The Working Pour: Wines

Thanks, Virginia

Go local at your holiday table this year

By Paul H. Ting living@c-ville.com

If you are looking for the perfect beverage to accompany your Thanksgiving meal, area producers have many options, ranging from beer to wine to cider. Here are some recommendations to help you drink well while also drinking local.

Amber and brown ales are obvious options for pairing with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and gravy. The seasonally offered Apple Crumb Apple Ale from Three Notch’d Brewing adds an extra dimension by incorporating apples and cinnamon into the brew. These notes combined with malty, bready, and caramel flavors will remind you of freshly baked apple pie.

A sour or funky farmhouse ale, or even a full-on sour beer, can bring a bit of acid to the table. The sourness cuts through the fattiness of roasted meats, while side dishes with fruit flavors or sweetness bring out similar fruit notes in the beer. Starr Hill’s Carole Cran-Raspberry Gose, only available through December, delivers autumn berry flavors and a nice balance of sweet and sour fruit.

The vanilla, caramel, and chocolate notes found in porter are a great match for dessert. Strange Currencies, from Reason Beer, was originally brewed as a birthday present from the head brewer to his wife. It’s currently available in four-packs of 16-ounce cans direct from the brewery. It’s full and satisfying enough that it could be served on its own instead of dessert, but who is going to pass on that slice of pie?

Two wines deserve a second recommendation in these pages because they are perfect for Thanksgiving: The 2017 petit manseng from Michael Shaps Wineworks and 2017 pinot noir from Ankida Ridge Vineyards. Shaps’ petit manseng is a dry, white wine with weight and texture that brings flavors of honey, tropical fruit, and nutmeg spice at the finish. As a white wine, it can pair with lighter fare, and with roast chicken or turkey. Pinot noir is the classic red wine to pair with Thanksgiving turkey, and the pinot noir from Ankida Ridge Vineyards is the best example of the varietal in Virginia, full of flavors of cherry, cranberry, plum, and cola. Its long, fruitfilled finish will have your mouth watering and anticipating the next bite or sip.

The 2017 Small Batch Series Viognier from King Family Vineyards should also be on your radar. Winemaker Matthieu Finot ferments these white grapes on their skins, more like a red wine would be produced, thus adding aromatics on the nose, and creating a fullness on the palate, and texture in the mouth that will stand up well to the dishes of the season. Similar to the petit manseng mentioned above, this ernet franc, which has the perfect weight and flavors for stewed, roasted, grilled, and smoked meats. The 2019 Madison County cabernet franc from Early Mountain Vineyards is a wonderful example of what this grape can be when grown on a good site and in an excellent vintage year. It’s full of ripe red and black fruits with undertones of green herbs and a full finish highlighted by soft, fine tannins.

For many, cider evokes visions of dry falling leaves, pumpkin patches, and hayrides on the farm. Our local industry continues to push forward with creativity and passion, and cider-lovers are benefiting from interesting small-batch, craft products.

The Cranberry Orange Blossom Cider from Potter’s Craft Cider is a limited and seasonal release. With subtle hints of sweet and sour flavors and a pleasant acidity, it will cut through heavier, fattier dishes and can serve a similar role as the sour beers mentioned above. Intentionally produced at only 5.5 percent

alcohol by volume, it’s bright and easy drinking that won’t weigh you down before your celebration is over.

Another intriguing option is the just-released 2019 Bri-

colage Sparkling Cider from Patois Cider. Featuring wild, unsprayed local apples and a

white wine holds up well throughout the meal.

When it comes to Virginia red wine, we can’t forget cabminimal intervention fermentation process, this cider develops fine bubbles in the

STAFF PHOTO

Drinking well-crafted, locally sourced wines, beers, and ciders will be easy at this year’s Thanksgiving table. bottle that are sure to please. The palate shows textural weight expresses a depth of caramelized fruit flavors without being too sweet. Delicious

on its own, it will also complement a wide range of dishes. This versatility means you can drink this through the entire day of feasting, or at least until the turkey and football games lull you to sleep.

Strange Currencies, a porter from Reason Beer, is full and satisfying enough that it could be served on its own instead of dessert, but who is going to pass on that slice of pie?

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Fighting hunger

As food insecurity rises, local nonprofits step up their efforts

By Julia Stumbaugh living@c-ville.com

Food insecurity in Albemarle County is on the rise. Feeding America, a national hunger relief organization, reports that while 11.8 percent of Charlottesville’s population was food insecure in 2018, that number is expected to rise to 15.1 percent by the end of 2020. In August, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank told Richmond’s NBC12 that 12 percent of its June customers were new clients needing emergency food assistance for the first time.

A variety of local places are supporting the projected three in 20 Charlottesvillians who are unsure where they’ll find their next meal. The organizations’ donation needs have changed during the pandemic, and the holiday season is always a crucial time, so here’s how you can help.

Blue Ridge Food Bank

What it does: Ninety-seven percent of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank’s pantries across Virginia have stayed open to provide groceries during the pandemic, thanks to safety restrictions including drive-through food pickups and pre-packaged meal boxes. How to help: According to the BRAFB website, a one-dollar donation can fund four meals. Volunteer opportunities are also available for low-risk workers. brafb.org

Loaves & Fishes

What it does: Loaves & Fishes, the largest agency of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, supplies groceries twice a month to families who need extra assistance filling their pantry. It currently operates a drive-through grocery pickup where clients accept bags from masked volunteers without leaving their cars. How to help: Limited volunteering opportunities are available. Monetary donations can be made on the website. Thanksgiving staples (anything from canned yams to instant mashed potatoes to frozen turkeys) are in high demand, as are diapers. cvilleloaves.org

Meals on Wheels

What it does: Meals on Wheels of Charlottesville/Albemarle is a nonprofit that has delivered hot meals five days a week since 1977. The organization connects with the most isolated members of Charlottesville in the most isolating time of their lives, ensuring that secluded seniors are checked on daily. How to help: Over 90 percent of the meals provided by Meals on Wheels are directly subsidized by monetary donations, which can be made on the website. Contact MoW if you’re interested in providing physical donations or volunteering to do anything from answering phones to driving delivery vans. For holiday gift baskets, the organization is looking for mugs, tea, cocoa, puzzle books, winter accessories, and toiletries. cvillemeals.org

COURTESY BRFB