Nouveau Weekend is approaching on several regional trails. It's the first taste of the recent harvest, beginning a vines to bottle sequence that in this case takes a few weeks and in others could take two to three years, including a period of aging in the bottle. This note on the wine that will find its way to many dinner tables throughout the holidays comes from Linganore Winecellars/Berrywine Plantations in Mt. Airy, Md.
Thanksgiving dishes created from autumn-harvested potatoes, apples, squash, corn and nuts have been perennial favorites since President Washington officially decreed the holiday in 1789. However, there is another edible harvested in September – the grape – that has the potential of enlivening the flavors of these and other menu items when transformed into wine. On November 1, Linganore Winecellars released its 2008 Nouveau, produced with a special variety of red grapes, grown this summer at the winery’s 60-acre Frederick County, MD vineyard. While most wines require a 1-2 year aging process, nouveau is produced in just 6 weeks, resulting in a flavor that is both floral and fruity – atypical of most red wines that are bolder and dryer.
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“Many people are unaware that there are so many styles of wines,” says Anthony Aellen, Linganore’s vintner. “Nouveau is a very different stage in the wine life. Because it is aged a short period of time, it has a low tannin level, resulting in a milder, fruitier flavor.” Not surprisingly, many white wine drinkers have enjoyed their first glass of red when introduced to a nouveau.
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Accordingly, nouveau encompasses dinner menus that traditionally are reserved for white wines. “There is a misconception that only white wine should be served with poultry and fish, and red wine served with heartier meats such as beef, pork or lamb,” says Aellen. “I believe such decisions should be based on the individual preparation of the food as opposed solely to the selection of the meat. Whites should be paired with milder recipes and reds with those that are bolder.”
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Perhaps more so than any other wine, nouveau can bridge the widest range of dinner menus – ultimately, proving to be a great conciliator among red and white wine drinkers. And, yes, Aellen says nouveau pairs well with turkey. Linganore Winecellars makes a case for Aellen’s philosophy with a special wine tasting that is paired with several inspired Thanksgiving recipes. Throughout the month of November, the public can sample Linganore wines, including Aellen’s 2008 Nouveau with cranberry fig relish, sausage cornbread and chestnut dressing, sweet potato casserole, and cheesecake with plum sauce. “Each of the recipes offers an interesting twist on its traditional preparation with the infusion of savory meat, herb, and spice flavors.”
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Recipes of each of the dishes, are included in the tasting that is offered for $5.00 a person. Aellen also refutes another common myth among wine consumers – ‘that all wines get better with age.’ “Not so with nouveau,” which, Aellen says, should be consumed within 6 months of its release. “Beyond that point, nouveau begins to loose its distinctive fruity character.”
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Linganore Winecellar’s 2008 Nouveau, produced using a hybrid grape bred by Cornell University, is a limited bottling. Being a limited bottling, this wine is available only at the winery.
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