Suhru Blog

Thanksgiving Wine & Food Pairings

The countdown to Thanksgiving has begun and what are the holidays without wine?! This time of year is busy and stressful enough without the added worry of 'what to make' and 'what to serve it with' so we've collected a few of our favorite Thanksgiving food & wine pairings (complete with recipes) to make the Holiday Season all that much easier.

Whether you are looking for Thanksgiving classics or something new, appetizers, sides, the main event, dessert or a wine inspired cocktail—we got you!

Plus, now through Thursday, November 23 enjoy $15 Flat Rate Shipping when you purchase 6+ bottles of Suhru Wines! This offer CAN be combined with 10% Off Case Discount and all Wine Club Discounts. Please note $15 Flat Rate Shipping does not apply to Alaska or Hawaii and applies to each case of wine. 

The key to any great food & wine pairing is complimentary flavors. The classic go-to wine styles to compliment a classic Thanksgiving meal include white wines with high acid and a hint of residual sugar such as Dry Riesling, and red wines with bright flavors, red fruit notes, and medium body such as Shiraz and Cabernet Franc. While those tried and true will always work nicely, there are no hard and fast rules. Wine is made to be enjoyed, so have some fun with it!

If you're looking to mix-up your Thanksgiving try one of these delicious appetizers: Local Grilled Oysters paired with a refreshing Sparkling or crisp Sauvignon Blanc, a rich and decadent  Baked Brie paired with a bottle of Teroldego, or a selection of crostinis—this local Cheddar & Prosciutto is a particular favorite this time of year! 

For the Main Event—the Turkey—there are a number of ways you can go but a recent favorite in the Hearn household has been to cook the turkey on the smoker! Assistant Winemaker Brad Ulrich has become famous for his skills on the Smoker and impresses every holiday season with a beautiful Smoked Turkey. For the more adventurous and less traditional Thanksgiving go-er we've also added a Leg of Lamb to our Thanksgiving dinner table (because why not?!) Both dishes pair beautifully with a fruit forward red wine with a little bit of pepper and spice such as a Cabernet Franc or Shiraz, both excellent choices for your holiday table. 

Once we've got the turkey out of the way it is on to the sides (honestly everyone's favorite part anyways) and while we all love the classics—mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, a leafy salad, cranberry, and sweet potatoes—I like a little twist, a little excitement, a little something different during the holidays and like to rotate through new recipes each year to always keep it fresh and new. A few recent favorites that are quickly becoming Thanksgiving staples in my house are Butternut Squash Orzo (a quick and easy spin on risotto) and a rich and creamy baked Mac n' Cheese, my brother-in-law's most requested dish! And if those aren't enough, checkout a roundup of a few of our favorite Fall pairings for more inspiration!

Last, but certainly not least, comes dessert. Everyone has an apple pie recipe but have you tried an apple tart?! Now this is a controversial statement (I am well aware) but I'm not a big Apple Pie fan, however I love an apple tart and this Goat Cheese Apple Tart does not disappoint, pair it with a bottle of Dry Riesling and it is all the Fall you need in a food & wine pairing!

One last tip to leave you with—the last few years we have started Thanksgiving with a glass of  Mulled Rosé to sip alongside appetizers and I cannot recommend highly enough. 

Whatever you choose to cook, serve & drink on Thanksgiving, we hope you enjoy the holiday with family, friends, and a great bottle of wine, cheers!

 

Cooking with Suhru: Cabernet Franc

One of the most classic Cabernet Franc pairings (particularly in this house) is Lamb and Cabernet Franc. Lamb gets a bad rep in the US—I think because of all the mint jelly. Growing up with an Australian father lamb was a staple in our house, leg of lamb, roast lamb, lamb burgers... you name it we ate it. So when I stumbled across a lamb meatball recipe I knew it was worth a try. After several tinkers and tweaks I have made this my own and am proud to say that it pairs BEAUTIFULLY with our Cabernet Franc bringing out all of the nuance in spice in the meatballs and the round fruit notes and bottle and barrel aging on this wine.

This particular lamb recipe is great for entertaining and makes a lovely holiday appetizer. Plus because it is in meatball form, it very approachable and a great way to introduce friends and family to a new favorite protein. I hope you love (or learn to love) lamb as much as we do here at Suhru!

Try the Recipe

Cooking with Suhru: Sparkling Brut

When it comes to food pairing with Sparkling wines, there are a number of directions you can go—sweet or savory, breakfast or dinner, appetizers or dessert, everyday or special occasion... the list goes on. While I love them all, I am partial to a savory, everyday appetizer and in particular a baked brie (can you go wrong with hot cheese?!). 

Baked bries provide a plethora of flavor options all perfectly balanced with the rich flavor of the cheese. As we move into the cooler Fall months, with Summer not quite ready to quit we have combined a number of Summer and Fall flavors to ease our transition into the cooler months ahead. The fresh, bright flavors of a ripe, local peach paired with the rich nuttiness the pecans provide all topped with a drizzle of honey for a touch of sweetness and fresh thyme and rich prosciutto offering a balance of savory and earthy qualities. All of these flavors combined perfectly balance out the crisp, refreshing flavors of a Sparkling Brut bringing the best of the dish and the wine to the forefront of your palate. 

So pour yourself a glass of sparkling, pop your baked brie in the oven and enjoy!

Try the Recipe

Cooking with Suhru: Ember

It's a beautiful day for a smoked chicken and a glass of red! With the weather warming up, we are so excited to be able to pull out the smoker from the garage and smoke a dry rubbed chicken on the grill!

We do a lot of grilling in the warmer months and in the last few years have done a lot of our outdoor cooking on our smoker. Smokers are a great way to infuse extra flavor into grilled dishes and allow for more precision when cooking your meats. Last Thanksgiving we experimented with cooking a turkey on the smoker which kickstarted a quest to perfect the perfect smoked poultry (and started a new Thanksgiving tradition)!

A favorite has been smoked dry rub chicken. We use a classic dry rub and throughout the cooking process spritz it with apple cider vinegar. A smoker allows for quite a bit of experimentation so play around with the flavors, wood flavors, and cooking times till you find the one you like best, not a bad project for the warmer days ahead!

Pair this meal with a bottle of Ember or Cabernet Franc, some grilled veggies, and a little alfresco dining and you have quite the evening ahead of you!

Try the Recipe

Cooking with Suhru: Strawberries + Rosé

Nothing announces the arrival of Summer on the North Fork quite like the beginning of Strawberry Season! We are very lucky here on the East End to have such a healthy agricultural community and an incredible selection of fresh, local produce. One of the most sought after items—North Fork Strawberries.

Whether you are swinging by your favorite farm stand or taking the family for U-Pick—strawberry season is something special on the East End. Each year with strawberries, come the release of the latest Rosés from across the region, a perfect compliment to one another! 

Strawberries are so good in and of themselves that there isn't much "cooking" needed and I often find myself making Strawberry Shortcake or slicing them up into a salad but this recipe I stumbled upon and can't get enough of! If you are in the mood for something different with your berries try this Strawberry Ricotta Toast recipe paired with your favorite (cough, cough Suhru) Rosé!

Try the Recipe

Snippets with Shannon: Rethinking Wine Snobbery

Wine Snob: a special breed of wine-lover who feels the need to proclaim their superior knowledge to anyone within earshot.

There is a sense of notable intelligence that is associated with talking about wine but with that intelligence can come the stigma of being a wine snob. While I come from a place of there being a wine for everyone, there are people who like to have an air of exclusivity when it comes to what they like. I have already noticed that in the short time that I've been working in the wine industry, the people closest to me have commented on how smart I sound. Not to say I've never been considered an intelligent individual but when you can speak confidently about something that another person may be unacquainted with, you’ll probably come off as more astute. The main point that I need to get across, though, is that intelligence does not have to equal snobbery.

To any winemakers reading this, I am so sorry for the rest of this sentence, but… I truly don't care how you drink your wine. Fill your glass to the brim with ice, chill your reds, drink your sparkling out of a plastic cup; it’s all cool with me. At the very core, wine is meant to be enjoyed and as long as you're down to share a bottle with me, I'm down with however you want to enjoy your half. (No promises that I won't poke a little fun at you for drinking your Merlot on ice, though.)

As the North Fork Wine Country looks towards the next 50 years, it’s not a bad idea to think about how wine in general will inevitably change. We must always hold on to the age-old traditions, respect the origins and take notes from our mentors who planted the first roots but no vine grows the same way twice and I'm all for new ideas. I believe that the future is in good hands. Us young people are way more aware of what is going on with the world and while arguably we have access to too much information these days, the next generation of North Fork oenophiles really seem to want to use all that information for the good of our future.

“To each their own,” “you do you,” all the sayings that pertain to holding on to your individuality are great but I do think there can be a more inclusive exclusivity; there is not a single grape varietal in the world that has a maximum occupancy. I have a dream…(that's not copyrighted, right?) that one day a bottle of 2013 Cabernet Franc and a bottle of chillable 2022 Cabernet Franc can stand beside each other on the same table surrounded and enjoyed by multiple generations of Wine Geeks. Yeah, Wine Geeks. I like that way better than Wine Snobs. 

Cooking with Suhru: Rosé

Nothing says summer like gazpacho—pair a chilled glass of Dry Rosé with a freshly made bowl of spicy watermelon gazpacho and boy are you in for a treat! This light, refreshing recipe screams "Summer" and you can't help but reach for another glass (or bowl). With the perfect balance of sweet and heat, this refreshing summer dish is sure to please!

Because rosé is such a versatile wine, I find myself often overlooking it when it comes to food and instead pair it with the occasion of sitting outside on a hot day or sipping by the water. And while that is all fine and good (who doesn't love a cold glass of Rosé on a hot Summer day) we can't forget that it is also an excellent pairing wine! Pair it with a cheese board? Great! Rosé and grilled chicken off the BBQ? Absolutely! With fresh strawberries? Yum! The options are truly endless but I think I have found a personal favorite—Spicy Watermelon Gazpacho!

While I do like heat, I would not describe this dish as "spicy" but rather with a nice heat to balance out the fresh, seasonal flavors and once the rosé hits your lips the heat subsides leaving a beautifully refreshing finish. I cannot fully articulate how much I love this pairing, so run, don't walk to your local farmstand and give this one a try with a bottle of Suhru Rosé! 

Try the Recipe

Cooking with Suhru: Sauvignon Blanc

Spring has Sprung and that means it's Asparagus Season! While Asparagus is a traditionally difficult food to pair with wine, it goes beautifully with Sauvignon Blanc!

With the bright, crisp flavors of the Sauvignon Blanc and the fresh, earthy flavor of the asparagus, a little citrus and a rich goat cheese (we love local cheesemakers Goodale & Catapano!) and a flaky crust offer the perfect combination of flavors to wow every time.

Whether you are looking for a simple summer meal or a showstopper to add to your table, this beautiful dish is bright and vibrant in color as well as flavor. Personally I also love making this as mini tarts using pre-made phyllo dough tart shells from the grocery store and slicing the asparagus into small pieces, it is a simple yet delicious appetizer or finger food. Pair with a chilled bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and enjoy!

 

Try the Recipe

What's Happening at Suhru this May

Spring has Sprung on the North Fork—flowers are in bloom, buds are opening in vineyards across the East End, farm stands have fresh local produce on their shelves, and the warm weather is here to stay! After a long, albeit mild, winter we are excited to reopen our Wine Garden and be able to once again enjoy our wines alfresco!

The team has been busy these past few months, planning an exciting summer full of great events and giving the interior of the Tasting House and our backyard Wine Garden a refresh and a new look. 

Memorial Day Weekend is fast approaching and with it, the official beginning of Summer! We have a number of great events happening over the long weekend and carrying through the warm weather months ahead...

Fireside Fridays are back and better than ever!

Loved cozying up by the fire in the wine garden last Fall? Now you can do it all season long! Join us for Fireside Fridays this Memorial through Columbus Day. The Tasting House will be open until 7pm on Friday evenings with our outdoor fire pits lit at 4PM (weather permitting). Merlot Dark Chocolate S'mores Plates available Fridays only!

The Return of the Lobster Roll

The Summer Season has arrived and with it Lobster Rolls! Join us for Lobster Roll Sliders and a glass of wine, available Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at the Tasting House Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend. 

Annual Oysters & Wine

We are thrilled to once again be hosting Southold Bay Oysters on the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend! Enjoy freshly shucked oysters, along with the full Suhru menu from 1-5pm on  Sunday, May 28th.

More Great Events to Be Aware of:

• Weekly Happy Hour, every Wednesday and Thursday afternoon from 3-6pm join us for $8 glasses of white and rosé wines, $10 glasses of red, and a weekly food special!
• Sunday, May 14th we are hosting our Annual Wildflowers & Wine event with our friends at Nerdling Acres, seating is limited and tickets are going fast so be sure to grab your soon!
• Find us on the grounds of the Three Village Historical Society every other Friday from 3-7pm in June - October. Sue will be showcasing a selection of our white, rosé and red wines each week available for taste and to purchase by the bottle.
• Watercolors & Wine Workshop—enjoy a glass of Suhru wine while painting a North Fork Coastal seashell in this immersive workshop with local watercolor artist Melissa Hyatt.
• Two Truths & a Lie: Palate Training 101—put your palate to the test with this immersive tasting experience diving into a variety of styles and flavors. Don’t let yourself be swayed by the power of suggestion. In this 90 minute class you will become a detective for the day as we will taste 3 different styles of wines, each paired with 3 flavor pairings. Can you decipher which of the flavors and aromas exist in your glass and which is the imposter?
• Save the Date: Labor Day Weekend Oysters & Wine, reservations coming soon!

Upcoming Events

Snippets with Shannon: Chapter 3

Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean it's bad.

Let me say that again, just because you don't like it, doesn't mean it's bad. Now, as I'm sure you all already know, my personality is just as sweet as molasses (unless it's first thing in the morning,) but that doesn’t necessarily mean I like my wine to match my personality. Even though a super sweet, jammy wine may be the last glass I would choose, I'll never say no to a tasting. Why you ask? Why would I knowingly choose to drink something I probably won't enjoy? Well, I guess you could say, I'm always open to the possibility of changing my mind. 

A wise man (cough, cough Tim) once told me, that a wise man once said, “drink the wine in your glass, not the wine in your head.” When I first heard this I had to stop and ponder what that really meant. I understood it on a surface level, but it goes deeper than just those twelve words. What it means is, don’t let your assumptions keep you from the potential of a new experience. 

If I had a dollar for every person that immediately shunned the idea of our Dry Riesling all because of a preconceived notion that it is "sweet," well, I would probably be able to buy a couple bottles of Suhru Wine. For a majority of people, Riesling = too Sweet and while I'd like to think that I'm pretty persuasive, I can't always convince people to change their minds, so, unfortunately, they miss out on tasting our 0.9% residual sugar, DRY Riesling made from the grapes of the Finger Lakes which is one of the top tier regions in the world for Riesling. Now, when someone does take my advice and gives our Riesling a chance, they almost always are pleasantly surprised. Heck, sometimes they even buy an entire bottle because they never thought they would find a Riesling that they enjoyed so much! Of course, the pleasantly surprised reactions are a huge testament to the incredible talent that our winemaker, Russell Hearn possesses. He truly is a mad scientist, artist, and magician all in one but it’s also because at Suhru, we like to present wines that you've either never heard of (think Teroldego and La Crescent) or wines done in a way that isn't typical (Dry Riesling, cool climate Australia style Shiraz, and Pinot Grigio—I dare you to find another true Pinot Grigio, not Pinot Gris on Long Island.)

Could this be a political post? Sure… there's one generation that seems to be a bit too “stuck in their ways,’ while another generation is trying to “change too much,” and then my generation is the middle child that just wants happiness and balance between everyone. But honestly, I like to keep those political ice cubes out of my wine. I have read, though, that our taste buds change every seven years. Whether this is true or just a human biology myth, I know for a fact that there are things I've grown to like as an adult that I never would have thought about consuming as a kid. If I do nothing else, I want to encourage you to live outside your preconceived notions; re-try the things you’ve already decided you don't like. I mean, even Santa Claus checks his list twice before he decides who's naughty and who's nice, right?

Want to Read More Snippets with Shannon? Keep Reading!