Spirit Guide
l u f t h g i l e D
DAY of
DRINKING There are no strict rules for choosing Thanksgiving wine, except maybe to sip while you cook BY DARBY DOYLE
Noelia Bebelia Albariño
I
t seems an almost impossible task, picking a wine (or two) to go with the myriad rich, savory, sweet and saucy components of the most hodge-podge holiday meal, Thanksgiving. Here are two sommeliers’ selections to help navigate the fray. Stephanie Cuadra of Terrestoria Wines splits her time as a wine importer living in Milan, Italy, and Salt Lake City. She’s especially attuned to the many working parts of pairing wine with a wide range of food. “Growing up in a Mexican family with Spanish roots, I always saw paella served alongside our turkey,” she says. Cuadra’s picks for the table have similar international flavors in mind. Noelia Bebelia Albariño ($25.99) from the Adega San Salvador de Soutomaior estate, is a mineral-forward white wine with bright acidity from the northwestern corner of
70 Devour Utah • NOVEMBER 2018
Quarta Generazione Spain. “[It’s] a classic pairing for seafood specialties, yet also a delightful complement to white meats and ethnic dishes with a touch of spice,” Cuadra says. A food-friendly red, Quarta Generazione ($33.99) is made from aglianico del Vulture grapes grown on the slopes of extinct volcano Mount Vulture. “This is elegance you want to drink, and eat with,” Cuadra advises. “Rather than drowning out flavors of food, this wine puts a lovely accent on supper” with earthy spice, bright red cherry and vibrant acidity. Sonia Spadaro Mulone is the estate winemaker for Santa Maria La Nave located on Italy’s Mount Etna. A childhood dish she remembers growing up in Sicily is cudduruni, a savory focaccia-style folded crust pie filled with vegetables or sausage. “If I were preparing Thanksgiving dinner in Utah, I would serve this specialty from my hometown Lentini,” she says. “It