Let’s face it: the notion of Thanksgiving is a hard sell both commercially and personally – the advertising industry and our human natures seem to stoke dissatisfaction.
Thanksgiving assumes, for however brief a moment, gratitude-induced contentment. Gratitude is an antidote to greed, the crave for more.
I wonder if this was in his thoughts when Jesus said to some people, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have even when you have a lot.” (Luke 12 vs.15 The Message)
It’s interesting how wine and food and gratitude seem to travel together in so many cultures. Celebrating the food harvest, honouring stages in someone’s life like birthdays and anniversaries, a national or religious celebration, some reunion of acquaintances, friends or family around a meal.
Wine is at its best when it’s communal, when it invites others to share and participate. Like other alcoholic beverages, wine is at its worst when it is used for avoidance and manipulation.
Our Thanksgiving holiday is a wonderful time to bring food and wine together. Yes, a good wine is a wine you enjoy, but not all wines go with all foods. I’m a clumsy dancer to music but I do it anyway.
You may feel a bit clumsy around choosing a right wine for the food you serve but do it anyway. Below are a few wines that pair nicely with some of the foods you may be enjoying – they’re available in one or more local liquor stores … (e.g. Urban Cellars). Enjoy the dance!
These foods: Turkey, roast and barbecued chicken, anything pork based (ham, pork ribs, barbecued pork sausage), Asian or spicy East Indian, grilled or smoked salmon, trout, pike, pickerel, vegan and vegetarian dishes, charcuterie board, lentil and garden greens salads and potato-based salads, Brie, Edam and Gouda cheeses.
These wines:
Redstone Limestone Vineyard Riesling VQA -Canada
Selbach Riesling Kabinett (Green Fish Label) – Germany
Selbach (Detzemer Maximiner Klosterlay) Riesling Spatlese – Germany
Terra de Lobos Sauvignon Blanc and Fernao Pires (bottle) – Portugal
Terra de Lobos White (3 Litre Bag-in-Box) – Portugal
(Bottle shots: Selbach Riesling Spatlese, Limestone Riesling, Terra de Lobos White (3 Litre Box)
These foods:
Red meat dishes – wild and domestic (beef, bison, elk, venison steak, smoked brisket, beef ribs, hamburgers, grilled sausage, meatloaf, lamb, duck, goose, etc.), lasagne, pasta dishes, pizza, charcuterie board, stronger/aged cheddar and hard cheeses.
These wines:
Ares de Medeiros Red – Portugal
Medeiros Regional Red – Portugal
Chateau Canada – France
Finally! Shiraz – France
Goru Red – Spain
Las Hermanas Seleccion (Orange Label) – Spain
Terra de Lobos Red (3Litre Bag-in-Box) – Portugal
(Bottle Shots: Medeiros Regional Red, Goru Red, Las Hermanas Seleccion)
Doug Reichel is the owner of Doug Reichel Wine Marketing. He can be reached at [email protected].
The views expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Moose Jaw Today, the Moose Jaw Express, its management, or its subsidiaries.
