Thanksgiving: The Annual Food-and-Wine-Matchup Challenge

Yes, it's a challenge, the reasons for which I will get to shortly . . . and there are many different ways to rise to that challenge. You can (as Matthew and I did in composing our November samplers) start from the premise that Thanksgiving is the quintessential American holiday and choose all American wines to go with your holiday meal. It's just as likely in my house, however, that you'll find an "America as melting pot" stance, which opens the door for entries from all over the world. (By way of explanation: our dining room is rather small and the usual 12-14 at the table makes for a tight squeeze, so my husband the sommelier tends to throw a range of bottles on the table and let our guests take their pick.)

+/- Thanksgiving: The Annual Food-and-Wine-Matchup Challenge

But back to those two Thanksgiving samplers. Matthew's is all-American (and all red) while mine is a mix of red and white, all from New York State. I'll leave Matt to defend his choices; as for mine . . . perhaps I was partly inspired by having just celebrated October as "Uncork New York" month, but I think it's more my conclusion that the grapes New York seems to do best are among those well suited to match with the traditional array of Thanksgiving dishes. And that takes us back to the wine-pairing challenge inherent in the holiday meal.

First consider the bird. Is it white meat? Yes! Is it dark meat? Yes! Does it have a lot of flavor? In my book, no. All of this points first to a white wine that is a bit of a shape-shifter, a chameleon if you will, a white that won't overwhelm . . . in other words, an unoaked Chardonnay like the North Fork Project I picked. A joint venture between Macari Vineyards on Long Island's north fork and their New York distributor, Martin Scott, the wine is intended to showcase the characteristics of the terroir of the region, which it does most successfully. Chardonnay, incidentally, seems to fare equally well in all the major grape-growing regions of the state, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, the Finger Lakes, and now we have in the store our first example from the Niagara Escarpment along the shores of Lake Ontario, the Leonard Oakes, which I also recommend enthusiastically.

But what about those dark meat people at the table? They probably want a red, but not a heavy one, something brightly fruited with soft tannins and subtle flavors. Pinot Noir? Maybe. Merlot? Maybe. Cabernet Franc? Now there's a thought. Cabernet Sauvignon? By itself, too brawny. Zinfandel? We like its American associations, but often too "in your face." I find the perfect answer in a charming blend from the Hermann J. Wiemer winery up on the western shore of Seneca Lake: it is mostly equal parts Cab Franc and Pinot Noir, with small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Lemberger (aka, Blaufrankisch, native to Germany) blended in.

A brief footnote here: attempting to make world-class wine is a relatively recent effort for New York State, and growers in the key regions are still somewhat in the process of figuring out what grows best where. Early efforts on Long Island's north fork focused on Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Pinot Noir; today Chardonnay reigns for white on the island as does Riesling in the Finger Lakes, most of the Pinot Noir vines on the north fork have long since been ripped out, and it is becoming increasingly clear that Cabernet Franc is our most successful red grape throughout.

We've taken care of the bird pretty well, but the real difficulty lies with those pesky side dishes (think cranberry sauce, think sweet potato casserole, think jalapeno/cornbread stuffing) that can be sweet and/or spicy and/or highly acidic. Now add to what's already on the table a chilled bottle of Riesling, one with a substantial bit of residual sugar to it, like the one I chose from Red Newt Cellars on the eastern side of Seneca, and you've struck the proper balance.

So there you have an explication of my New York sampler, and a little bit about New York wines as well. Happy Thanksgiving!