Thanksgiving Wine Pairing Recommendations

If you are planning a traditional Thanksgiving feast, wine pairing can be a daunting challenge.  Why such a daunting task?  Simple – Thanksgiving meals are typically overflowing with a tremendous variety of flavors including sweet, savory, buttery, acidity, a variety of vegetables, turkey, and ham – all complicated by varying preparations.

So where to start?  You could focus your pairing on the meat, the sauces, or the sides.  This remains challenging with the variety of flavors on the table.  One approach to Thanksgiving wine pairing is the tried and true traditional pairings.  These consist of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and sparkling wines.

Any of these traditional thanksgiving wines will provide solid results.  But what if you want to be more adventuresome?  Another fun approach would be to have multiple wines.  Yeah!  More wine!  Using this method, you might consider a variety of wines to pair with different parts of the meal.

Here are a few recommendations to consider for the traditional trio and the less trodden path:

• Although you may not be a fan of oaky Chardonnay, the buttery components of the meal form a nice balance with a nicely oaked Chardonnay.  Look for one with healthy acidity.
• Think Riesling to complement the sweet components of the meal.
• If you decide on the tried and true Pinot Noir, focus on fruity bottle with some spice.
• Syrah – the spiciness, acidity, and fruit will work with most of the meal with the exception of the sweet dishes.
• Pinot Gris offers nice acidity to balance the richness of many dishes.  The pronounced fruit and heftier body distinguish it from Pinot Grigio.  Stay away from the Pinot Grigio – it will not stand up the most of the meal.  The same is true of most Sauvignon Blancs – they will fall flat with their relatively light body.
• If you decide to go with Champagne or sparkling wine – don’t go cheap – you need a wine with some healthy yeast, body, and nutty flavors to complement the turkey and the vegetables.
• The highly versatile Viognier is a great choice to pair with a variety of vegetables.
• If you have a heavy fried component such as a fried turkey – avoid the reds.  The combination could feel like a lead balloon.
• If you smoke your turkey or ham, an oaky Chardonnay is a good complementary choice, but a smoky red with a medium body such as a Merlot, Grenache, Syrah or Shiraz (nice fruit contrast) would complement the smoked meat while offering a pleasant fruit contrast.
• If your menu includes a spicy glazed ham, match it with a moderate alcohol Zinfandel.  The normal high alcohol levels of Zins can not only lead to more expressive family conversation, but can intensify the spice in an undesirable way.  A Rioja, Tempranillo, heavier bodied Pinot Noir or a Syrah would also be a good choice.
• Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie – try a Muscat, lightly effervescent Moscato , White Port, or Tawny Port.
• For a chocolate based dessert, a Ruby Port or a Late Bottled Vintage Port will make you smile.

Live on the edge.  Go with the non-traditional approach, and pair your feast with several wines.  Experiment a little and let your holiday guests enjoy a diversion from the traditional one wine fits all formula.  Always remember balance is the key – we don’t want the wine to upstage the feast, nor do we want it to be a footnote.

At the request of my children, we will be drawing outside the lines for Thanksgiving. Our meal will be no less diverse, but will be entirely drawn from the rich culinary tradition of Italy.  Be sure I will share all the fun details.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Craig

Swing Oiler Port and Cigar Night

I belong to a group of golfers affectionately known as the Swing Oilers.  On roughly a semi-annual basis we get together to enjoy a night of Port and cigars.  Last week was the latest incarnation of our event.  Our evening together featured a flight of three vintage ports, and one Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) Port.

I always try to make our Port and cigar night interesting and informative.  My tactic for this event was to do a blind tasting – a test to see how well we would fare at distinguishing a couple of older vintages from a younger vintage and an LBV.  The bottles ranged in price from roughly $40 for the LBV to $80 for the 1985 vintages.

Here are the crowd sourced comments from our 7 tasters:

Bottle A:  1997 Smith Woodhouse

Viscous, deep ruby color, sweet, prunes, very smooth, bold flavor, sweet by comparison to the flight

Bottle B:  1985 Porto Kopke

Light color, mature with a bit of pleasant must, bold flavor, smoky and similar to a Tawny, not as smooth as A, strong tawny nose, bright fruit flavor

Bottle C:  2005 Ramos Pinto LBV

Nice ruby color, enjoyable dry finish, rich and full bodied, smooth and subtle flavors, nice finish, subdued nose, super smooth, dark subdued fruit flavors

Bottle D:  1985 Ferreira

Rich and best body, light but intense flavor, fruity, smooth, medium dark color, intense brandy nose, layered fruit flavors

In addition to the comments, each taster was asked to judge whether the port was one of two “elder” ports, a younger vintage, or an LBV.  Here the number of correct guesses for each of the bottles:

• Bottle A: 1997 Smith Woodhouse - 2
• Bottle B: 1985 Porto Kopke - 2
• Bottle C: 2005 Ramos Pinto LBV - 2
• Bottle D: 1985 Ferreira – 5

It looks like we will need to practice our skills of correctly identifying Port.  Additional practice is clearly in order.  I doubt I will hear any dissenting voices.  The evening was a great success, and all the Ports were quite enjoyable.  The Saint Louis Rey Series G was also a big hit.

I will be back with more food pairing soon.

in vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig

Chianti Braised Pork Shoulder With Chianti Reduction over Pan Fried Polenta Paired with 2008 Ruffino Aziano DOCG Chianti Classico

When was the last time you used Chianti three times in the same sentence?  Just repeat the title of this blog, and you are admitted into the club.  Now you should click your heals together and repeat “I love braised meat” three times.  By now you are in the frame of mind that brought me to this wine pairing.  I love the fall-off-the-bone tender and rich flavors of braised meat.  Just point your mouse to the handy search bar at the upper left of this page and type in braised and you will find the evidence.  I also love cooking with Chianti with it’s rich layered flavors coming from the blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and Malvasia Bianca grapes.  However, my experience with drinking Chianti is not quite so admirable.  I believe that the most readily available Chiantis in the U.S. are not the best representation of the breed.  Fortunately, the 2008 Ruffino Aziano DOCG Chianti Classico broke the mold in my string of poor selection.

Sticking to the mantra that you should not cook with anything you are unwilling to drink, this meal was prepared with the 2008 Ruffino Aziano DOCG Chianti Classico and then paired with the same wine.  The beauty of this approach is reflecting the flavors imparted to the meat with the wine pairing.  Pretty simple formula right?  No need to answer – trust me, it works extremely well!

Similar to the idea of using the same cooking wine as the pairing wine, the braising method of cooking allows all the flavors of the dish to meld into something extremely cohesive.  In other words, the slow cooking method of braising results in not only ridiculously tender meat, but but flavors that have combined and transformed into something completely new, cohesive, and subtly layered.  To top it off, this is all extremely easy.  I make this last comment for the benefit of the nice people that work with my daughter – City Girl Dana who is now working as locations coordinator on the move “Gods Behaving Badly.”  Dana tells me that everyone in her office reads this blog and have commented that “your dad is a “fancy” cook.”  Trust me when I tell you that this wine pairing is the Italian version of Midwest meat and potatoes.  Can you be more simple than searing a big hunk of meat, throwing it in a pot with a bottle of wine and some vegetables, and letting it sit in the oven for a few hours?  This is easy stuff that I could teach my boil-things-to-death mother to prepare in minutes (plus a few hours in the oven).

So now we have established the cooking with Chianti, pairing with Chianti rationale along with the “this is sooooo easy” parts.  Lets talk about the wine.  Chianti Classico wines tend to be medium-bodied with firm tannins and medium-high to high acidity. Floral, cherry and light nutty notes are characteristic aromas with the wines expressing more notes on the mid-palate and finish than at the front of the mouth.  The 2008 Ruffino Aziano DOCG Chianti Classico is true to this tradition as a medium bodied wine with a nice balance between black cherry fruits and oak layered with a bit of complexity and hints of chocolate and toasted nuts.  The tannins were not hidden and contributed to the nice body of the wine and a full, silky mouth feel.  At $14 per bottle, this is a great value.

The pairing was an exceptional with all the flavors forming a solid compliment.  The real beauty of the pairing was the harmonious melding of the Chianti reduction and the 2008 Ruffino Aziano DOCG Chianti Classico.  It was such pleasure to have the flavors of the reduction and the wine running in an endless loop of echoes.

Recipes

Polenta

Ingredients

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 3 cups milk
• 1 oz. finely grated parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Bring milk to a simmer, stir constantly while gradually adding cornmeal. When all the cornmeal is incorporated and swimming happily it will being to thicken.
2. As it thickens, add 1 oz of finely grated parmesan cheese.
3. Remove from heat and scoop onto a sheet pan covered with parchment. Like Norwegians running from the sauna to the snow, place in the fridge to harden for about 1/2 hour (or you can wait until tomorrow). Once hardened, cut into your favorite shape.  I recommend staying away from your child’s playdough cutters unless they have been thoroughly ridden of child grime.
4. Pan fry polenta in butter over medium heat until one side is browned - about 5 min. Flip and repeat until bottom is crispy.

Chianti Braised Pork Shoulder

Ingredients

• 1 Pork shoulder (usually 6 to 8 pounds) - no worries, leftovers are great, and with a little home made barbeque sauce, this makes awesome pulled pork sandwiches especially if the pork lingers with the Chianti reduction overnight in the fridge!  I am speaking from experience.
• 1 bottle of Chianti (I used 2008 Ruffino Aziano DOCG Chianti Classico)
• Chicken stock; amount will vary based on the size of your roasting pan
• Water to supplement the chicken stock and Chianti only if necessary.
• Olive oil
• 1/2 pound finely diced pancetta, or bacon if you are on a budget
• 2 diced onions
• 5 stalks diced celery
• 3 peeled and diced carrots
• 3 ripe tomatoes diced (conserve and use the juice)
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Dice vegetables.
3. Trim the pork of any silver skin, but leave the fat.
4. Season all sides of the pork shoulder with salt and pepper.
5. Select a roasting pan or pot just a bit larger than the pork shoulder and heat 1/4 cup of olive oil on medium high heat.
6. Sear the pork shoulder on all sides.
7. While searing the pork shoulders add a couple ounces of olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium flame.
8. Add pancetta (or bacon) and render until the pancetta just begins to crisp.
9. Remove the pancetta and set aside while keeping the rendered goodness in the skillet. Add onions, cloves, a generous pinch of salt, celery and carrots and sauté over medium-low heat until onions are translucent.
10. Add one bottle of Chianti to the pork shoulder gradually over a couple of minutes and bring to a boil. Keep at a boil for two minutes (mas o menos).
11. Add the vegetable sauté to the pork shoulder along with the diced tomatoes.  Oh, and don’t forget to add the pancetta or bacon – what could go wrong?
12. Add chicken stock and water to bring liquid up to about 1 inch below the top of the pork shoulder. This is why the size of the pan is important - too large, and you will have a diluted watery mess. Too small and you may be challenged for space. If you are pot challenged, go with a larger pan and add three cups of chicken stock and no more than an additional cup of water – we just want everyone swimming in the same pool.
13. Bring to a boil then cover and place in your nicely preheated oven for two hours.
14. At the two hour mark, slide the lid to the side by an inch or so and continue to cook for another hour.
15. When the braise is done (3 hours total), remove from the oven then remove the pork shoulder and cover in foil.
16. Strain the braising liquid into a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil and reduce for one hour.  the final reduction should be about 1/2 to one third the volume. Have a glass of wine.  I recommend the 2008 Ruffino Aziano DOCG Chianti Classico; you have one hour to contemplate the wonderful flavors.
17. Slice the pork shoulder, serve over pan seared polenta, and drizzle with the Chianti reduction.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig

Food is not the Only Thing that Pairs Well with Wine

Tomorrow evening is another episode in what has become a somewhat regular event over the last few years – cigar and Port night.  On roughly a six month schedule, a number of us that golf together regularly get together for a cigar and Port night.  Although this blog is principally about pairing food and wine, I am taking the liberty of stretching a bit.  Cigars and Port are a natural combination.

The photo is the lineup for tomorrow’s event and includes:

• 2007 M. Chapoutier Banyuls
• 2004 Late Bottled Vintage Quinta Da Gaivosa
• 2003 Late Bottled Vintage Fonseca
• 2003 Quinta De Ventozelo
• 1997 Rozés

Vintage Port is at the top of the pile as far as price, aging potential, and prestige are concerned. It’s made only from the best grapes of a single vintage, and only in years that have been “declared” vintage-worthy, which usually happens just a few times a decade. However, the decision on whether to declare a vintage is made in the spring of the second year following the harvest by each individual Port House (referred to as a 'shipper').  Because of the reputations at stake, these decisions are not taken lightly.

Vintage Ports are made similarly to other Ports, fortified with spirits to arrest fermentation and preserve residual sugar.  Because the Vintage Ports are so young upon release (after two years of aging in the Port House), they are usually tucked away in cellars for many years until they mellow and mature into their potential - generally another ten to thirty years of aging in the bottle before reaching what is considered a proper drinking age.  The helpful staff at my favorite wine and liquor store (Schneider’s of Capitol Hill) assisted in selecting vintages that are drinking well now, although a bit young.

While it is by far the most renowned type of port, from a volume and revenue standpoint, Vintage Port actually makes up only a small percentage of the production of most shippers. Since they are aged in barrels for only a short time, they retain their dark ruby color and fresh fruit flavors.

“Late-Bottled Vintage” or “LBV” Ports aren’t bottled until up to four to six years from the vintage date. This means they spend about twice as long in wood as Vintage Ports, and so they’re usually more accessible at an early age. LBVs were originally intended to offer an experience comparable to Vintage Port but at a much lower cost and without the extensive cellaring.

Tomorrow we will enjoy these Ports paired with our favorite cigars.  I will admit it is true that a cigar deadens some of your capacity to taste, but the combination of a bold, fruity Port with a fine cigar is a true pleasure.  The flavors of the Port and the cigar blend in a way that makes you want neither the cigar nor the Port to end.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig