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November 26, 2015

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Perfect wines for a Thanksgiving feast

Every year in late November I enthusiastically write of the joy of celebrating Thanksgiving with fine wines. Personally a Thanksgiving meal without wine is like a Thanksgiving without turkey, unthinkable. Wines embellish the food and atmosphere of this quintessential American holiday. Let’s look back at how it all started.

First Thanksgiving

In September 1620 the Mayflower sailing ship left Plymouth England with 120 intrepid souls in search of freedom to practice their religion. The journey took 66 days and when they set anchor off of Cape Cod, Massachusetts they were exhausted from the trip and fatally ill-prepared for the harsh New England winter. After a winter of privation during which half the settlers died, the survivors of Plymouth Colony built more sturdy shelters and with the help of native Americans learned to harvest the abundant riches of their new land. Sometime in late October or early November 1621, the settlers held a harvest celebration that lasted three days. This event to give thanks for the pilgrim’s first successful harvest would evolve over the centuries into the modern holiday we call Thanksgiving Day. A major focal point of the celebration has always been food.

Turkey

What would Thanksgiving be without turkey? This large bird has become a staple so ubiquitous to the Thanksgiving meal that it has turned into the very symbol of the holiday. The earliest newspaper reports referring to Thanksgiving as Turkey Day date back to World War I (1914-18). But then, as now; the noble turkey remains a misunderstood fowl.

One of the founding fathers of the United States was a fan of this big native bird. In fact he laminated that the bald eagle was chosen as the symbol of his new country. Franklin in a letter to his daughter wrote, “For my own part, I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country; he is a bird of bad moral character; he does not get his living honestly... like those among men who live by sharping and robbing... For in truth, the turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America. Eagles have been found in all countries, but the turkey was peculiar to ours.”

Accompanying seasonal fare

Turkey may have stolen Franklin’s heart and the holiday limelight but a wide range of supporting dishes also play important roles. These dishes vary from family to family and region to region but popular dishes include seasonal root vegetables including turnips, sweet potatoes and parsnip. Creamed onions are also common. Essential starches are the turkey stuffing that may consist of breadcrumbs, diced onions, carrots, celery, mushroom, giblets and sometimes sausage. Dessert often features a variety of freshly baked pies filled with autumn ingredients like pumpkin, pecan and apple often topped off with generous scoops of ice-cream.

Domestic wines

As Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday, it makes sense to stick with American wines. This was the case at my Connecticut home where my father would serve only top American wines on Thanksgiving. Greeting guests before the weighty meal would always be a glasses of US sparkling wines from Iron Horse, Domaine Carneros, Mumm, Roederer Estate or Chateau Ste. Michelle. These high-quality wines offer an elite sparkling experience at relatively reasonable prices.

When the big bird was placed on our family table, an equally big red was always waiting. Dad’s cellar included some of Napa Valley’s greatest wines from the legendary and hard-to-find 1968 and 1974 vintages as well as the more current excellent vintages of 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 2001 and 2002. Dad was a firm believer that the behemoth Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet blends from top producers like Mondavi, Beringer, Jospeh Phelps and Stag’s Leap needed at least a decade or more of cellaring before they reached their peak performance in terms of complexity and elegance.

More practical premium red options for a Thanksgiving feast in Shanghai include Cabs and Cab blends from the aforementioned producers in more recent vintages or wines from top boutique producers like Pahlmeyer and Viader. Budget worthy California Zinfandel or Petit Sirah reds are fruity and approachable wines that also partner well with roasted turkey and all the side dishes. Try the reasonably priced and balanced Blackhouse Zinfandel or the more structured and substantial Michael David Petit Sirah.

If your palate favors still whites, California Chardonnays pair well with most all the holiday dishes from appetizers right through roasted turkey. The Michael David Lodi Chardonnay is a fine example as are Chards from esteemed Napa producers Cakebread and Beringer.

International appreciation

Pilgrims from England and Dutch settlers were among the earliest to settle the East Coast of the present day United States, but they were followed by many others from prominent wine producing nations like Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. The US would have never become a great nation without their significant contributions, so it’s perfectly correct to celebrate Thanksgiving with wines from these nations.

One meaningful option is a nice Primativo red wine as this variety is the genetic ancestor of Zinfandel. Once considered a native American grape, Zinfandel was actually brought to the US from Apulia in Southern Italy in the mid 19th century and more recently we discovered the ancient home of this variety is actually Dalmatia. Italian Primativo wines have excellent price-to-quality ratios and their slightly zesty and spicy nature matches very well with turkey.

Other fine immigrant-inspired choices include German Rieslings and French Burgundy whites as well as rich and velvety Rioja and Ribera del Duero reds from Northern Spain. Finish your feast with the incomparable Portuguese sweet wine Port.

Where to buy in Shanghai

Shanghai Slims, Sinan Mansions (523 Fuxing Rd, 6426-0162)

Enjoy turkey whole or by the plate dinners with:

Blackhouse Zinfandel

Michael David Petit Sirah

Michael David Lodi Chardonnay

Everwines (200 Taizhou Rd, 3208-0293)

Stag’s Leap Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon

Stag’s Leap S.L.V Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Stag’s Leap FAY Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Roosevelt Private Wine Cellar (160 Taiyuan Rd, 6433-9359)

Pahlmeyer Napa Valley Proprietary Red

Vader Napa Valley Proprietary Red




 

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