This year we’ll be out of town for Thanksgiving.  It’s a new chapter in our celebration of this annual eating extravaganza – away from our own kitchen and an established menu.  

Wine under the tree!

Wine under the tree!

Rather than over the river and through the woods, we’re headed down I-95 to JFK, not to Grandmother’s house, but to sunny California. It’s a long way from New England and the first Pilgrim feast, but we’re looking forward to some west coast menu variations.

We’ll be with our son and his family in Los Angeles but won’t have access to a kitchen.  When we’ve gone to another house in past years, it’s always been from our home.  Cooking and bringing some of our favorite dishes keeps us in the game.   

Our son has kindly said to just bring ourselves and be guests. A noble sentiment and a generous offer, but he’s missing the point. Thanksgiving centers around the cooking and eating. Taking out the cooking part subtracts from the experience.  Don’t misunderstand: we’re happy to be guests. I think, though, that I’ll miss some time in the kitchen. Maybe I’ll get on the clean up crew.

Morgan tasting room in Carmel

Morgan tasting room in Carmel

Since there’s no opportunity to cook, I offered to bring some wine, a local product in the Monterey area where we’re visiting. Supermarkets have impressive aisles of wine, from nearby, across the state, and around the world. Wineries maintain tasting rooms in the towns, in shopping centers, clustered in tourist areas, and near the vineyards.  I set myself the task of visiting a few.

Cool mornings, warm afternoons, and ocean breezes favor Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in this region – both good fits for the Thanksgiving menu.  We’re not in apple country, so hard cider is not an option.

Chardonnays from this area tend to be the big oaky west coast style with buttery, caramel notes – not my favorite. But there is a rising interest in un-oaked Chardonnay with tropical fruit aromas and a lighter, crisp, clean finish – more refreshing with the rich Thanksgiving menu.

morgan-winesPinot Noir thrives in the same climate. Vineyard sites are important for this finicky grape. Hillside fruit from the Santa Lucia Highlands makes wine of more complexity and depth than the flat Salinas Valley floor. Wines from vineyards like Sleepy Hollow, Double L, Rosella’s, and Gary’s are sought after.  

Talbott Vineyards, out in the Carmel Valley, is one of our favorite tasting stops.  Their Kali Hart Chardonnay has always been pleasing, but is a little too woody for the turkey day menu.  Looking for an un-oaked style, we tried Carmel Valley Road winery and J.McFarland.   

packed-picks-at-the-taste-of-morgan

Packed picks at the tasting room.

The Morgan Winery, one of the region’s best sources for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, has a tasting room that is near to where we’re staying.  We went there with our Thanksgiving needs and returned with three wines: Metallico their un-oaked Monterey County Chard, rich with chardonnay flavor and a round finish but no mouth-fatiguing woodiness; a honeyed Riesling from the Double L Vineyard; and their flagship Twelve Clones Pinot Noir with cherry notes in the nose and a delicate smoky finish.

It’s hard for New Englanders to get in the mood with all this sunshine and warmth. Yes, you get some of the usual signals: bins of turkeys in the stores, Christmas decorations going up, signs advertising Christmas tree lots, but something isn’t quite as it should be.

Local berries

Local berries

California, though, is the land of year-round plenty. The struggling Pilgrims, grateful for the help of Squanto and his fellow Wampanoags, couldn’t have imagined a steady supply of strawberries, avocados, and artichokes. Looking west from the rocky New England hills, they never saw the endless valleys, flat as a table, rich with fertile soil, where the biggest rocks would fit in your pocket.  The miracle of winter oranges, year round salad, and a steady stream of green vegetables never occurred to them.  

So we’ll see what the Californians come up with for Thanksgiving dinner.

There will be some vegetarians there, adding another dimension to the feast.  Besides the turkey and gravy, Thanksgiving is heavy on vegetables.  I’m eager to see what the vegetarians are bringing to the table.  There are some good cooks involved. I’m assured, though, that there will be a turkey.  

A Connecticut farmer in our family says, “Cooking and eating together are a means of developing and enriching relationships.”  I couldn’t agree more. Thanksgiving is the one day when we’re conscious of it, but it happens every day.   

She also suggests that supporting your local farmer is best.  In Connecticut, that means delicious, fresh-picked end of season vegetables from family farms. Here in California it means almost anything you want from large industrial farms as well.  Either way, local is best.

As important as Thanksgiving dinner is, for some the leftovers are even more important.  A late night turkey sandwich, seconds on pie, a dinner reheat the next day, turkey casserole, or a hearty soup are just as exciting as the main event. Since we’re on the road, our leftover prospects are a little chancy.  There will surely be some and we’re invited on Friday to another house for a leftover buffet, but without our own kitchen we’re dependant on the generosity of others. That should work out pretty well in the Thanksgiving season.

morgan-wines-and-vineyards