Tuesday, November 24, 2015

5 Ways to Use Wine in your Thanksgiving Feast!

We're thankful for a wine that pairs well with turkey...and difficult relatives! We're also thankful for another great year serving up the best Missouri Wines, and thankful for all of our wonderful customers to have made this year so much fun. Thanksgiving dinner can be a melting pot of flavors, textures, and spices, so finding a wine to pair with all of that can be challenging.

Here are a few wine's that will go splendidly with your Thanksgiving feast, as well as some fun ways to incorporate wine into your meal, in more ways than just drinking it!

Thanksgiving Wine


You can't go wrong with these two Seven Springs wines with when looking for a delicious pairing with your dinner.

Pinot Noir

This medium plum wine has a beautiful garnet color that will really set off the look of your Thanksgiving feast. The berry and spice flavor will help to compliment the variety of flavors at your table, without being too powerful. This wine is medium bodied and has delectable velvety tannins with a long finish. It will make a wonderful selection for your Thanksgiving meal.

Chardonel

Red wine is generally the choice at Thanksgiving dinner, but when you want a white wine, you can't go wrong with our Chardonel. The light to medium straw color will pair well with the decor on the table, adding a sophisticated elegance only found with white wines. With its medium body and fruity toasted oak flavor, you'll find the combination ideal with your Thanksgiving dinner. 


Incorporating Wine Into Your Thanksgiving Menu


Oh, you mean the whole point of Thanksgiving isn't about celebrating wine? There are so many reasons to be thankful for wine, it tastes good by itself, it tastes good with food, and it tastes good IN food! Here are a few recipes that we dug out where you can incorporate your love for wine, and maybe introduce some new family favorites!

White Wine Turkey Brine 
Photo from Bobby's Kozy Kitchen

From: Bobby's Kozy Kitchen

Ingredients
1-quart vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups kosher salt
6 bay leaves
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 bottle of Seven Springs' Chardonel
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
8 garlic cloves, crushed but left in the skins
1 bunch (a good handful) fresh thyme
2 lemons, sliced
Cold water (enough to cover turkey)
16-pound turkey (giblet package and neck removed)

Instructions
  1. Bring the vegetable stock, salt, bay leaves, peppercorns, and mustard seeds to a boil. Stir until salt is dissolved. Cool to room temperature.
  2. Pour the brine into a 5-gallon stock pot or container. Pour in the bottle of wine, then add the shallots, garlic, thyme, and lemons. Slowly lower in the turkey.
  3. Pour enough cool water into the pot to cover the turkey. Place lid on the pot and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
  4. For a crispier crust - Remove the turkey from the brine the night before, pat it dry, and place on a baking sheet in the refrigerator uncovered overnight.

Wild Mushroom Gravy with Red Wine
Photo From The Clean Dish


Ingredients

2 tablespoon oil
1 cup chopped white onion
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced or chopped (I used Porcini, Shiitake, Oyster Mushrooms)
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
¼ cup Seven Springs' Dry Rougeon**
2 cups vegetable broth
3 tablespoons organic soy sauce
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
salt, to taste

Instructions
  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until translucent.
  2. Add mushrooms and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until they release their liquid and become tender. Stir in garlic, rosemary and thyme and continue to cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add wine and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and bring to a simmer.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce and tapioca flour to form a thick paste. Add mixture to the skillet, whisking constantly to make sure paste dissolves. Bring mixture to a boil and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add pepper and serve gravy hot.
**Since you only need a 1/4 cup...I suppose you'll just have to drink the rest!

Photo From GirlieChef.com

Spiced Red Wine Cranberry Sauce


Ingredients
3/4 cup of Seven Springs' Pinot Noir
3/4 cup granulated or raw sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 whole star anise
12 ounces whole, raw cranberries

Instructions
  1. Combine the wine, sugar, cinnamon stick, and star anise in a medium-sized pot over high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved and the wine just comes to a boil, ~3 minutes.
  2. Add the cranberries to the pot, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring from time to time until the cranberries just begin to pop, ~5 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and allow to sit until cooled to room temperature. At this point, you can transfer it to a bowl or container with a lid and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
  4. Remove cinnamon stick and star anise before transferring to a serving dish. Serve warm or cold

Tzimmes

Photo From Imperial Sugar

Ingredients
1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup fresh orange juice, plus the zest from 1 orange
1/2 cup of Seven Springs' Traminette
1/2 cup Imperial Sugar Light Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, plus more for greasing pan

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 11x7 inch baking pan and place carrots, sweet potatoes, dried cherries and dried apricots in a pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together orange juice, zest, white wine, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour over the vegetable mixture and bake for 1 hour.
  3. After 1 hour, if the liquid is completely reduced, add a touch of water. Dot with butter and bake for 30 more minutes until vegetables are tender and liquid has become a glaze.

Dark Chocolate Red Wine Truffles
Photo From Imperial Sugar


Ingredients
• 8 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons of  Seven Springs' Seven's Red Heaven
• 2 teaspoons Imperial Sugar Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder
• Cocoa powder, for dusting

Instructions
  1. Place chopped chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium-high, just until it boils. Pour hot cream directly into the bowl with chocolate, then add wine, powdered sugar, vanilla, and espresso powder. Gently whisk the mixture together until chocolate is smooth and melted. (If chocolate does not melt completely, place it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring until it melts completely.) Cover bowl, and place it in the refrigerator to set, 1 to 2 hours.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper and dust cocoa powder into a wide plate or pie dish. With a small scoop, melon baller, or spoon, scoop chocolate and form it into a ball, then roll it in cocoa powder. Place on baking sheet, then repeat with remaining chocolate.
  3. Refrigerate truffles for 30 minutes to set. Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.


Find the Best Wine at the Lake of the Ozarks

From the first course to the last, your Thanksgiving feast can have many delicious hints of your favorite Lake of the Ozarks Wine. Don't forget to stop by and pick up several bottles of the best wine at the Lake of the Ozarks before the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving from Seven Springs winery, have a wonderful time with family and friends!

Come for the wine...Stay for the atmosphere...Remember the view! 

Seven Springs is the finest Winery at the Lake of the Ozarks with a full-service facility perfect for outdoor weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners, corporate events and parties.  Call us today to make reservations for your special event!

Seven Springs Winery
573.317.0100
846 Winery Hills Estates
Linn Creek, MO 65052

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