Holiday Food Musings
Posted by Carole Loomis on November 9th, 2007Pairing wine with food is not a new concept,and the meal that is the best occasion to pull out all the stops is Thanksgiving - it’s also the most fun. But step lightly here, with so many palates at the table (think Grandma June), you have to play it a bit on the safe side.
Thanksgiving marries sweet and savory, with practically every course. That gives you several opportunities to drink great wines with your favorite dishes. Mix it up and try a few styles at once; set the bottles out on the table for your guests to taste and sample (followed by a glass filled with a favorite.) On our list of possibles are four classic wines: Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir, Rose, and Chardonnay. Here are some food pairing suggestions with wines we particularly favor from Inertia’s winery partners:
The spicy, fruity character of Gewurztraminer is a perfect match with everything from Butternut Squash soup to Roasted Turkey with Sausage and Raisin Stuffing. This particular wine is fruit forward with a crisp, clean finish. Try Londer Dry Gewurztraminer, Radog Dry Gewurztraminer, or DeLoach Early Harvest Gewurztraminer Russian River Valley.
Pinot Noir is the go-to wine for dishes, like stuffing, that mix mushrooms and herbs, roasted root vegetables, and Barbecued Breast of Turkey. Try Amity Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, August Cellars Pinor Noir, or Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.
Roses are great food companions, especially when the meal includes cranberries or fruit with roasted meats. Try Terra Valentine Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon, McDowell Grenache Rose, or Fort Ross Rose Fort Ross Vineyard.
Chardonnay loves corn and cream and butter - the perfect accompaniment to Curried Corn Bisque, Polenta with Mascarpone, and the old standby, cornbread sage stuffing. We love Rodney Strong Reserve Chardonnay, Sonoma Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay, and Mi Sueno Chardonnay.
We can’t stop at just the main meal - there’s dessert, too! Winners in the all-around great sip with anything from pumpkin pie to chocolate cake are Rimon Pomegranate Wine, Andrew Rich Late Harvest Gewurztraminer, and one of California’s grand-daddy wines, Dolce.
Here’s to food.
