burgundy

Thanksgiving Wine Pairing Ideas and Recs

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I don’t know about you, but Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday. On top of it being all about family and gratitude, there are so many different kinds of dishes on the table to go along with the bird, that the wine pairing options are endless. Even if you are not hosting for the day (which makes life that much easier) you can still have a huge impact on the meal by bringing the right wines for your family and friends to enjoy. I mean, who doesn’t love the person who rolls in with a few bottles of great juice?! Which then begs the question… what are the right wines to pair with a traditional Thanksgiving meal?

The great thing about a roasted turkey and all the trimmins is that there are a ton of wines that will pair well with the meal. It just depends on what style of wine you and your crew prefer. In my opinion, it is all about wines that have great acidity and not so aggressive tannins. Turkey doesn’t have the fat content of red meat, which typically will bind with those tannins. Instead, the tannins can take center stage rendering the turkey and stuffing as bland as opposed to full of flavor.  And when you have that mouthwatering acidity in a wine (reds too), they can pair with a variety of different foods that are sure to surround your bird. So while just about any wine will work, here are some options that may complement your meal better than others.

The classic white wine pairing with turkey is Riesling. The low alcohol and high acid can be a refreshing complement to the inherent richness of the meal. I prefer to stick with the drier style (Kabinett) as opposed to those that have a sweeter profile (Spatlese). Dry wines from Alsace and the Mosel River are some of the best and fairly easy to find, with some of my favorites being Wilim, Dr. H Thanisch and Joh Jos Prum. But don’t be afraid to keep it local with our FLX neighbors, as Hermann J. Wiemer, Red Newt and Standing Stone are killing it with their Dry Rieslings.

https://www.wiemer.com/product/riesling-dry/

If you like your whites a little bigger and bolder then a Chardonnay or Burgundy may be the way to go. Although be careful of the super oaked options, as those woody tannins can stifle the richness of the bird. My favorites from CA right now are from Ettore Vineyards (a little biased since that’s my Grandfather’s name) and DuMol. I’ve been on a real Chablis kick these days (yes, still in Burgundy). The searing acidity and minerality on those wines will certainly complement your properly roasted bird. William Fevre and Louis Jadot produce some excellent and available options, but my favorite right now is the Les Hauts De Milly Chablis 2021 Premier Cru Cote De Lechet. Again, if you want to keep it local the Chards from Fox Run (FLX) and Millbrook (Hudson Valley) are really solid wines, and on the affordable side!

https://www.wineexpress.com/ettore-2019-pure-chardonnay-mendocino?quantity=1

Traditionally, the go-to red wines to pair with turkey are Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Rhone Blends. Pinot is arguably the best option as the higher acid levels, vibrant fruit and peppery spice really bring out the best in just about any poultry dish. The problem in my family is that no one drinks Pinot. Almost everyone at that table prefers their wines big and opulent and tend to reach for a massive Napa Cab over an elegant red Burgundy. But I plan to enjoy my bird paired with a healthy glass of the Armitage 2020 Santa Cruz Pinot, as well as my favorite Burgundy at the moment… the Domaine Guy & Yvan Dufouleur 2019 Hautes Cotes De Nuits Rouge, Les Dames Huguettes.

https://www.wineexpress.com/domaine-guy-yvan-dufouleur-2019-hautes-cotes-de-nuits-rouge-les-dames-huguettes

So the pairing that usually works best for my crew is a hearty Cali Zinfandel or Red Blend.  They tend to have loads of big, dark and spicy fruit but a little lighter body and softer tannins than Cab. Ridge always produces high quality Zins across their entire portfolio, but if you can find the Zins from Zichichi (a small producer in Dry Creek), then you are in for a real treat! As for the Red Blend, this year I’m going with Rotation Red Blend 2020 Lodi. This hearty Zin blend is balanced and layered with flavors of red and black cherry, blueberry,  chocolate, fresh plums and floral blossoms… a perfect partner for your perfectly prepared Thanksgiving bird.

https://zichichifamilyvineyard.com/zichichi-wines/

Wines from Southern Rhone typically consist of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre with Grenache usually taking center stage. Grenache leans on the lighter side in terms of body with good acid, spicy berry fruit and plush tannins. Blend in some meaty Syrah and a dollup of dark Mourvèdre and you have an ideal blend for your Thanksgiving table. Cotes du Rhone Villages wines offer a step up in quality (usually) over a standard Cotes du Rhone, and still can be found for less than $20.  However they have a hard time standing up to those bigger and more complex Chateauneuf du Pape and Gigondas wines, which is why those are just about impossible to find for under $40. Some excellent producers offering value options include Barville, Santa Duc, Vidal Fleury and M. Chapoutier. My favorite CDP under $30 right is the Vieux Clocher 2020 Chateauneuf Du Pape, Symphonie Des Galets. But if you are from the ‘Go Big or Go Home’ mentality then you can’t go wrong with any of the big dogs such as Domaine de Pegau, Vieux Telegraphe, Chateau de Beaucastel or Mas De Boislauzon. Just be sure to give those bigger wines some oxygen before you start digging into them, or they may come off a little tight and inexpressive.

https://www.wineexpress.com/vieux-clocher-2020-chateauneuf-du-pape

Most importantly, make sure to pop open a bottle of something that you know you will enjoy the most! As the best pairing you can ask for is a glass of delicious wine enjoyed over a wonderful meal surrounded by loved ones. Now THAT is a perfect pairing that we can all be thankful for.

Have you had your Epiphany Wine Moment?

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How a fabulous bottle of wine can change your life…

As featured in Wine Enthusiast

For those of you who have already basked in your epiphany wine experience, allow me to congratulate you. And if you are not sure if you have had it or not, then it most definitely has not happened, as it is unmistakably crystal clear when it does occur. The beauty of the epiphany wine moment is that you never know when that illuminating discovery of the senses will come and knock you off your feet.

My moment came early on in my wine journey, and as it happens would end up leading me into wine as a career. I was living in New York City and going to school for my Master’s in Education while working to put myself through school. I had always been interested in, and enjoyed, wine as part of our Sunday Italian family dinner ritual at my grandparents’ house. Of course, it was usually baskets of Chianti on the table, but on special occasions my grandpa would bust out a bottle of somewhat generic Burgundy—comparatively it was a real treat.

California reds were next; and, boy, were those wines eye opening. All that fruit, oak and alcohol opened a whole new world of flavors and textures. But they still didn’t provide my “holy crap, is this wine phenomenal” moment. That happened at Sparks Steak House in Manhattan where my family was celebrating my dad’s birthday. He was feeling saucy that night and splurged for a bottle of 1986 Premier Cru Gevrey-Chambertin, which at that point was about 10 years old.

I swirled; I smelled; I sipped. Then I think I passed out for several seconds. But when I came to, the berry fruit flavors combined with the black pepper spice, floral notes and earthy, mushroom undertones lingered unlike anything I had experienced before. And the unwavering creamy texture on the palate is something I have yet to experience again. It literally left me speechless for about a minute, but once I came to and started raving about it, I haven’t stopped since.

What is this epiphany experience though? It can be an ethereal sniff and sip of wine that mystically opens all your senses to how an incredible wine can smell and taste. All those wine descriptors that you may have heard in the past that probably sounded a little wacky, start to have meaning. The crushed rose petals, the grilled bing cherry, the delicate and harmonious balance of searing acidity and sleek, silky tannins. It’s astonishing when a wine can turn on that sensory light bulb in your head. It’s downright emotional.

It also feeds into the potentially lifelong quest of replicating it. Wine lovers search their whole lives trying to wrap their arms around another epiphany wine experience, but it is easier said than done.

The moment the aha-wine passes your lips it opens your eyes to the intricacies of the universe inside a grape, and you start to question and understand the differences in varietals, regions, terroir, ageing, vintages, winemaking processes and cellaring. It almost forces you into thinking while you’re drinking to decode the mystical experience to determine what you love so much about certain wines and why, and what you don’t enjoy and why not. Yet when it comes to that one wine, the one that lit the fuse, there is no thought on that one. It goes directly on the Janis Joplin theory of enology: “You know you got it, if it makes you feel good.”

Christmas Eve Wines

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What better reason than Christmas Eve to share and enjoy a couple of gems from two of my favorite #wine producers Pride Mountain Vineyards and Joseph Drouhin.

The 2014 Reserve #Pride Cab was still a pup, delicious but opulent and massive. Needs another 7-10 years in the bottle. The 2010 Clos des Mouches #Burgundy was drinking beautifully with a perfect balance of dried cherry, pipe tobacco and earthy undertones leading to a silky, smooth finish.

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Thanksgiving Wine and Turkey Pairing Recs

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You may want to sit down for this: Thanksgiving is a mere week away! How crazy is that?! But ready or not, here it comes. Which means that both your menu and wine lineup need to start rapidly coming together. Even if you are not hosting (which makes life that much easier) you can still have a huge impact on the meal by bringing the right wines for your family and friends to enjoy. I mean, who doesn’t love the guy who rolls in with a few bottles of great juice?! Which then begs the question… what are the right wines to pair with a traditional Thanksgiving meal?

The great thing about a roasted turkey and all the trimmins is that there are a ton of wines that will pair well with the meal. It just depends on what style of wine you crew prefer. The one possible wine component you may want to try and avoid are very high tannins. Turkey doesn’t have the fat content of red meat, which typically will bind with those tannins. Instead, the tannins can take center stage rendering the turkey and stuffing as bland as opposed to full of flavor.  So while just about any wine will work, here are some options that may complement your meal better than others.

The classic white wine pairing with turkey is Riesling. The low alcohol and high acid can be a refreshing complement to the inherent richness of the meal. I prefer to stick with the drier style (Kabinett) as opposed to those that have a sweeter profile (Spatlese). The Willim Alsace Riesling is one of my favorite options for around $15 and for a real value the Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling is consistently solid and goes for under $10 at most retailers.

If you like your whites a little bigger and bolder then a buttery, oaky Chardonnay or Burgundy may be the way to go. Although be careful of the super oaked options, as those woody tannins can stifle the richness of the bird. My favorites from CA right now are from Gary Farrell and Stonestreet (both around $30-35), but I’ve been on a real Chablis kick these days. The searing acidity on those wines will certainly complement your properly roasted bird. On the value side try the Joel Gott Chard from CA or the Fox Run from the Finger Lakes. Both are unoaked clean, vibrant and delightfully refreshing options for around $15.

Traditionally the most commonly recommended red wines to pair with turkey are Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Rhone Blends. Pinot is arguably the best option as the higher acid levels, vibrant fruit and peppery spice really bring out the best in just about any poultry dish. The problem in my family is that no one drinks Pinot. Almost everyone at that table prefers their wines big and opulent and tend to reach for a massive Napa Cab over an elegant red Burgundy. But I plan to enjoy my deep fried turkey with a healthy glass or two of the Davis Bynum 2014 RRV Pinot, even if I’m the only one at the table that does.

So the pairing that usually works best for my crew is a hearty Cali Zinfandel or Red Blend.  They tend to have loads of big, dark and spicy fruit but a little lighter body and softer tannins than Cab. Seghesio produces high quality Zins across their entire portfolio, and if you want to go for a mouth filling red blend than grab The Prisoner, as that is always a crowd pleaser.  This year I’m going with the Method North Coast Proprietary Red. This hearty blend of Syrah, Zin and Petite Sirah is balanced and layered with flavors of red and black cherry, blueberry, vanilla, ground espresso and brown sugar… a perfect partner for your perfectly prepared Thanksgiving bird.

Wines from Southern Rhone typically consist of Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre with Grenache usually taking center stage. Grenache leans on the lighter side in terms of body with good acid, spicy berry fruit and plush tannins. Blend in some meaty Syrah and a dollup of dark Mouvedre and you have an ideal blend for your Thanksgiving table. Cotes du Rhone Villages wines offer a step up in quality (usually) over a standard Cotes du Rhone, and still can be found for less than $20.  However they have a hard time standing up to those bigger and more complex Chateauneuf du Pape and Gigondas wines, which is why those are just about impossible to find for under $40. Some value producers include Barville, Santa Duc, Chapoutier and Louis Bernard. But if you are from the ‘Go Big or Go Home’ mentality then you can’t go wrong with any of the big dogs such as Domaine de Pegau, Vieux Telegraphe, Chateau de Beaucastel or Saint Cosme. Just be sure to give those bigger wines some oxygen before you start digging into them, or they may come off a little tight and inexpressive.

A Joseph Drouhin Wine Dinner Hosted by GlenArbor GC

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Wine pairing dinners are popping up all over the culinary world these days. No longer are they limited to high end restaurants or wineries. You can find these carefully curated menus matched alongside their perfect wine counterparts at such venues as local pubs, car dealerships, real estate openings, corporate functions and most recently country club dining rooms.

GlenArbor Wine Dinner1

I attended such a dinner at the scenic GlenArbor Golf Club in Bedford Hills which featured the wines of Joseph Drouhin. With club members expressing an interest in overall wine exposure and education, ownership brought a Certified Sommelier on board to help quench that thirst. Fernando Silva, a Master Somm in training, has overhauled the club’s entire wine list and worked diligently to put together this event showcasing the 2011 vintage of selected Drouhin wines as well as the culinary creations of GlenArbor’s kitchen.

In keeping with a Burgundy themed evening, the Chef prepared a menu highlighting a few traditional French dishes including a celeriac risotto with marrow accent, a local striped bass dish and crepinettes of guinea hen alongside a guinea hen roulade. While there was some confusion regarding which wines were to be paired with which dishes for the first couple of courses, it did not seem to bother the members who appeared more than content with the wines in their glasses as well as the quality of dishes being served.

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GlenArbor Wine Dinner6

The white wine selections for the evening were the Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault and the very impressive Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru all from the 2011 vintage. The Batard was quite a treat, as there is not much wine to come out of this small Grand Cru vineyard. Layered and complex with notes of honey, lemon, and tropical fruits playing beautifully off the buttered toast, smoky oak and nutty backbone. It possesses amazing structure and length as well. While tasting through these whites, Laurent Drouhin (a Westchester resident) expressed his passion for not only his wines but for the region in general. His motto was “If you can’t come to Burgundy, Burgundy comes to you” when tasting his Drouhin wines.

The reds were up next and they were all served alongside the duo of guinea hen main course. Choosing to serve three wines with basically one dish was a little unorthodox, but in this relaxed environment where everyone knows and seems to enjoy one another’s company, it was not an issue. The Gevrey-Chambertin was showing nicely already with forward cherry and fresh strawberry fruit laced with hints of peppery spice and vanilla. The famed Clos des Mouches wine started a bit musty and gamey. However with some time the dark berry fruit, classic minerality and licorice nuances came about giving it a good amount of charm while displaying that classic Burgundy terroir.

But the wine of the night was easily the 2011 Echezaux. It took about 2 hours to finally show its true colors, but when it did it was truly stunning. Offering aromas of dried red cherry and berry, plum and raspberry with intensely fragrant notes of rose petals and sage. It maintained elegance and balance that only a well made Echezaux can, and is clearly a wine for the cellar as it will age over the next decade or more.

GlenArbor Wine Dinner7

On top of the quality wines being served, what the members seemed to enjoy most was the explanations and descriptions of the wines given by Laurent. He provided insight into the vineyards, the winemaking process and his family history giving those in attendance a glimpse into the Drouhin way of life. Since Laurent is not only a Westchesterite, but a golfer as of a few years ago (and apparently he has been bitten by the bug pretty seriously), everyone seemed to relate to one another on some level and enjoyed the vibe of the evening.

Golf and wine are a perfect pairing of passions for many, so why not indulge in both all in the same day?! However it’s not as easy as it may seem to pull off.  The club needs a kitchen staff that has the skill to execute a serious dinner service and put together an appropriate menu. Some high quality juice needs to be served, preferably with a host that can entertain and educate the members throughout the course of the evening. But the most important factor is the desire of the members to act on their passion and create an environment where wine becomes a priority within the workings of the club. If that all adds up, you have a pretty special scenario that can lead to some wonderful culinary experiences.

GlenArbor Wine Dinner3