Between the Vines: One woman's wine-soaked musings

What wine will you serve with Thanksgiving dinner?

Thanksgiving dinner in Canada brings on a traditional comfort-food bonanza. Roasted turkey, creamy mashed potatoes, savoury stuffing, various vegetables, tangy cranberry sauce and lots of rich gravy all find a place on our dining table.

My usual advice to folks, when they ask what wine to pair with food, is to match or contrast the flavour, weight, and texture of the focus food with the flavour, weight and texture of the wine.

Traditional matches include a big, bold, heavy California cabernet sauvignon paired with a slab of beef, grilled rare, and a New Zealand sauvignon blanc paired with a summer salad dressed with a citrus vinaigrette. These wines match their partner focus foods. For contrast, foie gras with sauternes or gorgonzola cheese with ice wine are classic. The sweetness and acidity of the wines contrast the saltiness and richness of the focus foods.

But it’s tough with a turkey dinner because it has so many variables, so many flavours, textures, and weights that can be deemed the focus.

Thanksgiving dinner wine in our house is typically pinot noir, with Riesling served to those who don’t drink red. Neither wine is heavy or overly complicated (please don't confuse that with simple and boring) so they won't overpower or clash with the meal; conversely, they have enough presence so they aren’t beat up by the food.  Their acidity and fruitiness make them the well-rounded wines at a dinner ta 
ble.

They do it all—from cutting through the fatty richness of the gravy and standing up to the sweet-tart cranberries, to cleansing and preparing your palate for your next bite.

This year, however, I'll be going "pink" and offering up Segura Viudas Brut Rosé ($15.99/12% ABV), a sparkling Spanish wine made from trepat, garnacha, and monastrell grapes, and Le Vieux Pin Vaïla ($25.00/13.8% ABV), a pinot noir rosé from B.C.'s own Okanagan Valley.

All the wines I've mentioned have a really good acidity level, which makes them perfect for turkey dinner. If you haven't already, please read my piece called "Big Tang Theory" in Palate Press where I talk about acidity in wine and why it's a (really) good thing.

Salut!

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.

Segura Viudas Brut Rosé on a sunny Saturday afternoon

It's a sunny Saturday afternoon and I'm hot and really hungry. But, I don't want to fill up because we're heading out tonight (in about three hours) for a birthday-dinner bash. For that same reason, I don't want to ply myself with a super-high-in-alcohol-content beverage.

Cracked-pepper crackers, a couple of Philadelphia cream cheeses—smoked salmon and garlic & chive—and some cherry tomatoes from my patio garden will stop the stomach growling. And for thirst quenching? I open the bottle of Segura Viudas Brut Rosé I recently received as a sample.

This sparkling wine, a Spanish Cava (made in the traditional method or méthode traditionnelle) from the region known as Penedes, really hits the spot. The Trepat, Garnacha, and Monastrell grapes combine to give the bubbly a beautiful cranberry colour. (As I pour it, I am reminded of cream soda, the pink kind we used to get at sports day when I was a kid in Vancouver.)

The bubbles aren't aggressive, but they are certainly persistent, giving me a lovely little light show in my flute. On the nose, I find red berries, a little yeast, and a reminder (again) of that cream soda. Now, don't get me wrong, this wine is in no way "sweet"; however, it is fruity and fresh and just a little sassy.

On the palate, a combination of cranberries, bread dough, and a creaminess that's followed by a bright, clean finish make me smile. To make it even better, this sparkler worked perfectly with my crackers, cream cheeses, and fruity little tomatoes. And, it's worth noting, the Segura Viudas Brut Rosé will be a fabulous addition to my Thanksgiving turkey dinner in October. 

This certainly isn't the most complex sparkling wine available in our market place, but at just $15.99 in B.C. liquor stores, and ringing in at 12% ABV, it's one heck of a good buy.

Salut!

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my U.S. neighbours (neighbors)

Here's a quick answer to your question, "What wine do I serve with turkey dinner?"

The following fruity, low-tannin wines will complement or contrast the myriad traditional turkey-dinner flavours and textures.  You decide if you want white, red, or something in between:

• Pinot noir
• Riesling
• Gamay (Beaujolais nouveau or Beaujolais)
• Rosé (Natalie MacLean, my wine-writing hero, recommends trying a nicely chilled dry one)

Cheers!

Copyright © 2008 Kathleen Rake.  All rights reserved.

Another reason to run out for a couple of bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau on November 20, 2008: Thanksgiving dinner in the U.S.A.

In October I wrote about what wine to drink with our Canadian Thanksgiving turkey dinner.

Pinot noir (red) and riesling (white) are always dependable.  They are juicy and typically less heavy or dense than many other wines. Simply, they are just so darn easy to get along with because they tend to either complement or contrast the myriad textures and flavours found on typical Thanksgiving-dinner tables.

Well, my friends south of the 49th parallel, those who have a new president-elect named Barack Obama, get to add another wine to the perfect-with-Thanksgiving-dinner list:  Beaujolais Nouveau.

Want to know more about Beaujolais Nouveau?  Click here!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my U.S. friends!

Copyright © 2008 Kathleen Rake.  All rights reserved.

It's Thanksgiving in Canada! What wine should I serve with my turkey dinner?

The one question I've been asked more than any other this week has been, "What wine should I serve with my Thanksgiving turkey dinner?"

Thanksgiving dinner is a comfort-food bonanza, at least it is in our family.  Our table is always filled with lots of the roasted, basted bird, rich gravy, savoury stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes, tart cranberry sauce (see my quick-n-easy recipe for cranberry sauce below), and vegetables that run the gamut from green and strong, like Brussel sprouts, to sweeter and gentler, like carrots and corn.  Oh yes, please don't forget the pickles! And the hot buns with butter.

Because there are so many flavours and textures at Thanksgiving dinner, I always choose a wine that can complement or contrast most of them.  That takes me, once again, to two of the most food-friendly wines going, pinot noir and riesling, and there are plenty of Canadian-made bottles to fit the bill.

Pinot noir and riesling wines (I prefer the dry or just off-dry rieslings) are not heavy, dense, or overly complicated (please don't confuse that with simple and boring) so they won't overpower or clash with the meal.  Their acidity, fruitiness, and tannin levels make them the well-rounded cherished guest at a dinner table. They do it all--from cutting through the fatty richness of the gravy and standing up to the sweet-tart cranberries, to cleansing your palate for the next gorgeous bite.

What makes them even better is that they have interesting layers of flavours and complexities that make them lovely on their own.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends and family!

Note:
     Canadian's celebrate Thanksgiving in October, while our neighbours (neighbors) to the south celebrate the fourth Thursday in November.
     We both like to celebrate with lots of yummy food, palate-pleasing wine, good friends, and loving family.  What our U.S. cousins have over us is the date of their celebration.  And what I mean by that is they (by virtue of celebrating right after the third Thursday in November) get to take advantage of another really great wine for turkey & ham dinner with all the gorgeous fixings...Beaujolais Nouveau!

* * * * *

Here's my cranberry sauce recipe--quick-n-easy:

Take one bag of fresh cranberries, wash them and then put them in a big pot.  Add a quarter cup of either orange juice, pinot noir, or riesling (maybe I'll try Grand Marnier next time); a quarter cup of brown sugar; and a dash each of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

Turn the stove onto high until the works start to "pop" and boil. Then turn it down to low and stir constantly until it reaches the desired thickness level, watching carefully to see if it needs more liquid.  This usually takes less than five minutes. 

Taste the sauce now and see if you want more of something in it--but be careful because it's hot! Once you reach your desired flavour mix, let the sauce cool and then serve it with dinner.

Copyright (c) 2008 Kathleen Rake.  All rights reserved.