Thanksgiving is a week away. Just a gentle reminder, from me to you. You're welcome.
This morning, I am working on the Thanksgiving Menu, in anticipation of the Thanksgiving Shopping Trip. I like to do things early, beat the crowds, then sit back and relax. Yeah, right. As I sit here, debating the merits of pumpkin cheesecake versus pecan pie (they both win), it occurs to me that the question of wine is second only to food when it comes to Thanksgiving. Whether we're hosting or attending a Thanksgiving dinner, most of us feel we should offer or bring some wine. But for some, this may be one of only a dozen days a year when they purchase the stuff, and the process can be overwhelming. That's where this post comes in...
I offer to you, some helpful tips for navigating the wide and mysterious world of wine, in hopes that they will make the process less intimidating.
Tip #1: You always want your wine to be slightly sweeter than what you're eating. For example, curry dishes tend to have a sweet note to them, so I usually serve a Riesling, such as Cupcake Vineyard's, or Sawtooth. A Sauvignon Blanc would also work, but I drink very few of those, so I can't recommend one particular bottle. Basically you want to avoid slamming back a big ol' sip of bitter after digging into some yummy delicousness.
Tip #2: Everybody has their favorites. Mine lean toward Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs and Cabernets. Don't want something as heavy as a Cab, but more robust than a Pinot? Give a Merlot a shot. Some folks prefer a heavy, dry Cabernet. Such as my husband. We have agreed to disagree on the matter. But I have better taste than he. Just sayin'.
Tip #3: Thanksgiving is a pairing free-for-all. The flavors are all over the place, from sweet to savory, and truly, any wine would work. The traditional favorites are Rieslings and Pinot Noirs, but feel free to strike out on your own. Go bold. Buy a Malbec (one of my faves, by the way)! Dare to savor a Chardonnay! Or better yet, throw caution to the wind, open that pesky top button on your pants and toss back a glass of 337 Cabernet. Best wine under 20 bucks. FYI. 'Cuz I love ya.
Tip #4: The rule is: There are no rules. Forget the idea that wines must match the color of the food with which they're paired. Unless that's your thing. Maybe you like to eat all orange foods one day, and red foods the next. Then you'd probably want your wine to match. But I can't recommend a good orange wine...I digress. Clearly, if the two most popular wines for this grandiose meal are red and white, the rules no longer apply. Bottom line, drink what you like. The turkey goes really well with a nice buttery Chardonnay, such as Kendall Jackson's, or Cupcake Vineyard's. That wine is also one of my favorites. They're like my children, I love them all. Don't judge me.
Tip #5: Make a commitment, already! If you're serving many people, pick one red and one white, then buy within those varietals. Now is not the time to experiment. Save that for the day after, when no one's around to see you get wild and crazy.
Tip #6: Buy high, sell low. Or something like that. Many a heart has broken just a little, when the day after, the host sobers up and realizes he opened up the $60 bottle after his guests were too happy, shall we say, to savor it. Serve the mid-grade wines first, and by that I mean the $20 bottles, then switch to the lower-grade bottles (less than $10). No one will care. Especially if they happen to be my husband. During one Thanksgiving meal, he realized we were fresh out of wine, and broke into the Champagne left over from our wedding. Two years prior. That's when his alter-ego, Fred Garvin, appeared on the scene. I won't get into that here, but if you have a moment, hop on over to Hulu, and do a search for Dan Aykroyd's Fred Garvin. It's not for the kids, fair warning. My husband walked around, repeating his catchphrase, for hours. Clearly Fred did not care which bottle of wine he was served. But it was thoroughly entertaining for the rest of us.
Tip #7: Shop at the local stores, not the Wine Warehouse. Ask questions. Chances are, you will find the help you want. The folks there tend to specialize, and know their stuff. You might spend a little more, but it'll be worth it.
Tip #8: Chill out. Seriously. Chill your wines. Some will tell you that whites should be chilled no more than one hour, but unless you can put little Lucy on Wine Watch, chances are you'll be so busy cooking, you'll forget to take the wine out on time. No biggie. Rule of thumb: Chill whites and reds. Take whites out 20 minutes before serving, and reds 60 minutes prior.
A word about decanting reds, if I may. I recently found an aerator online for less than 20 bucks. It goes right onto the bottle, so you don't have to hold it above the glass and pour at the same time. That's right up there with rubbing your belly and patting your head. Or walking and chewing gum. And this little beauty, made by Rabbit, does the trick just fine. If you think you might want to invest in an aerator, don't feel pressured to spend a small fortune. Honestly, how did we become such wine snobs? There I go, digressing again. I'm sorry. I'm back now.
Tip #9: Equal housing for all. Don't worry about providing different wine glasses based on the varietal. One glass for all will suffice. Seriously. Wine should be enjoyed, not worried over. Pour a glass and drink up. End of story.
Tip #10: Figure 3 to 4 glasses per bottle. That's the reality. Four ounces is a portion in name only. In the real world, it's more like eight. Am I right? Huh? Yeah, I thought so.
Tip #11: Don't buy into the rule that you shouldn't cook with wine you wouldn't drink. There have been several times when I've used White Cooking Wine from the grocery store, and slept like a baby, knowing it worked just fine. I use white wine in some of my Thanksgiving dishes. I do not invest my budget in that wine. I spend the bucks where it counts-in the stuff I'm gonna drink. Alright, I do drink the wine while I'm cooking, so it doesn't hurt to have a reasonably good bottle on hand before the meal. If you roll like I do. And I hope so, otherwise I'm drinking by myself. And that's awkward.
So there you have it, a little love from me to you, on the subject of wine. Go forth. Eat, drink and be merry. But not too merry, because the next day won't be much fun...
Happy Thanksgiving and Cheers!
Foodie Momma
