Albuquerque, NM November 2023

Giving thanks to the people who serve the community

A R T S + C U LT U R E

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LIFESTYLE LETTER

Thankful

November 2023 PUBLISHER

Rich Ringrose | rich.ringrose@citylifestyle.com EDITOR

Richard Lakin | richard.lakin@citylifestyle.com

As many of you know, each issue of Albuquerque City Lifestyle has a monthly theme. This month the theme is "Thankful". Sadly, for many of us we only think about what we are thankful for around November and during the holidays.

While I am not always successful, I try to catch myself at times throughout the day to pause and think of something I am thankful for. As someone who spent many years in Connecticut with the cold and snow, more recent years in Virginia with the humidity, hurricanes, and ice, I am thankful for the path that led me to Albuquerque and for the amazing weather we have here. That is a very easy thing to be thankful for with all the sunshine we have. What can be difficult is to be thankful for the challenges we face in life that ultimately make us more resilient, wiser, compassionate, and empathetic. I am also thankful that you are reading our magazine. What are you thankful for?

I would also like to recognize Roadrunner Food Bank. Hunger is unacceptable in Albuquerque and anywhere in our nation. I would also like to recognize Casa Esperanze for taking care of patients and their families while they are receiving medical treatment.

CONTR IBUTING WR ITER S

Andrea Jacquin, Don Seaman, Richard Lakin CONTR IBUTING PHOTOGR APHER S

Kelli Johansson, K.Denise Husted, Richard Lakin

RICH RINGROSE, PUBLISHER @A LB U Q U E RQ U E _ CIT Y_ LI FE S T Y LE

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Proverbs 3:5-6 Albuquerque City Lifestyle™ is published monthly by Lifestyle Publications LLC. It is distributed via the US Postal Service to some of the Albuquerque area’s most affluent neighborhoods.

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inside the issue The Thankful Issue

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F E ATU R E D

D E PA RTM E NTS

12 Thank You for your Service

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Lifestyle Letter

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City Scene

10

Business Monthly

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Must See LI FE + C U LT U R E

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Artist’s Palette A RTS + C U LT U R E

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Giving Back LO CA L S ERV I C ES

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Pet Friendly LO CA L S ERV I C ES

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Locally Sourced LO CA L S ERV IC E S

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Inspired By ENT ERTA I NMENT

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Events

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Chef ’s Selection FO O D + B EV E R AG E

“These things we do, that others may live.”

16 Roswell, New Mexico Not just a UFO site

26 Thanks for the Music

New Mexico music finds a national audience

O N T H E C OV E R

Photography: K. Denise Husted Captain Jack O’Neill is an instructor pilot with the United States Air Force who serves at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque. He currently teaches the 512th Rescue Squadron.

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city scene

Where neighbors can see and be seen.

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1: The Paywa family wait for the NM State Fair parade to begin on Central Ave 2: Manuel and Kinna offer their chile products to shoppers Marisa and Aloncra/ Downtown Growers’ Market 3: Laura McIndoo (R) explains her work to Kathleen Colbeck/ Sandia Heights Annual Studio Art Tour Photography by Albuquerque City Lifestyle magazine

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Thank You for your

Service “These things we do, that others may live.”

ARTICLE BY ANDREA JACQUIN PHOTOGRAPHY BY K.DENISE HUSTED AND RICHARD LAKIN

Captain O'Neill and the HH-60W

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M UST SE E | L IFE + CU LTURE

Captain Jack "Sparrow" O'Neill

As the US Air Force’s fifth-largest installation, Kirtland Air Force Base’s economic impact is significant, making up more than 10% of the Albuquerque economy and accounting for 13% of local jobs.

We spoke to Captain Jack O’Neill at Kirtland, an instructor pilot with more than 1000 flight hours with the United States Air Force. He attended Kansas State University and studied political science, aerospace and leadership studies. He currently teaches the 512th Rescue Squadron at Kirtland Air Force Base. The student flight commander teaches his pilots how to fly a combat rescue helicopter called the HH-60W Jolly Green. O’Neill’s students are trained and ready to handle flying into combat in any hostile region. Rescue missions are not a new concept to O’Neill.

As a child he worked for seven years as a lifeguard and feels he was always called to that type of mission. Now he trains future pilots how to handle personnel recovery as well as combat search and rescue missions. O’Neill was commissioned through the

ROTC while attending college and receiving his Bachelor of Science in political science.

He completed his undergrad pilot training at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma. He says,” I fell in love with the crew coordination and flying in formation. I saw two options… fly fighters or fly helicopters.” Typically, airmen are assigned jets based on air crew and serviceability. O’Neill liked the idea of having a helicopter to call his own.

O’Neill moved to Fort Rucker in Alabama. He graduated and scored high enough to get into the rescue community and fly modified Blackhawk helicopters.

Now as student Flight Commander he manages over 100 students at Kirtland. He has flown the T-6, TH-1, and the HH 60G helicopters. He was also one of the first to train on the HH-60W and bring the new aircraft online for the Air Force.

He says none of the missions are the same.

“You have to think outside the box.” In 2017 his commander asked, “Do you want to go to Africa? O’Neill said, “Yes, absolutely, we all want to get that first deployment.”

O’Neill’s wife, who is also a Captain and weapons instructor, was excited for him as well. Being in similar positions they speak the same language and understand the demands of the job.

In Feb. 2018 he deployed to the Horn of Africa, a conflict-prone region, located in Northeastern Africa. During this mission O’Neill was working on mission coordination. He worked on the ground to air request, launched the crew, and coordinated the transfer of patients from the helicopter to surgery. Crews were alerted to scramble a nine-line casualty evacuation. A nine line is an emergency evacuation request and can often make the difference between life and death for wounded soldiers.” It was the most severe alert… an immediate scramble.” O’Neill says, “We are their emergency help.” That was especially true on this day. “We were ready to go and help people.” Four Americans were injured.

This was just the beginning of O’Neill’s lifesaving missions. O’Neill was promoted to Captain in September of 2018.

CONTINUED >

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M UST SE E | L IFE + CU LTURE

“SPEED IS THE KEY. THEY CALL IT THE GOLDEN HOUR. IF WE CAN GET AN INJURED PERSON HELP WITHIN AN HOUR, WE CAN SAVE THEIR LIFE.” -CAPTAIN JACK O’NEILL

O’Neill says the main duties on a mission are to get the data, create a tactical game plan, infiltrate through enemy territory, and “go where the fight is and pick the people up. “The goal is to look at the overall threat, avoid it ideally, and reduce the risk.” O’Neill says, “We are the emergency button that people hit. They need a lifeline. We are here so your worst day is not your last day and I think that is a worthy cause.”

O’Neill [OJWCUA5R1] was sent back to the Horn of Africa in 2019 “this time I got to fly on the formation. We had a mass causality event with an explosive device and 9 injuries. Our standard operation is to fly with two helicopters, but because of the severity, we launched a third helicopter.” O’Neill says, “Speed is the key. They call it the golden hour. If we can get an injured person help within an hour, we can save their life.” On that deployment, the crew was attacked with 120-millimeter mortar. “We hid on the other side of a barrier and ran from that bunker into the next one. Running through that was the scariest and coolest thing I’ve ever done, and I never want to do that again.” He earned his callsign “Sparrow” after the mortar attack on his second deployment in 2019.

Rescue pilots fly domestically and internationally helping fellow military personnel and civilians or aiding in disaster relief. Last year O’Neill helped transfer a terminal cancer patient who was not going to make it through the night. He needed to be transferred quickly from Georgia to a specialty hospital in Florida.

Logistical planning is always a key part of every rescue mission. Most hospital helipads aren’t rated for military aircraft, so O’Neill

strategically landed at a soccer field in South Georgia using two Para rescue personnel and a flight doctor on board. O’Neill says, “We found through the satellite another soccer field in Tampa to land on. In September in the South there are a lot of afternoon thunderstorms, so we were trying to beat the storms. We landed, picked up the patient, and transferred the patient to the hospital. Five or ten minutes later we might have been stuck in Tampa for the night. The patient was stable and doing significantly better.”

The Air Force is the only organization in the military with dedicated rescue units. O’Neill also prepared deployment equipment as the acting chief of mobility for residents from Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas. In 2019, Dorian caused catastrophic damage to the northwestern Bahamas. “The devastation was so bad from the hurricane they could not support any rescue operations.” “We operate in a triad…the rescue triad. What makes it so good is that we have medical, aerial refueling, and we can fly where other helicopters can’t,” says O’Neill.

Today O’Neill helps with mostly civilian rescues and enjoys teaching his students to do what he loves best. O’Neill especially likes to see their reaction when they finally understand a concept and when they experience their first flight. “I remember it from my first flight looking down and seeing a shadow of the 60 helicopter from the air.”

Captain O’Neill says the Air Force motto is the standard when it comes to saving lives. He says, “Our motto is: These things we do, that others may live… and we hold that to our core.”

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ARTICLE BY RICHARD LAKIN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROSWELL CITY GOV/ RICHARD LAKIN

Roswell, New Mexico Not just a UFO site

Roswell International UFO Museum and Research Center

The Diva Plavalaguna from "The 5th Element"

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A RT IST ’S PA LE T T E | ARTS + CULTURE

If you’ve moved to New Mexico from another part of the country or even just visited here, it’s a safe bet that you’ve been asked by friends back home whether “you went to that place where they found the UFOs.” Roswell is arguably the most famous place in New Mexico with name recognition all over the world. There’s even a Sci-Fi TV show about it.

There is, however, much more to Roswell than a UFO crash site. The fifth largest city in New Mexico, its people and places exert influence well outside of its High Plains city limits.

Roswell was the location of more conventional developments in space travel. In the 1930’s, Robert H. Goddard, known as the Godfather of Rocketry, conducted test launches of rockets in the Roswell area. None of his rockets went that high, but the main focus of his research was gyroscopic guidance systems…something that became critically important in the Space Race of the 1960’s.

Unfortunately, during his lifetime, the frail CONTINUED >

The New Mexico Military Institute

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and shy Goddard was not taken seriously, and his ideas of possible space travel were deemed fanciful by the press. Recognized today as being way ahead of his time, there is much to honor him in Roswell, including an exhibit about his life and work at the Roswell Museum and Art Center.

The New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, established in 1891, is a coeducational high school and junior college that enrolls about 1,000 cadets annually. Known for its demanding academic and physical requirements, it promotes a character-building Cadet Honor Code. The list of distinguished alumni is long…high-ranking military officers, politicians, professional athletes, and journalists.

Its graduates include hotel magnate Conrad Hilton, news anchor Sam Donaldson, and actor Owen Wilson.

During WWII there was a prisoner-of-war camp where German POWs were used to complete infrastructure projects for the town.

The prisoners constructed an Iron Cross, a German military symbol, that was eventually covered in concrete. In the 1980s, the symbol was uncovered and in 1996 the park was revitalized and named POW/MIA Park which now displays a piece of the Berlin Wall presented by the German Air Force.

Statue of Robert H. Goddard at the Roswell Museum and Art Center

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A RT IST ’S PA LE T T E | ARTS + CULTURE

Roswell seems to have produced an unusually high number of famous people for a relatively small town; singer John Denver, sheriff Pat Garrett, actress Demi Moore, businesswoman Priscilla Presley, cowboy star Roy Rogers, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Roger Staubach, as well as many other historic figures in the American West.

Roswell has several aviation manufacturing facilities, but its main economic resource is agriculture. It is situated on a large aquifer and utilizes irrigated farming for pecans, cotton, beef, wool, and dairies.

Of course, the stories of the alleged UFO crash in 1947 are what brings most tourists to Roswell. An annual UFO festival has been held since 1995. Juanita Jennings, who’s in charge of public affairs for the city told us “We embrace the UFO tourists because it adds to the local economy. The hotels, restaurants, and shops benefit from the global interest in Roswell.”

Whether you’re a UFO believer or think it’s just kitsch for tourists, Roswell is definitely worth a visit, and is a nice day trip from Albuquerque. There’s plenty of good restaurants and a lot of interesting things to see and do.

Their website is https://www.roswell-nm.gov/1248/City-of-Roswell

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The food bank runs several food distributions in communities where there is limited access to nutritious food

OUR PICKS FOR PAYING IT FORWARD THE ROADRUNNER FOOD BANK WORKS TO ELIMINATE FOOD INSECURITY

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G IV IN G BAC K | LOCA L SERVI CE S

Being thankful for what we have, and giving back to those in need is important all-year round, and particularly during the holidays. We love our community and want to support our people and organizations in as many ways as we can, so join us in paying it forward with these local opportunities.

For the season of giving thanks, Albuquerque City Lifestyle magazine has picked several great local examples of Paying It Forward: Roadrunner® Food Bank, a Feeding America member, is the largest nonprofit dedicated to providing access to food and meals in New Mexico. The food bank serves as a distribution hub and works through hundreds of affiliated partners around the state including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters,

group homes and regional food banks to provide food to people experiencing hunger. Roadrunner also distributes food through its own specialized programs helping children, families and seniors at partner schools, low-income senior housing sites, senior centers and healthcare locations. Last year, the food bank distributed more than 32 million pounds of food, reaching tens of thousands of people every week of the year.

Founded in late 1979, Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico has been serving New Mexicans experiencing hunger since 1980 thanks to a vision by founder Reverend Titus Scholl. Reverend Scholl started the organization by distributing food to people facing hunger out of the trunk of a car.

From those humble beginnings and more than forty years later, the nonprofit, statewide network of hunger-relief partners believe that everyone should have enough to eat. The food bank serves as a distribution hub and provides food to hundreds of affiliated partners around the state including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and regional food banks. Roadrunner also distributes food through its own specialized programs helping children, families, and seniors through food distribution sites at schools, low-income seniors housing sites, senior centers and healthcare locations.

In addition to being a part of a statewide network of hunger-relief organizations, the organization is also the local member of Feeding America (a national network of 200 food bank members across the U.S.). Being part of a national network of food banks provides best practices, funding, and secures food donations from national food companies bringing food sources for the benefit of our communities throughout the state.

VISION | MISSION | CORE BELIEFS | CORE VALUES Mission: To provide nourishing food to New Mexicans through vibrant community partnerships and passionate public and private support.

Vision: Everyone has enough to eat.

Core Beliefs: • Hunger is unacceptable • Everyone deserves access to enough food • Food sustains life and nourishes health • Culturally appropriate and nutritious food is our priority • We respect the dignity and equity of all Core Values: • Accountability that earns the trust of everyone we work with and serve • Integrity of our words, decisions, and actions • Respect for others that we demonstrate through honest, timely, and compassionate communications • Unity through Teamwork with our partners, supporters, and every member of the food bank community • Passion for Roadrunner® Food Bank of New Mexico’s mission and the people it supports Roadrunner Food Bank’s warehouse and distribution facility

To get involved, give time, give food, give funds. Visit www.rrfb.org, community to support this or follow the food bank on social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube or Twitter, aka X.

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Pay ing It For ward/ St reet C at H U B Looking out for our free roaming kitties Many neighborhoods in Albuquerque are inundated with colonies of feral cats.

Often living short miserable lives, they continually increase in number because of a lack of access to neuter and spay services. Some are house cats that have been abandoned when their owners moved on and have to learn to survive on their own. Others are “community cats” that live in an area where a few people feed them and keep them around to reduce vermin. Street Cat HUB is a non-profit organization that addresses the over-population of free roaming cats in the city.

Street Cat HUB was founded in August 2014 with a mission to serve the City of Albuquerque and surrounding areas with spay and neuter services of free roaming feral and community cats.

Fast forward to 2023, and Street Cat HUB serves the City of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, and Town of Bernalillo with spay/ neuter and return of free roaming cats.

The main focus of Street Cat HUB remains feral cat and colony population control using humane alternatives to euthanasia through TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return).

The Street Cat HUB process is to humanely and safely trap community and feral cats and bring them to their clinic in Albuquerque. There, each cat receives not only sterilization, but also a wellness check by a licensed veterinarian, a Rabies vaccine, and a FVRCP vaccine. The cat is monitored until it is deemed healthy and safe to return back to its home community where it will live a much happier, healthier, and safer life without males fighting for mating territory, and females no longer enduring litter after litter.

Street Cat HUB provides services for between 3,000-4,000 cats annually, and the TNR program has resulted in a reduction in cat euthanasia numbers in our city shelter.

Moreover, Street Cat HUB diverts approximately 20% of trapped cats to adoption outcomes through strategic transfers to partner shelters and rescues such as PACA, Animal Humane, and Catopia Cat Cafe.

With Cathryn Starr as the new Executive Director, an amazing Board of Directors, and a strong staff and volunteers, Street Cat HUB is excited for the future and the communities served.

Website: https://www.streetcathub.org/

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Paying It Forward/ Casa Esperanza New Mexico’s House of Hope Casa Esperanza is New Mexico’s House of Hope providing a “home away from home” for patients and their families seeking treatment for cancer, kidney disease, high-risk pregnancy, and other serious medical condition. Since 1992, Casa Esperanza has provided a warm and welcoming place to access medical treatment for over 46,000 families. Our home has 28 rooms, a community dining area, four kitchenettes, laundry facilities, outdoor spaces, and a play room for kids. To further assist our families, we provide lodging support, food and transportation assistance, community dinners and access to a family support specialist.

Lisa was a resident at Casa Esperanza with her son for over 7 weeks undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, and a lengthy stem cell transplant to treat Multiple Myeloma.

Each of her treatments took a heavy toll on Lisa physically and mentally, but according to her losing her independence was one of the most challenging aspects of her treatment. She felt having the community kitchens where she could cook for herself and develop friendships with the other families helped her regain some of her independence. Lisa often shared with other families and with Casa Esperanza staff that, “Cancer doesn’t discriminate, we are all on the same rickety boat.”

Casa Esperanza staff

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LOCA LLY SOU R CE D | LOCAL S E RVI CE S

Casa Esperanza has a great network of individuals, community partners and volunteers. These partnerships are vital to the work we do. We receive and are supported by individual donors, grant funding, community dinners, volunteer groups helping with projects and sponsorships for our fundraising events. We are always looking to build new partnerships with individual donors, professionals willing to consider Board service, community businesses and organizations. Casa Esperanza’s mission is to facilitate access to care, improve quality of life, and reduce the burden of illness for patients, families, and their communities.

We are incredibly grateful to each of you that are part of the Casa Esperanza team and look forward to developing new connections during this time of Thanksgiving. Call us at 505-246-2700 to take a tour and see the impact we are making every day. We have an auto donation program called Give Hope Ride. We accept vehicles in any condition and auction them off with the proceeds providing for our families. Please visit CasaNM.org to learn more or make a donation that supports Casa Esperanza families.

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Thanks for the Music New Mexico music finds a national audience

ARTICLE BY ANDREA JACQUIN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLI JOHANSSON

New Mexico has a variety of vibrant, live, music and talented musicians throughout the state to be thankful for. Musicians here have been known to play concert halls, breweries, and local festivals.

Felix Peralta is a native New Mexican musician who has been playing music for the past 20 years. His band is called Felix y Los Gatos. Peralta grew up in the south valley and spent time with his family in Los Lunas and Tome’ New Mexico.

He says, “My grandpa played accordion and there was always music around. My inspiration was family backyard parties.”

His musical family gave him his passion for music and taught him to play guitar. His musical grandfather introduced him to the accordion. Peralta sings and plays the guitar, accordion, harmonica, and harp. He says musicians should, “Be one with

where you are and the progress of it…just continue doing it.

Stay true to your craft.”

Peralta believes New Mexico is his niche when it comes to music. “I just love New Mexico. Last year I stayed in the state and just toured around the whole state. New Mexico is beautiful.” Peralta is also part of Nueva Luna. The musical group includes New Mexico State Historian Rob Martinez and Lara Manzanares.

In his spare time, Peralta likes to fish and travel to historical landmarks in New Mexico. “I am a historian. I love the history of New Mexico.”

His original band was called “Felix and the Cats,” but needed a New Mexican name so they became “Felix y Los Gatos”.

Peralta is known as the “Main Gato” and lead singer/guitarist

“My grandpa played accordion and there was always music around. My inspiration was family back yard par ties.”

—Felix Peralta

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I NSP IR E D BY | EN TERTA I NME NT

“Be one with where you are and the progress of it…just continue doing it. Stay true to your craft.”

—Felix Peralta

in the group. The second core member is D.B. Gomez who plays the accordion. Peralta, also called “Gato Mala,” embraces his nickname. He completes the persona at his shows with whiskers drawn upon his face. Peralta writes his own music and plays solo at El Pinto Restaurant where he has a residency.

Felix y Los Gatos recently performed at The Bridge in Santa Fe and opened for the legendary Los Lobos. Peralta says playing with Los Lobos was a full-circle moment for him.

“Los Lobos was really epic. I grew up listening to them and watching the movie La Bamba. So to get to perform was like whoa-it’s a full circle. They are down to earth and really nice and we just talked music.”

Felix y Los Gatos has performed at the Chicago Blues Fest, on the Durango Blues Train, and at the Canyon Blues and Jazz Fest. You can also catch the eclectic band at local festivals and breweries. Peralta describes their sound as “green chile gumbo.” The band’s energetic music has a New Mexican sound with a twist of Zydeco dance music. Zydeco is Creole music from Louisiana that combines R&B , blues,

and jazz.” Audiences are treated to lively Latin cumbias, rhythmic polkas, and accordion-driven Zydeco. This blend of sounds is what makes Felix y Los Gatos unique. “We can be diverse and play Zydeco, New Orleans, Latin Cumbia…we kind of keep it open.”

Peralta tours locally and nationally with the rest of the “cats” in his band. They’ve kept their friendship and the band going for twenty years. The group is especially popular in Taos and Santa Fe. Their next year is booked with music festivals around the country and some potential performances in Europe. Even outside of New Mexico Peralta’s lyrics and local stories are embraced. “Sometimes I have to say a brief description of my New Mexico songs, but a lot of people have visited here. They are well received.”

The musician is proud of his songwriting which has garnered awards and even been used for films.

Peralta embraces being a history buff and is now an oral historian singing New Mexico’s story. Visit www.felixylosgatos.com for private bookings and more information.

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events A curated selection of the most intriguing upcoming events in our area.

LAT E N OV E M BE RD E C E M BE R

NOVE M BE R 4 T H

River of Lights at ABQ BioPark Zoo

903 10TH ST S W 8 7102 River of Lights is an annual holiday light display at ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Visitors are enchanted by a magical walk through the Botanic Garden among about 600 intricately designed sculptures and light displays. The exact dates were not yet announced at press time, but it will be late November through the holidays.

High End Headshots

STORY QUEST STUDIOS - 304 WAS H I NGTO N ST S E , A L B UQ UE R Q UE , NM 8 7 1 0 8 | 1 0 :0 0 A M High End Headshots from Hollywood Photographer Robert Kazandjian. From 10:00a - 6:00p. Phone: 505-600-1385 Story Quest Studios - 304 Washington St SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108 NOVE M BE R 4 T H

New Business of Acting Seminar

STORY QUEST STUDIOS - 304 WAS H I NGTO N ST S E , A L B UQ UE R Q UE , NM 8 7 1 0 8 | 2:30 P M Move your acting career from seeking work to being booked more often.

NOV E M BE R 5T H

NOVE M BE R 2 6T H

Historic Lobo Theatre presents "Steel Magnolias"

LOBO THEATRE 3013 CEN TRAL AV E NE 8 7 1 0 6 | 1 0 :0 0 A M Features a brunch menu. 10% discount if you come in pajamas! Call 505 876 7178 for reservations.

New Mexico Artisans Market

H OTEL ALBUQUERQUE 8 00 RI O G R A NDE B LV D 8 7 1 0 4 | 1 0 :0 0 A M Celebrate the artisans of our local community and contribute to the creative economy of New Mexico.

D E C E M BE R 9 T H- 1 0 T H

ABQ Holiday Market

T HE R AIL YARDS MARKET 777 1 ST ST S W 8 7 1 0 2 | 1 0 :0 0 A M The famous Holiday Market at the Rail Yards turns 10 years old! Keep it local and SAFE for the Holidays, enjoy the best of Burque's local small businesses IN-PERSON at the Rail Yards in Albuquerque. Vendors of madefrom-scratch delicious food and quality handmade crafts will convene to indulge Albuquerque's giving spirit this year for the 9th annual Holiday Market.

Want to be featured?

Get in touch by heading over to our landing page to connect: CityLifestyle.com/Albuquerque

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EVE N TS

MANZANO M O U N TA I N R E T R E AT

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a festive pairing The age-old question, “What wine goes with turkey?” is answered.

ARTICLE BY MARY ABEL

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It’s a question heard every year about this time: “What are the best wines to serve with Thanksgiving dinner?” “In my early days in the wine business, the answer was pretty cut and dried because it was all based on the assumption that you had a turkey that came out of the oven that was dry, and so you’re almost guaranteed to need something with a little bit of sweetness to it to help balance that out,” James Lewis says.

James is a sommelier who has been in the wine business for more than 26 years. “I’d recommend a sweet or off-dry Riesling or Gewürztraminer.

Something that will help with that dry meat that you’re about to choke down.”

But now, with all the ways people are preparing the big bird, he says that conversation has become a lot more interesting and fun.

“People are frying turkeys, which come out really moist and delicious. They’re smoking turkeys and they’re doing them on the grill,” James says. “Now, when I’m asked that question, I always ask how the turkey is going to be cooked because any given preparation is going to call for something a little bit different.

“If you’re deep frying it, it’s going to come out very moist with a fair bit of fat, so you need something that’s going to cut through that. So you can go with a dry white, you can do a dry Riesling, or you could try a French Chardonnay, which typically doesn’t have that big, rich mouthfeel that California Chardonnay would have. It’s crisper and cleaner with high acidity.”

For those who prefer red wines, James says that a fried or smoked turkey can handle something a bit bolder and full-bodied. “Try something like a Pinot Noir. It’s not at all heavyhanded. When I’m talking about red wines, and

I talk about heavy-handed or big—Cabernet is big and full-bodied. I call it the linebacker of the wine world. Then you’ve got Pinot Noir, which is more about balance and elegance. So, if Cabernet is a linebacker, Pinot Noir would be the ballerina. They’re both athletes, but with different approaches to athletics, so they have different approaches to your palate. Cabernet is big, dry, and highly tannic, so you might serve a Cabernet or Malbec if you’re having a steak for Thanksgiving, but you wouldn’t want to do that with a turkey.

“With a turkey,” James continues, “you want something that’s going to have a little more acidity, less tannins, and medium body; not that big mouth-filling richness. You can do a Beaujolais or an old-world Italian Sangiovese, which tends to be a very food-friendly wine.”

Somewhere in between might be a soft, flirty rosé. And rosé wine seems to be having a moment.

“Rosé was always thought of as a summer wine, but people are now drinking it year-round. It’s an excellent choice to go with turkey.”

What about bubbles? “I almost hesitate to answer that because it’s kind of the easy answer.

You can drink Champagne or sparkling with anything because of that really bright acidity.

Especially if you have a fried bird, a Prosecco or sparkling wine is going to cut right through that fattiness and balance it out really nicely.”

If you’re hosting a tableful of friends and family this year, James says it’s easy to bring together a collection of wines that will please the crowd. “If you do one bottle of sparkling, whether it’s white or rosé, a bottle of dry white, a bottle of rosé, and a bottle of medium-bodied red, you’ve got something to cover just about anybody’s preference.”

“If you do one bottle of sparkling, whether it’s white or rosé, a bottle of dry white, a bottle of rosé, and a bottle of medium-bodied red, you’ve got something to cover just about anybody’s preference.”

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What if I’m serving ham this year?

“Lots of people have ham for Thanksgiving, right?

It’s very traditional to pair ham and Pinot. But again, you can get creative. You can do a Grenache, you can do a Beaujolais…really, any of those medium-bodied reds will be delicious.”

What about dessert?

“If you’re having pumpkin pie for dessert, I would go with something like a tawny port. The spiciness of the pie combined with that kind of nuttiness and caramel notes of a tawny port? Lovely. And it would work with an apple pie as well.”

How much should I spend on a bottle of wine?

“That’s kind of an impossible question to answer because wine is so incredibly subjective. That said, I’m a firm believer that there is an absolute ocean of delicious wine in that $15–$25 retail price point. If you go to your wine shop and tell them you’re looking for a nice off-dry Riesling for around $20, they should be able to find you something that’ll work really well. There’s no reason to break the bank.”

James Lewis is a sommelier who has been in the wine business for more than 26 years, and he and his wife, Nancie own Crush Wine Bar in Castle Rock Colorado.

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C HE F ’S SE LE CT ION | FOOD + BE VE RAGE

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