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November 24, 2016

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California wines perfect for all-American holiday

THANKSGIVING is the quintessential American holiday. Families congregate from all over the nation — and the globe, for that matter — and a few may even have vague remembrances of the stalwart pilgrims and accommodating Native Americans. But honestly, the modern Thanksgiving holiday is all about eating. The first Thanksgiving was also remarkably food-centric.

The Mayflower sailing ship left Plymouth England in September 1620 with 120 intrepid souls in search freedom to practice their religion. The journey lasted 66 days and when they set anchor off of Cape Cod everyone was exhausted from the trip. Tragically they were also grossly ill prepared for the harsh North American winter. Half of the settlers succumbed to the cold and lack of food, but these were hardy folk and in the spring the survivors of Plymouth Colony built sturdy shelters and with the help of Native Americans learned to exploit the abundant riches of their new land. In late October or early November of 1621, the settlers held a harvest feast that lasted three days. That event celebrating a successful harvest would evolve over the centuries into the modern holiday we call Thanksgiving.

The only direct account of the first celebration is from the Pilgrim chronicler Edward Wilson who wrote of bountiful nourishments, dancing and gunplay. According to Wilson, the foods adorning the long wooden tables included wild fowl, venison, lobster, mussels, clams, cod, eels, bass, breads made of corn, barley and wheat and a bounty of local vegetables and fruits including peas, beetroot, wild onions, berries, plums and of course pumpkins. Was turkey served? Wild turkey is indigenous to the area, but was not specifically mentioned in Wilson’s chronicle. Wine was also most likely absent, but the Pilgrims were experienced brewers so beer was probably served.

In modern America the focal point of the Thanksgiving meal is the noble turkey. What would Thanksgiving be without turkey? This large bird has become a staple so ubiquitous to Thanksgiving that it has turned into the very symbol of the holiday. Accompanying dishes and sides include stuffing, mashed potatoes, turnips, celery root, creamed onions, cranberry sauce, gravy and pumpkin pie. As palatable as all these treats are, a Thanksgiving feast just wouldn’t be complete without wine. The proper wine accentuates and augments the flavors and textures of the food while facilitating digestion.

While it’s fine to celebrate Thanksgiving with wines from Europe, I prefer celebrating this uniquely American holiday with top US wines.

Napa Valley is the undisputed champion high-quality wine region in North America. Small in size, with less than one eighth the vineyard area of Bordeaux, and comprising just four percent of California’s wine grape harvest, Napa Valley has nonetheless played a significant role in raising the stature of New World wines. Winemaking in Napa Valley started in the mid 19th century. Many of the earliest wineries still make wines today, including Inglenook, Charles Krug, Beaulieu Vineyards, Beringer, Chateau Montelena, Far Niente and Schramsberg Vineyards.

Napa Valley’s ascension to global prominence began nearly half a century ago the reds and white of Napa started winning international competitions against the best wines that France had to offer. The 1976 Paris Judgment was only one of several international competitions where Napa Valley wines astounded professional wine tasters. Today wine connoisseurs can choose from a large range of premium Napa Valley wines. In fact, it’s quite difficult to find a bad Napa Valley wine. Only a handful of other wine regions around this world can make such a claim.

The most important grape in Napa Valley is Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s the most planted variety and it makes the best varietal and blend wines. A typical Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon offers opulent ripe dark fruit, mocha and smoky savory flavors. Tannins tend to be quite ripe and in the best wines there’s a subtle sensations of oak. And, most importantly, these are great turkey wines.

Merlot and Zinfandel Napa reds are also fine companions to turkey with the Zinfandel tending to be fruitier and the Merlot softer than the region’s Cabernet Sauvignons. Pinot Noir wines from the cool climate Napa sub-region of Carneros make for a fresh, fruity and zesty cohort to your turkey. If you’re a lover of white wines, fret not. Napa Valley also makes some delicious fruity and buttery Chardonnays and fresh and lively Sauvignon Blancs. Most Napa white wines are quite hearty and therefore match well with the richness of turkey meat.

Some of my favorite Napa Valley producers that have red and white wines in Shanghai are the large producers Stag’s Leap, Beringer, Joseph Phelps, Robert Mondavi and Kendal Jackson. Some outstanding Napa Valley wines from small producers are also available in our fair city. These include Viader, Moone-Tsai, Palazzo and D.R. Stevens.

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