theswirlingdervish

Golden Bordeaux Meets Savory Pumpkin and Smoked Bacon Tart: a Delicious Thanksgiving Twist (#Winophiles)

As we prepare for the holidays, what better time to rethink some of our traditions? Most of us are scaling down the festivities this year, looking forward to a more “normal” season in 2021. While it might not be what we’re used to, Thanksgiving 2020 offers a chance to try new recipes and wine pairings; with fewer critics at the table, we’re free to shake things up a bit and have some (much-needed) fun.

I’ve got a great idea for you!

Why not consider the sweet white wines of Bordeaux?

Delicious line-up of Golden Bordeaux

They’re more food-friendly than you might think, thanks to their high levels of acidity which create exquisite balance on the palate. And wines with a touch of sweetness play nicely with those hard-to-pair dishes like candied yams and cranberry sauce.

Saturday, November 21st, the French Winophiles (led by hosts Jeff of FoodWineClick and Linda of My Full Wine Glass) will convene on Twitter to discuss their favorite pairings with golden Bordeaux wines. Take a look at the line-up of bloggers and topics below; if you’re eager to learn more, please join our chat at 11 am EST. Just follow #Winophiles and make sure to add it to your tweets so we’ll know you’re there!

Golden Bordeaux with salty, savory snacks? Absolutely!

Last year I participated in a tasting of golden Bordeaux wines. Sponsored by Snooth and guided by Mary Gorman McAdams, MW, the discussion was eye-opening and entertaining. We were challenged to rethink the sweet white wines of Bordeaux, especially their place on the dinner table. That event piqued my curiosity about savory pairings for these wines and led me to conduct my own “research” on the subject.

In total I came up with five pairings including roast porchetta and a porky pizza; I even recreated a vegetarian dish from one of my favorite restaurants in NYC. The exercise was tons of delicious fun; my post about it even won the Millésima Blog Award for Food and Wine Pairing earlier this year.

Savory pumpkin and smoked bacon tart fresh out of the oven.

I’m going to revisit one of those pairings this Thanksgiving – a savory pumpkin and smoked bacon tart. Gabe and I will be on our own this year, and we’ve decided to order our dinner from a local restaurant rather than cook. But, over the weekend, I’ll be making this scrumptious tart for a leisurely brunch. The recipe is perfect as a main course for four, or as a starter for six. And it’s as easy as it is delicious.

Decadent brunch offering: Golden Bordeaux and savory pumpkin and bacon tart.

2011 Château Dauphiné Rondillon Loupiac with Savory Pumpkin and Smoked Bacon Tart

April, a contributor to the blog Wine Travel Eats has posted the most tempting recipes; when I saw this one, I knew it would make a fabulous pairing with Golden Bordeaux. To tell the truth, I went hog-wild over the combo: smoky, salty, earthy flavors in the tart found their mates in the Loupiac. And the wine had plenty of acidity, helping to cut the richness of the dish. Get the recipe here.

If you conduct your own savory experiments with Golden Bordeaux, do drop a line in the comments section. I’d love to see what you come up with!

Cheers, and Happy Thanksgiving!

33 comments

  6. Your (and Amber’s) tart is on my list, we love these flavors. I wish you and Gabe a cozy holiday… we’re on our own too and will be thinking of you. And again congratulations on your win, I just enjoyed reading your article again!

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    Reply

    • Thanks Lynn. It’s been a crazy couple of months and we’re looking forward to some quiet time, even if that means Thanksgiving alone. Wishing you and Mark a nice day, too; you definitely have it coming!

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