Thinking About Turkey Wines
Monday November 17, 2008
Thanksgiving is approaching for those living in the US, and Christmas -- another occasion to enjoy roast turkey -- is not far behind.
What to serve with the Bird? This is a good question, because turkey is anything but uniform -- the dark meat of the legs is much richer and fattier than the white meat of the breast. Different enough that if one were to serve the light and dark meats separately one would likely want different wines, something softer and fruitier for the white meats and something more aggressive to balance the richness of the dark meat. These pairing difficulties are compounded by the variety of side dishes -- stuffing, which is one way if cooked in the bird and another if cooked alongside it, sweet potato casseroles, creamed (or not) green vegetables, aspics, and so on.
Further difficulty comes from the nature of the Thanksgiving (or Christmas) Feast, which brings together a great many people, some of whom may be wine lovers, and others who know little about the Grapely Nectar and either aren't inclined to learn or are, but would rather spend the meal catching up with the other guests than concentrating on what's in their glass.
In short, neither Thanksgiving nor Chistmas is the time for an Importat Wine (e.g. Barolo, Brunello, Amarone, Taurasi...) -- If it's powerful it will overpower the breast meat of the bird, and if it's nuanced it could be drowned out by everything else going on around it.
So what do I suggest? Fairly rich, fairly soft fruit driven wines. First of all because they tend to drink easily, and while they can have a great deal to say if one is inclined to listen, they don't demand attention. And also because they work better with delicate white meats than do wines with more aggressive tannins and acidities. Some examples?
I recently went to a presentation of Ruffino's wines, and a number of them fit the bill, including:
What to serve with the Bird? This is a good question, because turkey is anything but uniform -- the dark meat of the legs is much richer and fattier than the white meat of the breast. Different enough that if one were to serve the light and dark meats separately one would likely want different wines, something softer and fruitier for the white meats and something more aggressive to balance the richness of the dark meat. These pairing difficulties are compounded by the variety of side dishes -- stuffing, which is one way if cooked in the bird and another if cooked alongside it, sweet potato casseroles, creamed (or not) green vegetables, aspics, and so on.
Further difficulty comes from the nature of the Thanksgiving (or Christmas) Feast, which brings together a great many people, some of whom may be wine lovers, and others who know little about the Grapely Nectar and either aren't inclined to learn or are, but would rather spend the meal catching up with the other guests than concentrating on what's in their glass.
In short, neither Thanksgiving nor Chistmas is the time for an Importat Wine (e.g. Barolo, Brunello, Amarone, Taurasi...) -- If it's powerful it will overpower the breast meat of the bird, and if it's nuanced it could be drowned out by everything else going on around it.
So what do I suggest? Fairly rich, fairly soft fruit driven wines. First of all because they tend to drink easily, and while they can have a great deal to say if one is inclined to listen, they don't demand attention. And also because they work better with delicate white meats than do wines with more aggressive tannins and acidities. Some examples?
I recently went to a presentation of Ruffino's wines, and a number of them fit the bill, including:
- Tenute Sante Dame Chianti Classico 2006
- La Lodola Nuova Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva 2004
- Tenute Sante Dame Romitorio IGT Toscana Centrale 2004
(A voluptuous choice for lovers of fruit bombs)
- Vigna Pedale Castel del Monte DOC Rosso Riserva 2004
- Sine Nomine Salice Salentino DOC Rosso Riserva 2003
- La Colombara Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Extra Dry 2007
A spritzy sparkling wine to start off with; the below are still: - Tenuta Borgo Conventi Collio Sauvignon Blanc 2006
- Matervitae Bombino Bianco Puglia IGT 2007
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