My top picks for Thanksgiving Day wines stir up memories of friends | Phil Your Glass
Thanksgiving is right around the corner. All I have to say is: WTF!
Which, of course, stands for wine, turkey and friends. Let's not overthink this.
Turkey Day presents the opportunity to try different wines with a cornucopia of flavors, family and friends.
The food and wine we serve is what brings us together. Sometimes, my favorite part of choosing the wine is the story that comes along with it.
When, for example, I think of wines from the Piedmont region of Italy—including the two wines I've chosen as my top Thanksgiving Day must-haves—I think of my dear friends John and Lee Bee. They imported wines from the region, and Lee's family is from there.
The Bees had a home in Cravanzana, Italy, a small town nestled among hundreds of hazelnut trees. They traveled to their Italian home at different times of the year so they could experience all the seasons and holidays.
One year, they planned to host their Italian neighbors, the Riboldos, for an American Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and all the fixings.
While still in the U.S., Lee filled her suitcase with pumpkin pie filling and various other ingredients not easily found overseas.
John’s mission was to find a turkey for this feast. He searched high and low all over Northern Italy for Tom Turkey, since he couldn’t pack one in his luggage for the trip. Ever-persistent, John eventually found a bird, the only one he could find — a 39-pounder! “That not a turkey,” I remember saying as we laughed. "That’s a baby ostrich."
The two bottles featured today weren’t imported by the Bees, however, uncorking any wine from Piedmont always brings back fond memories of my dear friends.
Finding the perfect duo
Finding a bottle of wine to pair with the immense selection of flavors at the Thanksgiving table is virtually impossible. It’s easy to pick out a wine that will pair with the turkey, stuffing and green bean casserole — that’s gravy. But good luck searching for a wine that goes with the tart cranberry sauce and the sweet potatoes with all the brown sugar and marshmallows.
So, I've selected two. This year’s dynamic duo, a red and a white, comes from Cantina Di Tortona, a small winery cooperative located in the town of Tortona, Italy.
The timorasso grape is an ancient white grape that was revived from the verge of extinction in the 1980s. It's grown in the Piedmont region, which is home to Italy's famed red wines Barolo and Barbaresco.
Add this bottle to the ever-growing list of Italian white wines that add excitement to my glass. Timorasso is a very aromatic grape. Plenty of pear, honey, and apricot aromas and flavors come with this $19.99 bottle. You can have a couple sips while nibbling on toasted Italian hazelnuts or a hunk of fontina cheese until Tom Turkey is finished roasting in the oven.
This white went nicely with the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and collard greens from my pre-Thanksgiving taste test that I picked up from Bob Evans.
For those who prefer a red wine at the holiday table, I also chose the $19.99 barbera from Cantina Di Tortona. The red plum and buttery flavors were equally delicious with the turkey feast. My homemade side of roasted Brussels sprouts and carry-out order of collard greens from Big Eu'es BBQ in Cuyahoga Falls proved to be an exceptional pairing.
Buy this wine at Beau’s Market in Copley, Krieger’s Market in Cuyahoga Falls, Montavino Wine Market in Wooster, Meyers Lake Beverage & Drive Thru in Canton, and Top Shelf in Jackson Township.
Save the date
The 7th Annual Feast of the 7 Delicious is quickly approaching.
Join Chef Beau Schmidt and myself from 6-9 p.m. Dec. 7 to taste the seven special wines paired with delicious small plates. This year’s wines will be announced online Nov. 29 and in print Dec. 3.
Cost is $45 per person. Forty additional wines, along with Great Lakes Christmas Ale, will also be on hand to sample.
A special raffle will also be held for the Halle Schmidt Scholarship Foundation, which benefits Copley High School students choosing a career in the medical profession. RDA Management donated $5,000. There will be a $2,500 first prize, along with six exclusive wine items, awarded to the winners.
For reservations, call 330-867-5218 or email epinheiro@rdamanagement.com.
Reach Phil Masturzo at philyourglass@gmail.com and follow him on Instagram @pmasturzo_philyourglass
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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: A red and a white make for a Turkey Day delight | Phil Your Glass
