Maker's Table

Sheldon Pinot Noir, Roma’s Vineyard

Sheldon Wines
Pinot Noir “Roma’s Vineyard” Anderson Valley
2010
13.4% ABV | Price: about $45 (media sample)

Roma’s Vineyard rolls along a ridge top overlooking Boonville, California, in the northern corner of the Anderson Valley. At 1,800 feet above sea level, the pinot noir vines wash in cooling breezes and toss in the storms that thunder through every fall.

It’s a special place, wild and remote, says Tobe Sheldon, who with husband Dylan Sheldon sources fruit from this planting of Pommard clones. The eight-acre property is off-grid, and while it’s fenced against deer, “we don’t get to harvest the back couple of acres,” she says. “There are black bears that do that for us.”

Two thousand and ten was an especially cool vintage, and the fruit hung on the vines three weeks beyond normal harvest dates. Even then, it only hit 22.5° Brix, about 10% below average. Two of the lots were cold soaked, crushed, and fermented in open-top vessels without sulfur addition, while a third was whole-cluster fermented for added structure. The wine was pressed off into 2- and 3-year barrels to retain the wine’s focus and aromatics. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The resulting wine is elegant and limpid, a clear pale rose color with burnished highlights. While it’s fragrant with red fruits, it’s not sweetly fruity—it’s more herbaceous, like the smell of a warm, very ripe, sweet tomato. Earthy, spicy scents ride this aromatic current, too. On the tongue it feels fine-boned but vibrant, with a mineral-driven finish.

I poured this wine with a quick sauté of shrimp, spring peas, sundried tomatoes, and lemon-infused oil, which I tossed with linguine. Red wine with shrimp? Yes—at least this one. Its acidity, herbal fruits, freshness, and supple structure harmonized beautifully with the dish.

“Vines, like people, need to be challenged to build character,” says Toby Sheldon. Evidently, Roma’s vines rose to the challenge in 2010, yielding a wine of great vitality and spirit. And admirably—adroitly—the winemakers let this spirit shine.

Choosing Thanksgiving Wines

Late autumn, and harvest is done. We have at last conceded our fate and moved indoors. It’s time to lay a fire in the hearth, light the oven, and excavate the stew pot, roasting pans, and baking dishes from the dark recesses of our cupboards. It’s time to cook comfort food.

The traditional Thanksgiving meal is comfort food’s quintessence, a celebration of cooking. (There are few raw foods on the Thanksgiving table—at least in my house.) And because it’s also a collective sigh of gratitude for our good fortune, the meal is ablaze with a spectrum of flavors: 

Savory: roasted turkey, gravy, potatoes, dressing

Buttery: mashed potatoes, gratins, buttered vegetables, pastry, pie

Herbal: sage, thyme, savory, bay, parsley

Earthy: sausage dressing, potatoes, root vegetables, dark meat turkey

Creamy: gratins, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, whipped cream

Salty: cheeses, gratins, gravy, relishes

Sweet:  squash, yams, pie

Tangy: cranberries, fruit relishes, pickles

Bitter: spinach, chard, kale, collards, walnuts, pecans

Spicy: nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, black pepper

Nutty: chestnut dressing, pecan pie, nuts with a cheese course

Given such variety, it’s no wonder we get flummoxed when choosing wine for the meal. No single wine pairs perfectly with all of these flavors, although some can bridge multiple dishes. Riesling’s one good example, plus Pinot Noir and gamay-based Beaujolais. That’s why these wines are traditional recommendations.

But there’s also no need to stick to one wine, or a single white and red. A range of wines delightfully echoes the theme of abundance, and provides diners with options to match the medley of flavors on the table. Here are a few additional recommendations to guide your planning: 

• Consider the style of your gathering. Nuanced wines, such as older vintages or delicate whites, can get drowned out by a boisterous party. You want wines with enough oomph to stand up to robust flavors—and robust discussion.

• Keep alcohol levels low so diners stay alert—this is especially important if your meal is served mid-day. Look for wines at or below 13% alcohol.

• Consider serving local or American wines to echo the theme of the holiday. Hard ciders and ales, especially from regional sources, are great pairings, too.

• Avoid highly extracted, jammy red wines, which can feel too heavy with a big meal, and tannic reds like Bordeaux, which can overwhelm poultry and vegetable dishes. Stick with light bodied reds with good acidity.

I think the following wine styles work most beautifully with the Thanksgiving meal. I’ve noted the foods with which each pairs best, as well as the traditionally recommended varieties and some alternatives to try. If you’re receptive to offering a range of wines, consider buying one of each style, then seeing which ones diners prefer. Those in bold are my top picks:

Sparkling wines are refreshing and celebratory, and also pique the appetite. Bubbles scrub the palate between bites. Often low in alcohol, they’re great starter wines some will choose to enjoy throughout the meal. Blanc de Noirs Champagne is terrific with poultry. Cleansing. 
Pair with: Hors d’oeuvres, buttery pastries, roasted turkey 
Traditional: Champagne
Alternative: Cava, Prosecco, Moscato

Spirited whites harmonize with lighter dishes and starters, especially vegetables. They match the acidity of cranberry relish, pickles, and conserves, and cut the richness of butter and cream-based dishes. Refreshing.
Pair with: Appetizers, vegetables, vegetarian dishes, fruit relishes, richer dishes
Traditional: Dry Riesling
Alternative: Albariño, unoaked Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc

Whites with a hint of sweetness integrate well with squash, yams, cornbread, and other sweet dishes, and balance salty ones. Perceived sweetness comes from actual residual sugar in the wine, but floral and fruit aromatics can give a similar impression. Harmonious.
Pair with: Squash and yams, salty dishes (gratins), peas
Traditional: Off-dry Riesling, Gewürztraminer
Alternative: Viognier, Malvasia Bianca, Muscat

Full-bodied whites balance and integrate with white-meat poultry, gravy, butter and cream-based dishes, and butter-dressed vegetables. They have the body to stand up to bold flavors but enough acidity to offset their richness. Harmonious.
Pair with: Roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, squash and yams, gratins and creamy dishes
Traditional: Chardonnay
Alternative: Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Rhône white blends, Rioja Blanco

Rosés offer lively acidity but more pronounced body than white wines, letting them stand up to richer flavors. They’re great with poultry, vegetable dishes, and vegetarian fare, and also cut the richness of cream and butter-based dishes. Refreshing.
Pair with: Roasted turkey, vegetables, vegetarian dishes, fruit relishes
Traditional: Provence rosé
Alternative: Pinot Noir rosé, Grenache/GSM rosé, Lambrusco, Orange wines

Juicy reds with good acidity are terrific with dark-meat turkey, and supple tannins ensure they go well with light meat, too. They’re good with gravy, dressing, and gratins, and are light enough for vegetarian fare. Brilliant.
Pair with: Roasted turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, fruit relishes, vegetables and greens
Traditional: Cru Beaujolais, Pinot Noir
Alternative: Grenache, Barbera, Dolcetto

Savory, spicy reds with supple tannins complement the darker flavors on the plate: dark meat turkey, sausage or chestnut dressing, potatoes. Carignan goes with cranberry; herbal and peppery notes in Syrah and Rhône blends pick up sage, thyme, savory, and other seasonings. Integrative.
Pair with: Roasted dark meat turkey, gravy, sausage dressing, roasted potatoes
Traditional: Zinfandel, Syrah
Alternative: Rhône red blends, Carignan, Rioja Crianza

Dessert wines must be sweeter than the dessert, otherwise the wine will seem flabby. Tawny Port and Madeira pair with pecan and pumpkin pie; sweet whites pair with fruit desserts. Sweet sparkling wines feel especially refreshing after a big meal. Integrative or cleansing.
Pair with: Pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie
Traditional: Tawny or Ruby Port, late-harvest Riesling
Alternative: Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, Sauternes, Moscato d’Asti, Recioto di Soave

 

Still confused? Keep it simple. Grab some Riesling, Pinot Noir, and a bottle of your favorite bubbly. After all, Thanksgiving is not really about the wine, but it is—consummately—about tradition.

Altri Italiani

I recently taught a class on Italian wine. My research, so called, took me on a clockwise virtual tasting tour of the boot of Italy, from Friuli down to Apulia, from Campania up to to Piemonte. My primary goal for this class was to demonstrate the prodigious diversity of Italy's wine styles—not an easy task given that we could feasibly taste only six or seven different wines that night.

According to some sources, Italy boasts nearly 2,000 grape varieties in cultivation, and depending on the year, is either the top or second-largest wine producing country in the world. Unlike its rivals France or Spain, whose viticultural areas tend to be concentrated geographically, Italy is almost completely covered in vines—and has been for about three millennia. Indeed the Greeks, who essentially invented Italian viticulture by importing vines and winemaking practices into the region, called it Oenotria, "the land of trained vines."

Such viticultural diversity is due in part to the wide range of growing conditions and terrain. Italy spans 10° of latitude, from Trentino-Alto Adige in the north to Calabria and Sicilia in the south, leading to significant differences in solar exposure across the region. The spine of the Apennines runs almost the full length of the peninsula, and since most grapes are grown on hillside vineyards to leave the rich alluvial plains for food cultivation, elevation factors into consideration, too. So do the cooling sea breezes off the Mediterranean and Adriatic in coastal areas. The upshot is that micro- and mesoclimatic differences mean one cannot draw clean demarcations showing which parts of the country are viticulturally warm or cool, nor tag a region with a specific style of wine. The country is a complex mosaic of grape cultivars and production practices, and hence of wines themselves. 

It's also a mosaic of culture. Unified as a country only about 150 years ago, Italy retains its gastronomic regionalism. And since its wines are true gastronomy wines, meant for the table and, more significantly, meant to pair with the regional cuisine, the persistence of these myriad wine styles is hardly surprising. 

If any generalization can be made about Italian wines, it's that, on the whole, those that are made in a traditional style offer good acidity, moderate ripeness, and modest alcohol levels—all factors that make them very food-friendly. Reds with supple tannins, like Sangiovese and Barbera, and whites with crisp acidity and mineral notes, like Pinot Grigio and Malvasia, are extremely versatile partners at the table. Even those reds with pronounced structure, notable ripeness, and higher alcohol levels—like Barolo, Barbaresco, and Amarone—are decidedly not cocktail wines, not meant to be pleasing to the front to the palate. Rather, they're made to pair well with their regional cuisines, and deserve a little age, a little air, and a little food to show well.

So I realized in hindsight that my class was slightly misnamed. There's really is no such thing as "Italian wine," and certainly no easy route to understanding or mastery. But I wanted my students to taste that for themselves.

 

I wrote earlier about two of the wines I researched in preparation for class, a Brachetto d'Acqui and a Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Below are notes on the rest of the wines I poured, along with pairing recommendations. All wines were provided as samples by The Wine Crate, where I teach.

Terradora di Paolo
Aglianico Campania IGT
2009
13.0% ABV | Price: about $19

This wine is 100% aglianico, a grape that originated in Greece and was imported by settlers around Cumae, home of the famed Cumaen Sibyl (whose temple I visited in 1986). During Roman times the wine was very highly regarded, yet it retained an echo of its origins; until about the 15th century the grape was still called "ellenico," Italian for Hellenic or Greek. Terredora di Paolo owns 200 hectares of vineyards in the Avellino province, making it one of the largest wineries in southern Italy. Grapes are macerated for seven days, which affords good color extraction but keeps the tannins in check. The wine is aged in both wood and stainless steel, the latter to preserve its freshness. Its color is a deep ruby red, almost inky, and it yields minerally, smoky aromas of earth, tar, and pine forest, with top notes of black cherry, sage, anise, lavender, and brushy herbs. On the palate the wine offers smoky cherry, plums, and a pronounced deep, black earthiness with grippy tannins. The fruit is not pronounced, and the finish is all carbon blackness; it tastes like licking a volcano, but in a good way. The wine needs air and profits from at least 30 minutes in the decanter, which softens it and allows the fruit to stand forward. Pair it with roasted or smoked meats and game, aged cheeses, charcuterie, barbecue, bacon, and sausages. Marvelous with pizza whose crust bears a little char from the wood hearth. 

Cantore
Nero d'Avola IGT
2008
13.0% ABV | Price: about $13

Sicily produces more wine than New Zealand, Austria, and Hungary combined, and Nero d’Avola is one of its most important red grapes. The fruit for this wine derives from the west coast of Sicily, but ample searching yielded no information on specific fruit source or production techniques. The wine has a bright ruby color with aromas of fresh black cherry and subtle spice, and its firm tannins give way to pure dark berry fruits. This is not a complex wine, and it also needs at least 30 minutes in the decanter to open it up. But its acidity and sprightliness make it a natural pairing for food, including pizza, pasta with red sauces, stuffed peppers, polenta, and lasagna. Try it also with pepper-rubbed roasted meats, grilled meats and vegetables, and barbecue. Probably also quite good with spicy sausage pizza. 

Vietti
Nebbiolo "Perbacco" Langhe DOC
2008
14.0% ABV | Price: about $28

Langhe is in the extreme eastern region of Piemonte, and although most nebbiolo-based wines like Barolo and Barbaresco are quite tannic, this 100% nebbiolo is quite supple and needs no decanting. The fruit derives from 35-year-old vines, and grapes from each vineyard are vinified and aged separately. The wine is aged in barrel for 10 months, then in oak casks for an additional 16 months before bottling. The color is a light brickish red, limpid like a Pinot Noir. Aromas of anise and wild herbs waft above a red-meatiness, with a high top note of spice, especially clove. These aromas carry smoothly to the palate, with more meaty fruits, spice, and herbs. Extremely elegant, light- to medium-bodied with good acidity, supple tannins, and a savory, lingering finish. Serve with roasted but rare red meats, especially lamb, beef, and game, or pair with aged and blue cow’s milk cheeses: Asiago, Taleggio, Gorgonzola, aged Gouda, or Romano. Truly a lovely wine. 

Leone d'Oro
Pinot Grigio Friuli Grave DOC
2009
12.5% ABV | Price: about $16

The Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA) created the Leone d’Oro lineup specifically for import into the U.S. The firm partners with growers and winemakers in Italy to bottle six wines: Chianti Colli Senesi, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Gavi, Prosecco, and this Pinot Grigio. The producer's website provides no information on this bottling, but some sources I found indicate it is a single-vineyard wine. The color is intense yellow-gold with green highlights. Aromas of pineapple mingle with citrus and a fresh grassiness, giving way to flavors of pear and ripe yellow apple with mild acidity and an overall softness. I detected a slight but not unpleasant tinge of oxidation, and this wine is more savory than many of its kind. Pair with light seafood dishes, including white fish, scallops, shellfish, and seafood risotto. It would also be good with semi-soft cheeses, especially goat’s milk or cassatica di bufala, and with antipasti or a spring vegetable soup with just a touch of cream. 

Scagliola
"Frem" Barbera d'Asti DOC (not shown)
2010
14.0% ABV | Price: about $20

Barbera, a Piemontese grape, is known for its bramble fruit character, light to medium body, and supple tannins, which make it an extremely approachable and food-friendly wine. These grapes hail from the Calosso province of Asti, and the vineyard sits at about 1,300 feet of elevation with soils of limestone and clay. The wine is aged in oak barrels for approximately 12 months. The color is ruby red with a faint brown tinge, and earthy aromas underpin notes of licorice, bright bramble fruits, and baking spices. On the palate the wine has good body and acidity, with bright cherry and blackberry, hints of sweet tobacco, dried fruits, and sage, plus smooth tannins. Pair it with grilled or roasted beef, lamb, salmon, or poultry, cured meats and charcuterie, and aged cheeses like Piave and Pecorino. Also a natural with tomato-based sauces, pizzas, pastas, and mushroom risotto.  

Vinosia
Malvasia Salento Bianco IGT (not shown)
2009
13.0% ABV | Price: about $16

The malvasia grape is likely of Greek origin, and the name derives from the Greek port of Monemvasia (known in Italian as Malvasia) from which large quantities of wine was shipped during the Middle Ages. The grape is also used to produce Madeira, often referred to as Malmsey, a further linguistic transformation. This Malvasia is actually a mix of three varieties of the grape: malvasia di novoli, malvasia di candia aromatica, and malvasia candida. The fruit was whole-cluster pressed with cold stabilization, and fermentation took place on wild yeast. It is pale yellow gold with aromas of white flowers, beeswax, honey, and straw. Beautifully weighty on the palate with great balancing acidity, it offers honeyed notes of lemony citrus with a bit of stone fruit. A slight oxidation note adds depth of character, and the finish is all honeyed tropical fruits. Pair with richer seafood like shrimp and lobster, antipasti with olive oil, the aïoli platter, grilled or roasted fish and poultry, and medium-bodied, semi-soft cheeses. I'd guess its fruit aspect would make it terrific with lightly spiced curries or Moroccan tagines. An extremely versatile and delicious white. 

Lemberger

Grafen Neipperg
Lemberger "Württemberg"
2005
13% ABV | Price: about $15

Germans call this grape lemberger, but in Austria, where it's more widely planted, they call it blaufränkisch. It's not unlike gamay in its body and flavor profile, and until DNA evidence proved otherwise, gamay was thought to be its forebear. It's a light-bodied red with moderate acidity, and this one has just a hint of residual sweetness, which makes it enormously food-friendly.

The color is limpid garnet with a faint brickish cast at its rim. Aromas of dusty raspberry and blackberry mingle with faint green tea and an herbaceousness pleasantly evocative of late September afternoons. The aromas have a bewitching suppleness—not sharp nor fruity, not oaky nor caramelized—just beautiful blackberry bramble fruit an an earthiness that says this wine was grown, not made. It smells like Indian Summer.

It is light-bodied on the palate, and here offers blackberries in full fruit, a juicy mouthful cut by that bitter snap blackberries use to tell you their true purpose, that they're really a conveyance for seeds, and that you are simply their minion. This wine has some tannin, and so there is black tea, now, not green tea, with good acidity. The finish is lithe and graceful.

This is an absolutely stunning pairing for the chicken I roasted tonight on a bed of red onions and blood oranges. The flavors commingle beautifully with the bitterness of the roasted citrus rind, the sweetness of the fruit and caramelized onions, and the savory chicken pan juices.

This is old world, not new, and a stunning bargain. Drink it now.

 

Riesling Goes With Everything

Read my latest tips on pairing wine with food in a new Palate Press article, published yesterday. Which of these rules ring true for you? What's your favorite pairing, or favorite pairing rule? 

Gouda, Plus Wine

"The older the cheese, the smaller the bite."

It's an old expression, less adage than dictum. Young, fresh cheeses have high water content, soft texture, and mild flavor. We spread them thickly, mashing fresh chèvre with herbs on a crusty loaf, layering buffala mozzerella with basil and tomatoes, topping grilled halloumi with chopped cucumbers and yogurt and mint. We take big bites, without regret.

But as a cheese ages, microbes and enzymes work on its proteins and fats, and the moisture in its body slowly evaporates through the rind, concentrating its flavors and hardening its texture. The cheese acquires a piquant intensity and a sometimes grainy texture—think Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano (grana means "grain" in Italian)—and it's now a cheese best enjoyed in thin shavings, grated into a flurry of flakes, or cut into narrow wedges that melt away on the tongue, leaving behind a nutty, umami, salty-savoryness.

A friend recently asked me what wines I might pair with aged Gouda. It's one of my favorite cheeses. Made from whole cow's milk, Gouda weighs in at 48% milk fat, and so is creamier than its Dutch confederate, Edam. In the US, it's generally available in two styles. The young cheese, aged from a few weeks to six months, is pale yellow with a mild, nutty flavor and springy texture. Aged Gouda—pronounced KHOW-dah in its native Holland—is aged two or more years, which endows it with a deep, golden-orange hue, pleasant gritty texture, caramel sweetness, and distinct saltiness. Its a cheese that can pair with range of wines, carrying it from the cocktail hour through a dessert cheese course. Here's what I told my friend.

The classic pairing recommendation for aged Gouda is full-bodied red, particularly French Bordeaux or Cabernet Franc. But I find that sharp or pungent cheeses can make red wine's tannins more pronounced, producing a metallic or bitter taste. So I think softer reds are a better match here, those with medium fruit and moderate tannin, yet enough backbone to hold their own against such a flavorful cheese.

Wines based on Grenache, Gamay, Barbera, and more restrained versions of Tempranillo or Zinfandel could work well. Try 2009 Ridge Zinfandel "Pagani Ranch" ($35), 2008 Azienda Agricola Scagliola Barbera "SanSì" ($40), or Scagliola's less expensive Barbera d'Asti, "Frem" ($21). I recently had an Austrian Blaufränkisch aged in neutral oak that would be great, too: 2008 Hillinger Blaufränkisch "Leithaberg" ($34).

Venturing into whites, look for those with savory notes of lanolin or beeswax, white flowers, and tropical or stone fruits, all of which pose an excellent counterpoint to the cheese's sweet-saltiness. Chardonnay, particularly a lightly oaked style, and wines based on Roussanne or Grenache Blanc have ample texture to partner on the palate. Try the restrained (for California) 2008 Jordan Chardonnay "Russian River Valley" ($32), a wine with lively acidity and a mouth-coating creaminess, plus a distinct waxiness perfect with this cheese. The Châteauneuf-du-Pape style blend 2004 Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Blanc ($30) is a silky wine with pear and honeysuckle notes and a distinct nuttiness. Its age and complexity make it an excellent cheese-course white.

Finally, I'd recommend off-dry Riesling and Scheurebe, because their acidity and tropical notes feel cleansing and fresh, while the slight sweetness partners with the caramel flavors of the cheese. Try 2009 Müller-Catoir Haardt Scheurebe ($29) or 2009 Prinz du Salm-Dalberg'sches Riesling Schloss Wallhausen ($18). The Scheurebe in particular has a salty, slatey backbone that would grit pleasingly against minerality of this cheese, while its guava, Asian pear, and tropical flavors freshen the tongue for more. 

A little sip, a little bite; no regrets.