Good Libations: Something different for Thanksgiving wine | Food & Cooking Leave a comment
Some years ago, I was unemployed and down on my luck when Thanksgiving rolled around. I joked at the time that my Thanksgiving dinner would consist of a baloney sandwich. What I had in mind was a gourmet quality fried baloney on a croissant with Dijon mustard, garlic aioli, gruyere cheese and arugula. I ultimately had turkey but it was an interesting mental exercise pairing wine with an extravagant baloney sandwich.
Pairing wine with the typical dinner of roast turkey and accoutrements is challenging. The turkey is earthy and smoky, green bean casserole is rich and creamy, dressing is aromatic with spices and cranberry sauce is tangy and sweet. What wine goes with all that?
Consider wines from the southern Rhone Valley of France. These wines are named after their place of origin and are usually composed of grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and other indigenous grapes. The climate is warm, resulting in ripe grapes that produce hedonistic, bold wines that are rich and smooth with notes of plums, raspberries, leather, smoke, tobacco and autumn leaves. There is a prevailing wind, the “Mistral”, that dries out the vineyards and holds pestilence in check. Vineyards are often covered with round stones that soak up and radiate the sun’s heat.
Chateauneuf du Pape is the star of the area, but also generally the most expensive. The name dates back to 1308 when Pope Clement V moved his papacy to the Southern French village of Avignon. Clément’s successor constructed a castle there from which the region derives its name, the New Castle of the Pope. The papacy remained there for 70 years during which time workers planted copious vineyards in the area.
