Thanksgiving Wine Pairing Guide

For many people, a variety of items and high expectations come with the approaching holidays. A complex wine with layers versus a brutish-straight–forward wine will lend itself well to various dishes and palates. Note the job of food and wine pairing. Nothing is better than the first bite of food; after that, the palate is coated and the flavor of the next bite is not as intense. The job of wine is to clear the palate and make sure every bite is as good as the first. So, the wine should be slightly heavier and a bit more acidic than the food that it is paired with, with the end result being food and wine combining to become a third flavor. Wines that are slightly tannic and acidic use food for balance.

Appetizers

How about an Aperitif’ … French aperitif aperient, from Middle French aperitif: an alcoholic drink taken before a meal as an appetizer.

Dry Sherries (soup friendly) Sherry Fino, Dry Amontillado. Kir or Kir Royal Champagne Any dry wine, usually white or Champagne.

The Meal

Turkey is often confused with chicken when it comes to food and wine pairing. Actually, the turkey is much closer to a game bird and should be treated accordingly.

Bordeaux/Cabernet blends and the classic Zinfandel are great for game birds, but try something a little different.

The Cabernet Sauvignon grape’s parents are 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Sauvignon Blanc. The flavor components that these wines offer are perfect with a wide range of foods so the sides go well with the wines and also with the turkey itself. I have both a white and a red at each side of my plate. Some examples of “good” Cabernet Franc (if you cannot find these, any Cabernet Franc with medium body, good fruit, and some acidity will do).Chinon AC [shee-NOHN] Located in the Touraine area, Chinon is one of the few villages in the Loire valley focused on red wines, which some wine lovers feel are the Loire’s best. Like its neighbors Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-De-Bourgueil, this picturesque village with its medieval hilltop fortress grows Cabernet Franc (known locally as Brenton) and minor amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon. Although, normally light and fruity with a heady raspberry aroma, these red wines have enough body to age a few years.

Sauvignon Blanc (Sauvignon Blanc with medium body, some fruit, and good acidity). Everyone knows that New Zealand makes great Sauvignon Blanc but most of the styles are too fruity to pair with a Thanksgiving meal. We offer several examples of “balanced” Sauvignon Blanc for the occasion!

If you are enjoying Cornish hen or other birds, these pairing should be great!

Pinot Noir is the perfect choice for ANYTHING! From ham’s smokiness and complex flavor to yard-bird and even “stone soup!”

For the high-end adventurer: Pinot Noir, Domaine Serene

Your Desserts

Cheese The simplest way to pair cheese is to consider the ‘style’ of cheese being used. Creamy, runny cheeses need a dry somewhat tannic wine to give them some structure and hard cheeses tend to need wines that have more fruit and soft edges. Big acidic or tannic wines match best with soft cheese. Fruity or “sweet” wines match best with hard cheeses. Fruity & sweet white wines and dessert wines work best with a wider range of cheeses. Champagne can work with the fat in heavy cheese. Sherries, Ports and dessert wines are great for blue cheese.

Apple Pie with its bright fruit and tart acidity, apple pie is actually a difficult pairing. The old term ‘buy wine with apples and sell wine with cheese’ is true. After much research, I have found the perfect match. Any ‘real’ sherry with medium sweetness should work well. As the cheese robs the fruit from the wine.

Pumpkin Pie With the dense creamy flavor of pumpkin pie a botrytized or late harvest fits quite nicely.

Chocolate anything! Chocolate is a very strong flavor, and dark chocolate works best with most wine. Consider flavors that complement (lemon, apple, orange, caramel) rather than compete when it comes to this type of pairing. Tawny Ports and ‘Late harvest’ tends to work best. Late Harvest Pinot Gris, Riesling, Hardys Whiskers Blake Tawny 8 Year Old Port, 10 year old, NV, 20 year old, or LBV

Wine and Cheese Pairing

Best to keep it simple with:
Hard cheeses like, Asiago /  Edam / Gruyere preferring soft fruity wines.
Soft cheeses like, Mozzarella Bufala / Humbolt Fog, Goat Cheese / Saint Andre preferring wines with more structure.
One amazing exception: Blue cheeses rob wine of it's fruit so a super fruity dessert wine or port makes an amazing match!

Top Ten Candy Bars and Wine Pairings

Eating and drinking your sweets
They say "candy is dandy but liquor is quicker." Why not have both? The intensity inherent to dessert wine nicely compliments an array of sweets. Such boldness plays well with dark and milk chocolate, caramel, nuts, and more exotic flavors like coconut. Given the various innuendo that these yummy treats provide, these pairings are "sure to satisfy."

Pairing Hints:

● Nuts: wine, cream sherry, madeira, and tawny ports have nutty toasted nuances
that mirror nut flavors.
● Nougat: Late harvest or Sauternes dessert wines add to nougat's creamy
texture.
● Chocolate: Ports and chocolate both
● Nuts: wine, cream sherry, madeira, and tawny ports have nutty toasted nuances
that mirror nut flavors.
● Nougat: Late harvest or Sauternes dessert wines add to nougat's creamy
texture.
● Chocolate: Ports and chocolate both play the game of bitter and sweet.
● Coconut: Well-oaked wines such as aged tawny or vintage port reflect the
coconut in the wood.

Kinds of nougat: 

The first, and most common, is white nougat (which appeared in Cremona, Italy in the early 15th century and later in Montélimar, France, in the 18th century) is made with beaten egg whites and honey. 

The second is brown nougat (referred to as "mandorlato" in Italy and nougatine in French) is made without egg whites and has a firmer, often crunchy texture. 

The third is the Viennese or German nougat which is essentially a chocolate and nut (usually hazelnut) praline.

The most popular candy bars based on 

sales and libations to pair them with:

10. Hershey Bar
Basic pleasure can be a tricky match. Try a orange Muscat from Quady that turns a simple taste into the classic combination of citrus and chocolate.

9. Oh Henry!
Fudge, peanuts, and caramel covered with chocolate demands a complex and intense port such as Tawny 20 Year.

8. M&Ms
Not a candy bar, but the melt in y our mouth element cannot be ignored. Try Croft LBV with a handful of these candies.

7. Baby Ruth
Nougat, peanuts and chocolate are a match for sauternes or muscat

6. 3 Musketeers
All-chocolate nougat covered with milk chocolate is slightly complicated. Compliment, not contrast, is the key here, so use King Estate "Vin Glace" Pinot Gris or
Peter Lehmann Botrytis Semillon.

5. Milky Way
Chocolate malt-flavored nougat and caramel covered with milk chocolate needs good
intensity combined with a fruity edge. Try a Brachetto d' Acqui semi-sparkling.

4. Butterfinger
Butterfinger consists of a crunchy blend of butter and peanut butter covered with
chocolate. Peanut butter's creamy, nutty intensity combines well with sherry; enjoy
it with Alvear's Amontillado.

3. Kit Kat
Wafers, nougat and chocolate need a spicy Madeira like Sandeman "Fine Rich."

2. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Again, peanut butter needs a bold partner; try a cream sherry like with the Pedro Ximenez grape

1. Snickers
You can't go wrong with nougat, caramel, roasted peanuts, and milk chocolate. The
number-one selling bar deserves only the best: try it with a solera sherry.

For the adventurous, experience an Almond Joy or Mounds bar with A fine Vintage port.