What’s in your glass on Thanksgiving?
A few wines for the big day
Hola people! I can’t believe we’re at Thanksgiving week already…it feels like just a few weeks ago that we were canning tomatoes and grilling chicken in the summer sun!
Thanksgiving is a special holiday to me for so many reasons. Two years ago, I talked a little about what Thanksgiving means to me, and my experience when I came to America for the first time. I was a sailor in the Spanish Navy on the tall ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano. We came into the port in Pensacola Florida, and from Florida, we sailed up to New York City. I was very skinny and fast back then, and I had the best post, way up at the top of the tallest mast! I was up there when we sailed into New York Harbor, and I was overcome by the Statue of Liberty. I thought about the generations of immigrants who came to these shores and saw that same beautiful statue with her hand raised up to welcome them in. It made me think then, and I still do now, that we are all sons and daughters of immigrants, with all respect to Indigenous Americans, who were here before all of us. I never forget these things when I sit down to my Thanksgiving table.
Thanksgiving means different things to different people, and I’d love to hear how you celebrate yours. Maybe you’re embracing old traditions or creating new ones, spending time with your family or friends, or maybe you’re volunteering at a shelter to make sure that everyone has a warm meal. To me, all that matters is the act of sharing food and spending time together.
Of course, one of the questions that everyone has about Thanksgiving is about drinks…I hear it sometimes, “José, what do you like to drink during a big meal like Thanksgiving?” And of course I would tell you, anything you want! But that’s the easy answer…and whether you’re hosting or heading over to someone’s house, you might want to know what wines go with Thanksgiving food. No matter what you cook for your Thanksgiving meal—maybe it’s turkey or maybe you decided to listen to me and make roast beef…maybe you have mashed potatoes or mac and cheese…or the very amazing persimmon salad that a lot of you were excited about…and maybe for dessert it’s pumpkin pie or apple pie, or why not a Burnt Basque Cheesecake?—if you are a wine drinker, it might be helpful to have some ideas for what to get or bring!
My recommendations are of course all Spanish, because I think Spain has the best wines, but also I think they are uniquely perfect for Thanksgiving food because so many of the ingredients (poultry, greens, potatoes) are common in Spanish cooking. When you think about pairing wines with food, it’s important to think about balancing flavors—if you have a dish that’s very rich and creamy, you want to support that and cut through it with a wine that has acid. If you have a dish with a vinaigrette or something really spicy, you want something that will complement the acid or spice or mellow it out, so something a little softer. Sweet should usually be paired with sweet. And sidra, or cider, goes with almost anything and it’s perfect for the season, so if you can find some Spanish sidra, definitely include it in your meal.
Here are my suggestions for some wines to pair with your Thanksgiving dinner, or to bring to wherever you’re going. And these range in price a bit—I know it can get expensive to host a big gathering, so it can be good to be price conscious when it comes to choosing your wines—maybe you share the less expensive (but still amazing) wines with the big group, and save the fancy stuff for the people who really know wine! Of course, you also can’t go wrong by sharing wine in a porrón…everyone can have fun and it will get some laughs from the group. Just make sure to serve white wine or beer in your porrón for anyone who is wearing lighter colored clothing!
Cava or other Spanish sparkling wine
People, you know I love bubbles. And Spanish sparkling wine, whether it’s Cava or other sparkling wine, is so easy to pair with food (or drink on its own, does anything say celebration like a glass of bubbles?). A few weeks ago, I talked about my friend Pepe Raventós, and his family’s tradition of making some of the best sparkling wines in Spain. You can find the Raventós Blanc de Blancs for about $23, and the de Nit Rosé for about $25, which are amazing deals for the quality….and less than half the price of an entry level bottle of Champagne. If you can’t find Raventós, ask your local wine store if they have other Spanish sparkling wine—if you want to get specific, you can ask for bottles labeled as Corpinnat or Clàssic Penedès—or what they recommend for a nicer, well-made Cava. Everyone loves the sound of a popping cork!
Sherry/Jerez
Sherry is of course the very famous and kind of complicated fortified wine from around the city of Jerez in Andalucía, in the deep south of Spain. They range from super dry and salty to rich and nutty to raisiny and sweet. A dry Fino sherry pairs perfectly with things that start a meal, like olives, cheese, or jamón…it also is delicious with mushrooms, so if you made a creamy wild mushroom soup as a first course, I think your guests would enjoy a little sherry with that! If you’re new to sherry and haven’t tried much, Fino El Maestro Sierra is a great place to start (and we serve it at The Bazaar!).
Non-fortified still whites from Jerez
There are also some amazing classically made white wines from the Jerez region—winemakers like Alberto Orte are bringing grapes back from extinction (grapes that are native to Andalucía) to make delicious still wines like Atlántida Blanco. These wines can absolutely compete with the great chardonnays of Burgundy, and they go so well with lots of different dishes, especially anything creamy! Another one to look for is Moscatel, a grape that is often used in Sherry—there are some really amazing Moscatels that aren’t fortified, like the Botani Old Vines Moscatel that we serve at Jaleo—you can find it in stores for under $20.
Albariño
You can find Albariño in many places, but I’d recommend looking for one from Rías Baixas—the region’s winemakers know how to bring out the best in it. These wines are crisp, versatile, and elegant. Albariño goes with pretty much anything on the Thanksgiving table, so you can’t go wrong. If you are looking to splurge, you should try Pazo Barrantes la Comtesse, from my friend Vicente Dalmau—people, this is a perfect wine to bring when you want to impress your friends! If you are looking for something a little more approachable to send around the table, look for the Reboraina Albariño or Atalier, which we serve at Mercado Little Spain and Nubeluz.
Verdejo
Verdejo is a grape that’s indigenous to Spain—it’s a very old grape from a very old region (Rueda) with evidence of having been grown since at least the 11th century! The thing that I love about Verdejo is that it has this beautiful, intoxicating aroma—tropical fruit, flowers, apple, and lime—but it also has a stunning acidity, which is great for anything heavy or creamy, but also vegetables and salads, cheeses and poultry. You can’t go wrong with Belondrade Quinta Apolonia, which we serve at all of our Bazaar locations!
Garnatxa Blanca
And there are a few other white wines that we serve in our restaurants that would be great for your Thanksgiving dinner! I love the Barbara Fores Blanc from Terra Alta, which we also serve at Mercado Little Spain—it’s a Garnatxa Blanca which, if you’ve never had it, dances in your mouth with all kinds of amazing flavors like apple, melon, citrus…perfect for this time of year.
Rioja
Rioja might be the most widely known Spanish wine region in the U.S., and there are so many great producers. It is also where you will find some of the best value wines for your money, like the Dominio del Challo “Angelita.” But if you are looking for something really, really special, people, I have just the wine for you: the Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay. It is a wine so amazing it will leave an imprint on your heart for years to come. And yes, of course when people think of Thanksgiving, they usually think of turkey, but red Riojas are very versatile, with enough acidity to cut through many of the richer dishes that are traditionally served.
Priorat
You know I love Priorat, enough to devote a whole post to it! But if this is your first time hearing about it, I have to tell you—this is one of the most special red wines in all of Spain. It was first recognized as a region in 1932, but due to the Civil War in Spain and then the second World War, it wasn’t widely known until 1989, when a group of producers…known as the “Gang of Five”...began making wines to compete with some of the famous big reds of the time like the Super Tuscan blends. Most Priorat is made from Garnaxta (the Catalan word for Grenache) or Carinyena (Carignan). You should definitely try a Priorat from my friend Álvaro Palacios—the Les Terrasses V.V. …he’s a world-class winemaker and a world-class guy. Priorats are more rustic, and they are amazing with lots of different cheeses and game meats. It’s pretty tannic, which is that really dry feeling you get in your mouth from drinking certain red wines, so anything that is bold (not spicy!), grilled or charred will be great. It also does really well with cheese, especially Valdeón.
Other reds
Of course I can’t talk about wine without mentioning my friend Raúl Pérez, who just might be one of the best winemakers in the world. His Ultreia St Jacques is an amazing blend that we serve at Jaleo DC and would go with so many things on your holiday table. And La Casilla Bodegas Ponce, a Bobal (have you heard of Bobal? It’s a red grape that’s planted in many places in Spain, but you don’t hear about it much over here) is also something we serve at Mercado Little Spain and people, it is an INCREDIBLE value for the price.
Sidra
I couldn’t leave you without publicly expressing my love for cider, or “sidra,” in Spanish! My home region of Asturias is famous for its apples, and sidra is one of the best uses (in my humble opinion, people!) of an apple harvest that you could think of. It’s usually very dry, and the proper way to serve it in Spain is to “throw” it, which means to hold the bottle up very high and pour it into a glass, which accentuates its bubbles. Give it a try, just make sure you have a good mop in case you miss!
Tell me, what wines are you going to have at your Thanksgiving dinner?
Blessings for/to you and yours Jose. You continue to stand in the light. I think it must often get disheartening for you. Please know the honor that you give to so many. Thank you every day.
Jose, you always educate us on wines and food that goes with them. You are so right we should be grateful that we are alive, have some food to eat, and we are able to even share with those less fortunate. Beause as we know around the world if it was not for WCK so many would starve. I have very little but I share what I have because it was a blessing given to me by God and I'll pass it on. Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving. I am thankful for the compassionate loving and caring man God has given the world. That would be you, Jose Ramon Andres Puerta..Aka Chef Jose Andres. You are the best.