skip to main content

Lodi Winegrape Commission

  • Home
  • Wineries
  • About
  • Visit
    • Visitor Center
  • Club
  • Events
  • Store
    • LODI RULES Sustainable Certification
    • White Wines
    • Rosé Wines
    • Red Wines
    • Sparkling/Dessert Wines
    • Old Vine Wines
    • Merchandise
  • Blog
TOP

Letters from Lodi

An insightful and objective look at viticulture and winemaking from the Lodi
Appellation and the growers and vintners behind these crafts. Told from the
perspective of multi-award winning wine journalist, Randy Caparoso.

Randy Caparoso
 
November 10, 2010 | Randy Caparoso

A Lodi wine country Thanksgiving

Let your turkey guide your wine choices, and one Lodi family’s Thanksgiving menu and secret family recipe for potato rolls…

The turkey is one of our greatest comfort foods.  When we were kids we simply traced our fingers to draw them.  It has also remained as all-American a culinary delicacy as any:  as ubiquitous as it may seem to us, it’s never caught on in other countries, even in Europe (because they used to confuse native Americans with Indians from India, the French still call it coq d’Inde, the “cock of India” – how twisted is that?).

Take that back:  in Louisiana the old-time Cajuns still call turkey coq d’Inde (they speak something that sounds French, after all).  Then again, the French would never take an oversized bird, as Paul Prudhomme instructs us to do in his classic The Prudhomme Family Cookbook, and deep-fry it in 12 gallon industrial drums filled with sizzling lard or something even more dangerous and polyunsaturated.

Have you also heard of Marcelle Bienvenu’s paen to bayou cooking, Who’s Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make a Roux?  Check out her oyster-rice dressing, complete with chicken livers and gizzards. Stuff your turkey in similar fashion, sprinkle some chili flakes over the skin. Start at 425° F. at midnight, take it down to 300° F. and let it crisp up all night long; give it a final rest it in the morning, then dish it out at noon.

BAYOU TURKEY WHITES

So there’s a lot to be said for crispy skinned deep-fried or chili flaked turkey; especially for those of us who like a light, crisp, dry or even fruity white wine.  If you happen to be that rare bird who likes to deep-fry turkey à la Louisiane, no doubt you’ve discovered the fact that crispy deep-fried turkey practically demands white wines with crispy edges of acidity.  Wines like the zesty, silky, minerally and fragrant 2009 Bokisch Lodi Albariño (they make two:  the Las Cerezas from the Mokelumne River AVA, and the Terra Alta from the Clements Hills AVA).

Also ideal for Cajun styles of turkey:  the airy fresh, lemon and flower perfumed 2009 Alta Mesa Lodi Verdelho (both St. Jorge and Woodbridge by Roberrt Mondavi also sell excellent, crisply edged Verdelhos at their winery doors).  Maybe even better yet:  the 2009 Uvaggio Lodi Vermentino, made from a grape winemaker/owner Jim Moore blithely calls the “thinking man’s Pinot Grigio”… but “better,” of course (Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi also offers a fine, zippy Vermentino at the winery).  If anything, these wines made from cutting-edge grapes would make your Thanksgiving meal that much more interesting.

But hey, if you happen to like Pinot Grigio, you’ll find plenty of the skinny legged, lemony, stony and lavender scented qualities of the grape in the 2009 Grands Amis Lodi Pinot Grigio. Who’s your mama, indeed!

WINES FOR THE TRADITIONAL HERB STUFFED TURKEY

Light, lemony dry white wines for Cajun turkeys may make a gau-ron-teed (as the old-timey Cajun cook, Justin Wilson, might have put it) match, but what wine with the classic roasted turkey stuffed with bread, sage and other herbs?  The traditional turkey, in other words.  After all these years, we have to say that the best match for herby bread stuffed turkey is a traditional, oak barrel influenced Chardonnay.

Are you “tired” of Chardonnay, my darlings?  Get over it.  There’s something about the flavors of sage flavored bread stuffing, even if enriched by chopped mushrooms or caramelized onions, that connects with the fleshy, creamy apple toned qualities, with its moderated acidity, of a good Chardonnay.  An eHarmony culinary match.  We were recently treated to exactly those qualities, embellished with additional nuances of toasted hazelnuts, baked pears and minerals, in a tasting of the 2007 Lucas Lodi Chardonnay – as good as anything grown and produced in Napa or Sonoma (but “better,” if you prefer more nuanced subtleties, which we do!).  Then again, Lucas winemaker Heather Pyle and her husband, owner/grower David Lucas, both toiled for Robert Mondavi for many years:  if anyone “knows” barrel fermented Chardonnay, it’s this winemaking couple.

There are other fine, elegant Chardonnays grown in Lodi, of course.  The 2009 Van Ruiten Family Lodi Chardonnay, for one, combines the viscous textures achieved through barrel fermentation with the pure fruit toned, crisp qualities of Chardonnay fermented in stainless steel – a delicious, 50/50 balancing act.  The weird thing about Chardonnay, though, is that even when very little oak aging or barrel fermentation goes into it, it still manages to taste quite full and fleshy.  Less than 20% of the 2008 Michael-David Lodi 7 Heavenly Chards, for instance, sees a splinter of oak, yet it is still smoothly textured (like buttah, to quote SNL), with aromas of sweet apples mixed with tropical fruit scents.

PEDAL-TO-THE-METAL TURKEY REDS

Then there are the myriad ways of roasting turkeys with more aggressive, super-rich stuffings, like

  • Cornbread with chile peppers (or ham hocks or collards)
  • Spiced sausage pork sausage stuffings of any sort
  • Wild rice with wild mushrooms (or truffles, for the congenitally spendthrift)
  • Assertive breads like sourdough and brioche (mixed with lardons or smoky bacon, pungent celery, and/or combinations of chervil, sorrel, tarragon, and other aromatic herbs).

 

These rich settings are where red wines become the highest percentage match, although we say this with the eternal caveat:  turkey can be a dry bird, and so any red wine choice probably needs to be lighter in (potentially) palate drying tannin.  This means that you’re better off with softer tannin, fruit forward red wines – which, as it were, Lodi happens to excel in.

Lodi’s Zinfandels, for instance, can be robust with tannin, but rarely at the expense of pure, sweet, unadulturated, often jammy fruitiness; which are particularly good qualities to have when you mix in the inevitable sides of sweet/tart cranberry.  Michael-David’s David Phillips finds similar qualities in his 6th Sense Syrah, telling us that the “smoky, warm” aromatics of the grape add to the equation.  When you throw in Phillips’ favorite Thanksgiving side dish – Brussels sprouts roasted with sea salt – the lush profile of Lodi grown Syrahs make even more sense, since nothing balances salty green tastes better than frutiness.

Even Lodi reds vinified from thicker black skinned grapes like Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon tend to veer more towards a jammy fruitiness than the dryness of tannin.  Thanksgiving is tailor made for Lodi reds!

Our suggestions, of course, are downright plentiful, so we’ll stick to those that definitely err on the side of a soft, easy red wine fruitiness – something that no amount of cranberry relish can detract from:

  • 2007 Ripken Under the Sea Lodi Primitivo (the Zinfandel that’s “not a Zinfandel” – the Primitivo grape giving soft, picquant, oh-so-luscious berry flavors)
  • 2008 Gnarly Head Lodi Zinfandel (like Underdog, it’s-everywhere-it’s-everywhere, but there’s no denying its reliably rich, spiced blackberry qualities, oozing like melting chocolate in the mouth)
  • 2008 Jessie’s Grove Lodi Earth Zin & Fire (the harlot with the heart of gold – lovably round, friendly, jammy fruitiness, flush with cinnamon and spice)
  • 2008 Klinker Brick, Lodi Zinfandel (everything nice – raspberry/strawberry perfumes, tea and chocolate sensations – in a soft, sumptuous package)
  • 2008 Harney Lane Lodi Zinfandel (blending a large percentage of Primitivo with Zinfandel, Harney Lane’s softest, most sensuously round, chubby red wine)
  • 2005 Lucas Nova Vineyard Lodi Zinfandel (velvet textures encapsulate sweet raspberry/strawberry preserve-like fruit with caressing qualities)
  • 2009 d’Art Lodi Garnacha (blackpepper/peppermint spiced strawberry fragrances and initially zesty fruitiness morphing into green leafy rose petal-like sensations)
  • 2007 Van Ruiten Lodi Carignane (from 104 year old vines, a sturdy yet bright, buoyant expression of wild raspberry and bing cherry varietal qualities)
  • 2006 Michael-David Lodi Incognito Rouge (as wild and crazy as it may be, a deliciously smooth, fluid, peppery spiced and perfumed blend of Mourvèdre, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Cinsault, Carignane, Tannat, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Grenache)
  • 2008 Grands Amis Winery, Première Passion Lodi Red (velvety rich and Rico suave smooth blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Merlot)

Unpicked Lodi grapes in November

A LODI THANKSGIVING AT THE BABICH HOUSE

Annalisa Sharp Babich and her family live in the midst of vineyards in Lodi’s Mokelumne River AVA, and they have their Thanksgiving meal in the early afternoon (nothing like picking at leftovers later in the evening).  What they’re planning this year:

Great Gram Van Buskirk’s Raw Apple Cake (in the morning with fresh whipped cream)

Deep-fried free range turkey (pre-ordered from Whole Foods)

Homemade bread sausage stuffing

Green beans with crispy onions,

Grandma Marilyn’s potato salad

Homemade cranberry sauce

Mashed potatoes

Sweet potatoes with marshmallows

Fresh green salad

Black olives (for finger dipping)

Great Great Aunt Louis Van Buskirk’s potato rolls (with homemade strawberry preserves)

Natural turkey gravy

Pumpkin pie

Mincemeat pie

Fresh apple pie

Chocolate pudding pie with whipped cream

 

Great Great Aunt Louis Van’s Potato Rolls

Annalisa tells us, “the potato roll is the bread you have on your side plate to help you push your meal onto your fork.  As an adult, I began to use a knife in civilized European style, but I am always tempted at the Thanksgiving table to go back to using the roll as a utensil because that’s what I did as a kid growing up in Lodi.  Sometimes my whole meal was roll after roll with butter and jam!”  The “secret” family recipe:

1 pkg. rapid-rise yeast

½ cup sugar

½ cup lukewarm water

1 cup mashed potatoes

2/3 cup shortening

1 cup scalded milk (cooled)

2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

In large bowl:  mash potatoes, then add sugar, shortening, salt and eggs.  Cream together well.

In small bowl:  dissolve yeast in warm water, then add lukewarm milk and stir together.  Add yeast/milk mixture to potato mixture.  Sift in enough flour to make a stiff (not sticky) dough – up to 6-7 cups.  Turn onto well floured bread board, and knead until firm.  Grease/butter the large bowl and place dough into bowl.  Cover with a damp cotton towel over the bowl rim, and let rise until doubled in size.  Turn dough back on to floured bread board and knead lightly

Option 1:  pinch of dough and place into greased and floured baking pan, allowing room to rise until doubled

Option 2:  butter top of dough & refrigerate 1.5 hours before baking; remove from refrigerator, and prepare as in Option 1.

Bake 10-20 minutes (depending on the size of the rolls) at 400°.  Tops should be golden brown and rolls should sound “hollow” when tapped.

 

Tweet
Pin It

Comments

Commenting has been turned off.
Blog Search
Recent Posts
  • January 19, 2021
    French students break down Lodi winegrowing, marketing, and its Alta Mesa appellation
  • January 13, 2021
    Alternative style Lodi wines reflecting the wave of the future — part 2, new interpretations of heritage grapes
  • January 11, 2021
    Alternative style Lodi wines reflecting the wave of the future — part 1, an unfamiliar white and red
  • January 5, 2021
    Discerning wines of the immediate future through what we know about the past and what's going in Lodi
  • December 29, 2020
    Lodi 2020: The year in pictures
  • December 27, 2020
    The small steps of Lodi growers led to giant leaps for Lodi wine country
  • December 22, 2020
    Looking on the bright side of fading old vine plantings in Lodi
  • December 17, 2020
    Our list of nice Lodi reds, rosés and fortified dessert wines for Christmas gifting and sipping
  • December 15, 2020
    A Lodi white makes the world's Top 100 list, and other Lodi whites for Christmas shopping and sipping
  • December 9, 2020
    The 1980s and 1990s — start of Lodi wine country's modern era
Our Writers
  • Randy Caparoso (804)
Blog Archives
2021
  • January 2021 (4)
2020
  • December 2020 (7)
  • November 2020 (7)
  • October 2020 (6)
  • September 2020 (7)
  • August 2020 (7)
  • July 2020 (7)
  • June 2020 (8)
  • May 2020 (8)
  • April 2020 (8)
  • March 2020 (8)
  • February 2020 (6)
  • January 2020 (6)
2019
  • December 2019 (7)
  • November 2019 (6)
  • October 2019 (6)
  • September 2019 (5)
  • August 2019 (5)
  • July 2019 (7)
  • June 2019 (6)
  • May 2019 (6)
  • April 2019 (6)
  • March 2019 (6)
  • February 2019 (5)
  • January 2019 (7)
2018
  • December 2018 (7)
  • November 2018 (7)
  • October 2018 (9)
  • September 2018 (6)
  • August 2018 (7)
  • July 2018 (8)
  • June 2018 (7)
  • May 2018 (9)
  • April 2018 (8)
  • March 2018 (9)
  • February 2018 (8)
  • January 2018 (8)
2017
  • December 2017 (6)
  • November 2017 (8)
  • October 2017 (10)
  • September 2017 (5)
  • August 2017 (6)
  • July 2017 (7)
  • June 2017 (6)
  • May 2017 (5)
  • April 2017 (7)
  • March 2017 (6)
  • February 2017 (5)
  • January 2017 (7)
2016
  • December 2016 (7)
  • November 2016 (8)
  • October 2016 (7)
  • September 2016 (7)
  • August 2016 (5)
  • July 2016 (7)
  • June 2016 (7)
  • May 2016 (6)
  • April 2016 (6)
  • March 2016 (7)
  • February 2016 (6)
  • January 2016 (5)
2015
  • December 2015 (8)
  • November 2015 (6)
  • October 2015 (7)
  • September 2015 (5)
  • August 2015 (6)
  • July 2015 (7)
  • June 2015 (6)
  • May 2015 (5)
  • April 2015 (6)
  • March 2015 (6)
  • February 2015 (7)
  • January 2015 (5)
2014
  • December 2014 (8)
  • November 2014 (5)
  • October 2014 (7)
  • September 2014 (5)
  • August 2014 (3)
  • July 2014 (5)
  • June 2014 (6)
  • May 2014 (7)
  • April 2014 (7)
  • March 2014 (5)
  • February 2014 (4)
  • January 2014 (7)
2013
  • December 2013 (8)
  • November 2013 (6)
  • October 2013 (7)
  • September 2013 (5)
  • August 2013 (6)
  • July 2013 (4)
  • June 2013 (4)
  • May 2013 (4)
  • April 2013 (5)
  • March 2013 (2)
  • February 2013 (2)
  • January 2013 (4)
2012
  • December 2012 (7)
  • November 2012 (9)
  • October 2012 (9)
  • September 2012 (7)
  • August 2012 (9)
  • July 2012 (8)
  • June 2012 (8)
  • May 2012 (9)
  • April 2012 (8)
  • March 2012 (9)
  • February 2012 (7)
  • January 2012 (9)
2011
  • December 2011 (7)
  • November 2011 (8)
  • October 2011 (7)
  • September 2011 (7)
  • August 2011 (8)
  • July 2011 (8)
  • June 2011 (9)
  • May 2011 (7)
  • April 2011 (9)
  • March 2011 (8)
  • February 2011 (8)
  • January 2011 (7)
2010
  • December 2010 (8)
  • November 2010 (6)
  • October 2010 (2)
  • September 2010 (6)
  • August 2010 (5)
Additional Resources
  • Media & Trade
  • Lodi Winegrape Commission
  • Donation Requests
  • Returns & Cancellations
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
Contact

Lodi Wine Visitor Center
2545 West Turner Road Lodi, CA 95242
209.365.0621
Open: Thursday - Sunday 12:00pm-5:00pm

Lodi Winegrape Commission
2545 West Turner Road, Lodi, CA 95242
209.367.4727
Open: Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm

Have a question? Complete our contact form.

  • © Copyright 2021 Lodi Winegrape Commission
  • Winery Ecommerce by WineDirect