Wine Focus - November: Fowl Play

[David M. Bueker]

So this month is a riff on the usual November question of what to have with that massive turkey dinner. Thought it made sense to broaden things a bit to see what folks do with any kind of poultry/fowl.

Chicken, despite its ability to be insanely boring, is a versatile base for wine pairings, just because it’s amenable to so many different preparations and/or seasonings. Then there’s the whole category of waterfowl and the different potential matches for duck or goose. Of course there’s the melange of Thanksgiving dinner as well.

I don’t eat as much chicken as I used to (don’t eat much meat period anymore), but I do love all the things that can go with a properly roasted bird or marinated and grilled parts.

Good subject, should be fun.

We eat quite a bit of fowl (chicken, duck, quail and the very occasional goose) but less so now that our carnivorous son no longer lives in the house. But since we eat almost no red meat, birds are the principal foil for red wine chez nous. Pinot Noir and Gamay are our go-tos with birds, though a lighter Cab Franc can also work, which makes me wonder how we're ever going to work through all the Syrah and Nebbiolo in the cellar. First world problems indeed.

[David M. Bueker]

It’s less about the “meat” and more about the prep/saucing.

It’s less about the “meat” and more about the prep/saucing.

My wife is not a big fan of most sauces (pan sauces and pasta sauces being the prominent exceptions), so most of our food preparation is on the plain side. We do eat the occasional lamb or venison as a special treat so I was being a bit hyperbolic.

[David M. Bueker]

Had some chicken this evening, and opened a Pleiades XXXII which is essentially an American Cores du Rhône despite including non-Rhône grapes. Worked great!

It’s less about the “meat” and more about the prep/saucing.

Yes. And its also about the type of fowl and, in the case of game, how long it has been hung. Here are a few thoughts.

Chicken in simple preparation - I often think that this is the "go-to" when I want to serve an elderly wine, particularly Bordeaux, whose discreet nuances could be overwhelmed by beef or lamb. For random simple chicken dishes, I am also inclined to go to a left-bank Bordeaux or a more mineral right banker (see forthcoming post on yesterday's pairing).

Chicken in rich sauces - two contrasting examples. With the formerly ubiquitous "coq au vin", conventional wisdom says use the same wine as for the cooking, i.e. use a good robust wine for the cooking. With our Norman dish "poulet vallée d'Auge" (in a creamy sauce laced with Calvados), I find that a Vouvray demi-sec from Foreau or Huet is perfect.

Duck and Goose - for their slightly more assertive flavour and more fatty texture, my first thoughts go to N.Rhône or Barolo/Barbaresco/other Piedmontese Nebbiolo. With the somewhat fatty stew recipes from SW France like "cassoulet d'oie/canard" (with beans) or "confit" of the same, regional tannic reds like Cahors and Madiran work well.

Discreetly hung game bird - my first thought here is the opportunity to serve a good Burgundy. I remember a perfect paring in the late 90s of partridge with a Volnay cru IIRC 1971 from the Camille Giroud of the good old days before they became ultra modern. N.Rhône, Barolo and some right bank Bordeaux could all work well too.

Game bird after a long hang - I avoid but, if I had to find a pairing, I would think of Belgian abbey beer or, if wine, something like a blockbusting S.Rhône, Priorat or Aglianico from S.Italy.

[David M. Bueker]

I am right with you on a roast chicken as a wonderful pairing for Bordeaux.