Talking Turkey Day with Tom Leykis!
Click here to listen to Plonk’s Etty Lewensztain talk Thanksgiving wine pairings on the awesome wine radio show: The Tasting Room with Tom Leykis!
Food and Wine Pairings « Plonk Blog
The Thanksgiving Wine Predicament
Thanksgiving is quite possibly the most difficult, or shall we say, most complicated occasion for wine. Not only does Thanksgiving fall smack in the middle of autumn and winter, making for some seasonal ambiguity – do you drink a lighter red or a heavier white – but the Thanksgiving table is notorious for being a cacophony of dissonant flavors and textures. Good luck finding one single wine that will marry perfectly with marshmallow and pecan-laden yams, oyster and sausage stuffing, orange and cranberry marmalade, rosemary-scented gravy, green beans with fried shallots, and truffle mashed potatoes.
For tips on how to navigate Thanksgiving wine pairings, check out my recent article on The Wine Cellar Insider!
Snooth.com Gets Plonked!
Click here to watch a series of Cabernet-centric videos I produced especially for Snooth.com as part of their GTiCabernet, a fun initiative aimed at exploring all things Cabernet Sauvignon!
How to Pair Wine with Spicy Asian Cuisines
Do you typically defer to beer when eating Sushi, Thai, Indian, Vietnamese or Korean food? Wine can actually pair amazingly well with spicy Asian food, you just need to know which varieties and wine styles to look for that will help temper the heat of these spicy cuisines and will complement the sweetness that you often find in Asian foods. Check out my new video for the Menuism Blog for expert tips on how to find the perfect pairings for spicy and exotic Asian cuisines!
How to Choose Wines From a Wine List
Do you get overwhelmed by massive wine lists? Need help choosing wines when you go out to restaurants or wine bars? Watch my video on the Menuism Blog for tips on how to navigate wine lists like a pro!
PLONK in Daily Candy!
Click here to check out PLONK’s springtime guide to great wines under $25 in Daily Candy!
Tasting Table Gets Plonked!
Click here to view Tasting Table’s recent feature on Plonk Wine Merchants!
A Rockin Recipe from One of LA's Top Toques
Until just recently, Elderoy Arendse rocked the LA dining scene as executive chef at Fraiche in Culver City – one of LA’s most venerated restaurants. Every dish that emerges from this man’s hands is pure culinary delight and I’ve been lucky enough to score one of his signature recipes which I’ve paired with some fabulous Plonk, of course. You’ll notice Elderoy’s recipes don’t include any measurements – everything this gentleman does is guided by intuition, so take a leap of faith and put yours to work as well!
BEEF TARTARE WITH BACON SABAYON
For the Tartare:
Chopped NY prime sirloin
Chopped shallots
Chopped chives
Lemon
Ciabatta
Minced garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
Finely dice the sirloin by hand with a large chef’s knife, making sure to remove all the fat. Mix the diced sirloin together with the shallots, chives, lemon, and olive oil and season with sea salt and black pepper to taste.
Slice a loaf of ciabatta and season one side of each slice with sea salt, black pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and minced garlic. Grill the bread slices until browned.
For the Sabayon:
Egg yolks
Bacon fat rendered from fried bacon, then cooled to room temperature
Sherry vinegar
Sea salt and black pepper
In a metal bowl whisk the egg yolks with the rendered bacon fat vigorously until emulsified then place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and continue to whisk until the mixture doubles in volume (don’t allow the eggs to get too hot or else they’ll scramble). Remove the bowl from the heat then whisk in the sherry vinegar, sea salt, and black pepper. Spread the sabayon onto the grilled ciabatta slices and top with the beef tartare.
PLONK WINE PAIRINGS:
Jelly Donuts and Grenache?
A general wine pairing rule of thumb that never seems to fail is matching fried food with champagne or any other sparkling wine for that matter. Bubbles (CO2) interact really wonderfully with fat, which is why champ might be the first thing that comes to mind when looking for an apt pairing for fried Hannukah fare: potato latkes and jelly donuts.
Well I was at a Hannukah party recently and to my dismay, there was no bubbly to be found. I did, however, happen to bring a bottle of Dashe Grenache from the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma and by absolute default, discovered a revelatory pairing.
Dashe Grenache is one of California’s best kept little secrets, with only 200 cases produced. We’re talking serious limited production here. The wine’s vibrant raspberry fruit mirrored the raspberry jelly in the donuts perfectly, and its prickly acidity worked magic on the latkes.
If you have any Hannukah parties left on your agenda, score yourself a bottle of Dashe Grenache to see this pairing come to life!
American Juice for Thanksgiving
People get super patriotic on Thanksgiving when it comes to their choice of vino. Zinfandel has become a turkey day classic as it symbolizes something truly American. Although if you want to introduce a little irony to your Thanksgiving celebration, you can always pop open a bottle of Primitivo from Puglia in Southern Italy or a Plavac Mali from Croatia, as both are said to be genetic descendants of Zin. This method will work great for you europhiles out there!
I’m pretty sold on Pinot Noir for Thanksgiving, though, mainly because it’s so incredibly versatile and given the overwhelming array of items that are bound to clutter your Thanksgiving table, versatility is a real virtue.
One of my favorite Pinots out there, and yes, it happens to be American, is the Joseph Swan Cuvee de Trois from Sonoma’s Russian River Valley. Generally speaking, I prefer old world (AKA European) Pinots over those from California, but the Joseph Swan does an amazing job at disguising itself as a dainty, graceful bottle of red Burgundy.
In honor of this wine’s utter Thanksgiving-friendliness, we’re offering it on SALE for only $20 which is 20% off its original price. That’s 20 bucks for INSANE AMERICAN JUICE. Get it! Trust me.
For more advice on what wines to reach for this Thanksgiving, check out my recent post on Menuism.
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