The Perfect Pair for Your Thanksgiving Feast

Thanksgiving

We love Thanksgiving. It’s the perfect time for foodies and their families to come together, and for us to expand our pairing horizons. Whether you’re watching the game with a cold brew in your hand, or you’re looking for something elegant to sip alongside your feast, we’ve got you covered with some great pairing suggestions for all kinds of decadent dishes.

Let’s talk turkey. Turkey is the name of the game when it comes to Thanksgiving—its velvety texture and mild nutty flavor serve as the backbone for the rest of the meal. Best highlighted by drinks that don’t overpower the meat’s subtle flavors, our three go-tos are Gamay, bourbon and American pale ale. Gamay’s light-bodied earthiness and delicate floral aromas, such as Domaine de la Voûte Beaujolais out of Cote de Brouilly (available by the glass), complement the dish’s unique flavors, while a medium-bodied bourbon (Spirit Hound) can add depth of flavor. One of our favorite pairings, though, is a nice crisp American pale ale. Our personal choice? Upslope Brewery’s full-bodied, lightly-hopped pale ale.

Hamming it up. Baked ham is another in the classic Thanksgiving line-up, bringing a rich sweet and salty flavor profile to the table. We recommend a bolder and sweeter drink to complement this dish—something that holds up to the robustness of the meat. An off-dry Riesling with an acidic backbone, such as Dunham by Lewis Estate Vineyards, can really do the trick, allowing the sweetness in the meat to take your taste buds for a ride. We’re also big fans of wheat beer—specifically our Hacker-Pschorr’s Hefeweizen on tap, which delivers great fruit and citrus flavor that holds up to the sweetness of ham.

Stuffing (yourself). Stuffing is a big part of this eating holiday, and whether your favorite recipe is veggie-heavy or stuffed with sausage, the savory flavors in this bready dish call for something light. The simplicity of a crisp lager like Wibby Helles Lager out of Longmont or a light whiskey like Buffalo Trace will do the trick.

All mashed up. If turkey is the hero of the feast, mashed potatoes are its sidekick. Their mellow richness is best highlighted by the intensity of an India pale ale (Avery IPA), rich merlot (Trefethen by the glass) or medium-bodied whisky like Bulleit.

So cheesy. Macaroni and cheese has made its way into the hearts and homes of Americans everywhere. While we admit that our favorite mac is on our menu (with green chili and sharp cheddar), we feel that all mac and cheese goes perfectly with intense drinks like Phoenix Ranch Syrah a wonderful, gritty rye whiskey, such as Templeton Prohibition Rye.

Hey, pumpkin (pie). To accent the spices and sweetness of this dessert, we love the bold flavors of Stout Beers, like Sam Smith’s Oatmeal Stout, and cognacs. If you’re too full at the end of your meal for an imperial stout, we definitely recommend Calvados or Courvoisier VSOP as an accompaniment to this seasonal pie.

You (pe)can do it. Pecan pie’s intense sweetness can sometimes overpower the toastiness of the pecans themselves. To bring out the incredible flavor, we recommend a smoked porter or an Islay scotch like Lagavulin.

Whether you’re dining with us on the big day or simply planning for a homemade feast, keep these options in mind for an extra delicious Thanksgiving meal. If you’d like to join us for either a lunch or dinner, make sure to check out our menu and make your reservation sooner rather than later—seats go fast!

We Heart Artichokes

artichoke

October is an especially wonderful month to be in Boulder. The air is crisp and the colorful leaves highlight the city’s year-round beauty. But at the Cork, we’re always thinking in terms of food, and October is an ideal time for foodies in town to experience the warmth and depth of fall flavors. One of our favorites is the artichoke.

The artichoke is available at the Cork all year, but in the fall, its flesh is especially tender with remarkable flavor. The mild nuttiness of the vegetable makes it incredibly versatile, holding up well to grilling, steaming and pickling. They’re also great in soups and dips, and are even used as an ingredient in Cynar, an Italian amaro.

Artichokes are a staple of our menu, served as an appetizer with clarified butter and curry mayonnaise on the side, and incorporated into various specials. The artichoke is notoriously difficult to pair with wine, which makes finding the perfect vino to accompany this veggie one of our favorite challenges.

Because of a naturally-occurring chemical in the artichoke, cynarin, everything you eat after tucking into our sumptuous starter will taste sweet. This can have a particularly noticeable effect on wine, influencing your taste buds so that the wine seems unbalanced and lacking in structure. That’s why we’re selective about the wines we pair with artichokes, favoring light-bodied, very dry wines with high acidity and no oak.

Depending on the artichoke’s preparation and accompaniments, certain wines that fit the description above may be better suited to complement the dish. For example, the strong herbal notes in plain steamed artichokes will go well with dry sauvignon blancs that feature notes of citrus and green apple. In contrast, add just a little curry mayonnaise to your bite, and a (still dry) fuller, more rounded wine like verdelho or vermentino may be a better option. In brighter dishes using raw or pickled artichokes, like Jim’s Spring Salsa Verde, we’d recommend something interesting like a fino sherry!

If you’ve been looking for an excellent fall dish and a new wine recommendation, we’ve got you covered. Come on in and join us!