
The season also impacted Satterfield, who explored his family's history on the show. In the series, Satterfield shares that his great-great-grandparents worked on a cotton plantation in Georgia, his grandfather was a Pullman porter, and his parents are products of the Great Migration and civil-rights movement.
"It's hard to tell this 20th-century version of a Black American story or at least one that is so definitive for many of us, especially the migration, without inserting ourself," he said.
Courtesy of Netflix
While Satterfield spends much of the series chatting with others to learn about their experiences with diasporic foods, he's also a wealth of information, especially regarding wine.
Ahead of the holidays, the sommelier and food writer shared the best wine to pair for holiday meals.
You can't go wrong with a sparkling wine, Satterfield said
Satterfield told BI sparkling wine goes well with different meats, making it great for the holidays.
"I think sparkling wine goes a long way for all occasions," Satterfield told Insider. "I like effervescent wines that are red, white, and pink. I find them to be the most generous and flexible."
He recommended purchasing a dry wine because sweeter alternatives have more residual sugar.
Courtesy of Netflix
Specifically, Satterfield said a Lambrusco — a sparkling red wine — from the Emilia Romagna in Italy is a good choice. He also pointed out wines containing Nebbiolo, a grape used to make sparkling rosé, as another option.
For those who want a less effervescent wine, Satterfield suggested finding a light red wine made with Gamay, a grape varietal from France.
"I like to drink mine with a slight chill on it, so I keep it in the fridge," Satterfield said.