Last year we spent Thanksgiving weekend with our good friends and Corona-pod buddies Lucy and Drew. The feasting was not limited to just one day. We were only four people, but we collectively cooked for a full house as this group tends to go a little over the top. This meant LOTS of leftovers and many opportunities for leftover makeovers. PLUS, lots of wines pairing to go with it all. 

Last year I started an intended tradition of sharing the previous year’s feast and pairings. Given the copious amount of food last year, I’ll also be sharing all of those ideas to use up your leftovers as well!

Also, check out my Thanksgiving Pairing Guide Round Up.

Note: This post contains sample bottles. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own. 

THE FEAST

The menu for the day included:

• Rolled turkey with sausage stuffing wrapped in bacon. Drew ordered this out, and we all focused on the rest
• Herbed mushrooms, similar to how my mom makes them 
• Cornbread stuffing with chiles and green onions 
• Potatoes Gregoire topped with cheddar and green onions 
• Brussels sprouts tossed in bacon jam 
• Butternut squash with brown butter and crispy sage
• Pan de Jamón, Venezuelan bread stuffed with ham, raisins, and olives)
• Black bottom oatmeal pie and custard apple custard pie with whipped cream

The feast day wines:

(Mind you, we didn’t actually finish all of these that night.)

While we cooked and noshed on apps we enjoyed J Winery Brut Russian River Valley, Kivelstadt Cellars The Family Secret Indian Springs Ranch Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma Valley 2018, and Twill Cellars Rosé of Pinot Noir Molly's Vineyard Willamette Valley 2019. These are all great crowd-pleasers that will pair happily with lighter fare. Plus, it’s a celebratory day, so gotta have some bubbly!

Domaine Ostertag Pinot Gris Alsace 2012 was our bridge wine leading into dinner as it also works easily with most of the dishes on the table, but particularly dishes with a hint of sweetness like the butternut squash, and the the bit of age on this one only helped align the flavors. I think it also matches nicely with slightly richer dishes. 

Pinot Noir is a Thanksgiving classic because of its ability to match with many dishes in the feast. New World version, in particular, have the fruit to work with a lot of those tricky, slightly sweet dishes too, but they also tend to have a savory, herbal quality that works with those flavors as well. Our selection was from Melville Winery Estate Pinot Santa Rita Hills 2010. Scribe Winery’s St. Laurent Carneros 2017 played a similar role, but from an unexpected grape, so it’s a fun choice for those who want to try something a little different.    

We all enjoyed a little L. Garnier Chartreuse as a digestif to make it all go down easier. 

Makeover 1 -Turkey Sandwiches

Well, obviously. They’re always a must after Thanksgiving.  .  . However, these might’ve been a little bit extra. Drew torched the slices of rolled turkey stuffed with sausage, layered on lardo, and piled it all on slices of challah bread. These were particularly delightful with a little mustard. Given that this was a pretty indulgent sandwich, a simple green salad on the side was definitely called for. 

We took a break from vino for lunch. 

Makeover 2 – Steak, Potatoes, and Veggie Gratin

We took a little break from turkey with dry-aged steak which Drew prepared sous vide finished with herbs and butter. On the side, we had a second round of Potatoes Gregoire, because they're just awesome as is. 

The actual leftover makeover came into play with the veggies. I turned the Brussels sprouts and butternut squash into a gratin. 

You can easily turn most leftover veggies into a gratin with this non-recipe formula: Make a bechamel, melt in cheese, pour it all over veggies in a baking dish, sprinkle a little more cheese on top along with some bread crumbs, then bake it all at 350° F until its all bubbly and browning on top.

We this round of feasting we enjoyed Thee & Thou El Rucio Grenache and Syrah Santa Ynez 2017 while cooking and to start. It’s medium-bodied, with both ripe fruit and freshness, and very versatile. It’s great on its own and with food, particularly the gratin in this case. 

The steak could certainly take a bigger wine, so stepped things up to Starmont Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2006, which worked beautifully with the meatiness.  

The boys had a little Nikka Coffey Grain Whisky at some point along the way. We also had some Kopke White Port Colheita 2003 as a digestif. 

Makeover 3 - Hangover Hash Brunch

This group has a longstanding tradition of making "Hangover Hash" for brunch at least once during every multi-day gathering. Despite the name, no hangover is actually required and non was involved this time around. 

All that’s required for this non-recipe is that you crisp up some leftover potatoes, sauté and add in onions if you have them, then add in any leftover veggies you think will go well, followed up with any leftover proteins you want –– in this case, we added in steak from the night before, but turkey, ham, or all of the above, work too. Top it all with a fried egg and serve. It never disappoints! 

We also had a side of holiday fruit and yogurt to go along with our hash, since at this point something lighter was definitely needed! I mixed baking spices and a little maple syrup in the yogurt, then added a pinch of ground clove to orange slices and raspberries to give them a holiday feel. It was super yummy and definitely brought the lighter element needed.

Drink up any remnant from bottles, or switch things up in favor of a beer or bloody mary, or just give your liver a break. All good, no judgments.

Makeover 4 - Turkey Pot Pie

Turkey Pot Pie is always a contender for my favorite Thanksgiving leftover makeover. So comforting!

Here’s the non-recipe: Sweat a diced-up onion or shallot until translucent. Add in a couple of diced up cloves of garlic if you want once the onions are nearly cooked, then add in your turkey and any leftover veggies you want to use up that you think will work. I used mushrooms and butternut squash here, and you can also bulk it up with additions like frozen peas. Pour in your leftover gravy, plus a little more chicken or turkey stock or water to dilute it down to a soupy consistency. Feel free to season with herbs and spice. Allow everything to simmer. Pour it all into an oven-safe dish if it isn't already in one. Put your crust on top. I made a biscuit topping to put on top, but to make this even easier use store-bought pie dough or flaky pastry dough. Bake it all at 350°F until everything is bubbly and the topping is golden, and serve. 

If you prefer more of a recipe, find one here. (Plus, you'll find a couple of extra leftover makeovers.)

We were pretty sure that this Caprili Brunello di Montalcino 2008 was going to be a good pairing, but it turned out even better than we’d expected. AMAZING combo. I was sure it would work with the mushrooms, but the wine had gained sweet-savory notes in its age that were absolutely beautiful with the squash and sauce as well.

Makeover 5 – Dueling Croquettes

Things got a little competitive for this round of leftover makeovers. Drew and I went head to head in a duel to use up more leftovers.

I made stuffing croquettes out of the cornbread stuffing with chiles and green onions. Here’s the non-recipe: This stuffing was super flavorful, so I didn't feel like I had to do much in terms of flavoring. I added a little shredded cheese plus an egg for binding, then formed the mixture into balls. I rolled the formed balls around in flour, whisked egg, and bread crumbs, then fried them up until crispy.  I served them with cheese sauce and hot sauce.  

Drew made arancini with a bit of an Asian spin. These were rice balls with turkey/sausage fried up until crispy – kind of similar to Japanese Spam Musubi, but with the leftover meats instead. He then topped them with seared lardo and a spicy sauce. (I can’t give you a non-recipe since this one wasn’t mine.)

It might've been a dual, but there were no losers here since it was all delicious! (Plus, I think we each think we won.)

We had these with Symington Altano Branco Douro 2019 (sample), which made a lovely pairing for both croquettes. Afterward, we also tried a Quinta da Foz Douro 2017 and it was also delicious. Both of these wines have a balance of richness and brightness to match both the texture of the food and liven up the palate. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

And if you’re looking for ideas for how to use up leftovers, here are a few ideas:
Mushroom, Kale, and Ham Quiche
Turkey Enchiladas
Stuffed Acorn Squash
Post Turkey Day Leftover Makeover Trio 

Roast chicken is one of my favorite comfort foods and Chardonnay is my favorite pairing to go with it. Two affordable, organic versions from Bonterra in California and Cono Sur in Chile go head to head to see which works best in this showdown.

The wines in today's post were provided as media samples. Note that no other compensation was received and all opinions are my own. 

We all have our favorite comfort foods we run to when we need the food equivalent of a hug . . . or maybe just because. I think wine lovers often extend this idea to the whole meal –– the food, plus the go-to wine pairing that you know will just work. In my book, roasted chicken and Chardonnay are one such dynamic duo. They’re besties. 

I love that roast chicken can be a dinner party centerpiece, but it’s also an extremely practical everyday dinner. It allows me to make a simple dinner one night that yields dividends for days afterward via the leftovers that I use a hundred different ways. This utilitarian side to the dish makes me love it all the more because it makes my life easier, so it’s on pretty regular rotation in our house. As such, I get to try a lot of different wines with it (I mention quite a few here), and depending on the seasoning and sides, many different things can work solidly well. Nonetheless, Chardonnay is my favorite overall match. I’ll also say that I think this is a particularly good case for oaked, buttery, and/or riper styles, which aren’t typically my preference. This is their time to shine. 

This is doubly true if the accompanying sides include slightly sweet root vegetables or winter squashes. A riper fruit profile stands up to sweetness without turning bitter, and the spice notes coming from oak complement the toasty notes from the mallard reactions on the chicken, as well as the flavors in sweeter vegetables like butternut squash. 

Years ago now, I had an experience that solidified Chardonnay’s reign in this domain. I was working on a story while still at Wine Spectator that included a roast chicken dinner. The night we made said dinner to shoot it, several wine professionals were invited to this dinner, and we’d pulled a few different bottles we thought would pair nicely. Many contenders we wine geeks love to champion were thrown into the ring. In the end, though, one by one we all had to begrudgingly hand the pairing win to an oaked California Chardonnay from a large grocery store brand. (Not a big wine geek favorite.) The experience really checked my snobby side. Every wine has its place, and Chardonnay dominates here. Although I admit that I still try to up the game by looking for more elegant versions of the style. (It’s really funny to think about how huffy we all were about having to hand the win over this wine.)

Moving on from the anecdotal tangent now . . . 

I thought it would be fun to have another little roast chicken and wine showdown, but this time it’s a battle between Chardonnays. It’s a battle between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Cono Sur's Organic Chardonnay will be representing Chile, and Bonterra's Chardonnay will be representing California. Both are similar in quality and price point –– and I’m happy to say, it’s a price point suitable for every day.

I fully believe in trying to buy the most conscientiously produced products that fit into our budget. I think that’s extra important for things we eat all the time, so when it comes to chicken, I try to buy organic or heirloom versions whenever I can. Similarly, I try to shop for organic produce and/or at the farmers market as much as my budget allows. I think it only makes sense to extend this same principle to the wines we buy. While I’m not dogmatic about a particular philosophy, I try to buy wines that are conscientiously and sustainably made because it’s better for both us and the planet. (I think/hope that’s represented on this blog as a whole.) After all, we put a lot of wine in our bodies around here. What’s nice about the two wines today is that they show that sustainably made wines – both wines are made with organic grapes– can be both affordable and widely available. We’ll get to know them better in a moment. 

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

The two wines were paired alongside a very simply prepared spatchcock roast chicken. You can find my general recipe here, although this version was even simpler in that I seasoned it only with salt and pepper. (I didn’t rub butter and herbs under the skin as I did in the previous recipe.) 

I did throw some lemon slices, oregano, celery, and onions in the pan with the chicken to add flavor to the jus, since I’d been planning to make a pan sauce to accompany the chicken. You can find the recipe for the sauce at the end. You can certainly skip the sauce and just serve the chicken with that delicious jus on the side, or you can roast vegetables in the drippings, which is also delicious, but I find that making a sauce elevates the meal and makes everything feel more elegant and decadent in one move. It really classes up the joint. 

To accompany my chicken, I roasted some butternut squash at 425°F in olive oil with salt, pepper, along with a pinch of chile pepper, and oregano until the squash was cooked through and starting to brown and caramelize. I also had some previously roasted rosemary potatoes on hand, so I decided to serve those alongside as well. 

The Chardonnays

Both of the wines paired really well overall with our chicken dinner. Both were pretty classic representations of Chardonnay and solid values at their price points, especially when you consider that both are made with grapes that are certified organic, although one saw contact and one saw little or no oak contact. By this token, one was riper and richer, and the other was a little sleeker and showed more minerality. Greg and I agreed that both wines got even better with the food, as is the case with really good pairings. However, the differences in the wines meant that they each worked a little better with different aspects of the food. That said, this is mostly splitting hairs, and while interesting to experience from a wine geek perspective, you’re really good to go with either one.

Let’s take a closer look at our two contenders.

Bonterra Chardonnay California 2020

SRP: $ 14 Alcohol: 13.5%

Bonterra has been organically farming their vineyards for over 30 years, since 1987. They do also source grapes from other vineyards, but all of the grapes that go into their wines are certified organic. They also have three estate vineyards that are certified biodynamic, and they strive to make sustainable choices at all levels, using sheep instead of tractors to manage weeds and exclusively running on green power – they’re certified Zero Waste and Carbon Neutral. They’re a Certified B Corp, and as such are committed to supporting their community and are giving back through educational outreach, in addition to being committed to sustainability. They have also helped many of their farming partners to convert to organic farming. 

You can read more about their commitments and initiatives on their website here and here.

Winemaking: Grapes from throughout California including a large portion from their own organically-farmed estate vineyards in Mendocino. They ferment 70% of the juice in a combination of French and American oak, which is allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation for richness and spice. The remaining 30% is fermented in stainless steel to preserve the crisp fresh fruit flavors. Most of the wine is aged in previously-used or neutral oak to allow fresh fruit characteristics to shine through. New oak was used for 15% of the wine to give the wine a vanilla note.

Info is taken from the tech sheet for this wine. For additional information, see here.

Tasting Notes: A ripe style of Chardonnay with notes of pineapple, melon, vanilla, apple, peach, and honeysuckle on the nose. The same notes continued on the palate with vanilla cream, as well as lemon. It made me think of spiced pineapple with a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of vanilla whipped cream on top. It was medium+ in body with a luscious mouthfeel but had the acidity to back it up.

How it Worked: This definitely had the riper fruit profile of the two wines. On its own, Greg felt it was too oaky for his taste. I agreed that the oak was more prominent on this wine, but felt it was well integrated with the fuller body and the ripe fruit notes. We both agreed it was the winner with bites that involved more butternut squash and integrated with those flavors beautifully. Definitely, a great choice when there are flavors on your plate that have a touch of sweetness. 

I’ve previously taken a look at one of their Merlots in this post. 

Cono Sur Organic Chardonnay Chile 2020

SRP: $ 11.99 Alcohol: 13.5%

Cono Sur is a subsidiary of Concha y Toro, which was my gateway into Chilean wines. Casillero del Diablo was a go-to for Greg and me for years in our 20s. They were established with the goal of targeting the fine wine export market in Chile, and they see quality, innovation, and sustainability as the pillars of going after their goal. They farm over 700 acres organically and were Chile’s first winery to receive organic certification. At present, 83% of their energy needs are supplied by solar panels and have implemented methods to reduce their water usage, with 27% drop since 2015. They’re also a Certified B Corp and so strive for sustainability, as well as well-being for their workers and community. Today’s wine is also certified vegan. 

Greater detail about their commitments to sustainability and community are laid out on their website here and here.

Winemaking: I don’t have the details on the 2020 vintage, but past vintages have consisted of certified organic grapes from a mix of cool-climate regions that are fairly close to the ocean. The 2019 vintage aged for 6 to 12 months in stainless steel tanks. (5% of the wine was aged in barrel in 2017, so we can probably guess that if the wine saw barrel time in 2020, it was likely a very little bit.)

You can find information on the 2017 vintage here. 

Tasting Notes: Lemon, green and gold apples, white peach, and vanilla blossom on both the nose and on the palate. A stony note joined in on the finish as well. It was also medium + in body, but a touch less full than the Bonterra, with a fruit profile that was ripe (although a little less by comparison), but also a little more crisp and bright. 

How it Worked: Greg definitely preferred this wine on its own. I probably did as well as I thought the touch of minerality gave this wine a little extra elegance. However, I also thought that aspects of the flavors were less integrated. We both agreed that this wine took the win with bites with rosemary potatoes. This a very good option if you want a Chardonnay for roast chicken, as it has a good amount of ripe fruit character, but you prefer unoaked styles.

Leftover Makeover: Chicken & Butternut Squash White Pizza

Since we had wine and chicken leftover from our first dinner, a few days later we brought them together again. I decided to shred up the chicken breast, crispy chicken skin, and butternut squash and used it to top a sourdough pizza. I made a béchamel with a little Parmesan cheese and mixed it with some of the pan sauce I’d made and used that for the pizza sauce. The result tasted like pizza and chicken pot pie had a very tasty baby. The wines worked similarly well with this round, with the Bonterra working a little better with bites with butternut squash, and the Cono Sur working slightly better with bites without, however, the results were even closer this time. 

sauce, pan sauce

sauce

Servings: varies

By: Nicole Ruiz Hudson

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Basic Pan Sauce

Prep Time: 5 MinCooking Time: 15 MinTotal Time: 20 Min

This is a non-recipe with the basics for how to make a pan sauce. It can easily be varied a million ways using different herbs, spices, and other flavorings. I shared an earlier version of the sauce here.

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp butter 
• 2 Tbsp flour 
• OR you can also use Wondra Flour in place of the butter and flour
• ½ to ¾ quart chicken stock
• Juice of 1 lemon or wine
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Transfer the drippings from the pan to a separate container and set aside, straining out any blackened bits.
2. Wipe out any remaining really black bits from the pan—brown bits are a good thing, but black scorched bits will turn the sauce bitter. Return the pan to the stove, then deglaze pan with wine (if using) or a couple of tablespoons of water or chicken stock. Add the butter to the pan and melt over medium heat, then add the flour. Stir to incorporate and create a roux, then cook until starting to smell lightly toasted. (Note: If the chicken cooking fat is still in good condition, you can also use some that for the roux in place of some of the butter.) Alternatively, if using Wondra Flour, make a slurry according to package instructions, then gradually add to the sauce after the stock in the next step.
3. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the lemon juice. Once the chicken drippings have settled, skim off and discard the majority of the fat, then add to the sauce. (You can also add in any juices that may have accumulated from the resting chicken. roast chicken.) Cook the sauce until it reduces and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
4. Once thickened, adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, lemon juice, or wine as desired. Remove from heat, then swirl in any additional herbs, if using. A little extra pat of butter added at this point can also help smooth over any harsh edges and can create a creamier, more luxurious mouthfeel.

https://www.sommstable.com/2021/09/chardonnay-and-chicken-showdown-chile-vs-california.html

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @thesommstable on instagram and hashtag it #sommstable

• Robin Bell Renken brings Organic Wine – Sustainability and Beyond (Plus Recommendations and Pairings to Crushed Grape Chronicles
• Camilla Mann suggests Sustainably Sourced Seafood + Organic Wines: Rock Crab Claw Crêpes with Bonterra’s 2020 Chardonnay on Culinary Adventures with Camilla.
• Wendy Klik is Drinking and Dining Sustainably and Organically on A Day in the Life on the Farm.
• Terri Oliver Steffes sees Slow Wines and Organic Farming with Lettuce Grow at Our Good Life
• Nicole Ruiz Hudson presents a Chardonnay and Chicken Showdown: Chile vs. California on Somm's Table
• David Crowley offers an Organic Wine Pairing with Veggie Burgers on Cooking Chat
• Linda Whipple suggests Vegan Black Bean Burgers and Organic Wine: a Planet-Conscious Pairing on My Full Wine Glass
• Cynthia and Pierre Ly present Mystery Organic Wine “Le Vendangeur Masqué” with Crêpes Dinner and Economics on Traveling Wine Profs
• Jennifer Gentile Martin considers Organic Wines with Pasta and Shrimp on Vino Travels
• Pinny Tam goes with Organic White Wines: Bonterra Chardonnay, Cono Sur Chardonnay & Sauvignon Blanc Paired With Asian Vegan Dishes on Chinese Food and Wine Pairings
• Martin Redmond offers Sustainable Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Paired with White Pizza on ENFYLZ Wine Blog.
• On Wine Predator, Sue Hill and Gwendolyn Alley have AmByth’s Natural Wines, Biodynamic Farming for the Future.