Running Afoul of Tradition with Waterfowl and a Skin-Fermented Grüner Veltliner #WinePW

This month the combined wine writers are sharing creative Thanksgiving pairings for Wine Pairing Weekend with the group's founder leading the charge. David of Cooking Chat wrote: "Join us to share about creative Thanksgiving pairings! This could be an article about an uncommon wine to share with a traditional Thanksgiving meal, or wine to go with a creative Thanksgiving menu."

The Line-Up

• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm is Wondering whether to serve Red or White for Thanksgiving? How about Orange?

• Culinary Cam finds herself Running Afoul of Tradition with Waterfowl and a Skin-Fermented Grüner Veltliner (you're here).

• David from Cooking Chat pours A White Rhône Style Blend for Thanksgiving.

Nothing Traditional Gets Served at Caffè Camilla

If you have been following me for at least a year, you'll know that I don't serve a traditional Thanksgiving meal. If we have a Thanksgiving tradition, it is 'culinary adventure.' I was telling someone recently that I haven't roasted a turkey - for Thanksgiving or otherwise, really - since the mid-90s and I made the entire traditional Thanksgiving dinner for my college boyfriend's family. Needless to say: that relationship didn't last and my boys have only had the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole spread when we have feasted at other people's houses for this holiday.

Otherwise, I have created menus inspired by different things that were current in our lives. For example, when R was in 4th grade, they did a unit on California history. We had recently visited the Cooper-Molera Adobe and the kids had ground corn, learned to embroider, branded leather and more. From the museum giftshop, I had picked up a cookbook with Mexican recipes from nineteenth-century California, the Californio period. I figured I could support his study of California history by creating our Thanksgiving feast around foods that would have been eaten during that time. That year, our Thanksgiving table centered around Codornices en Almendrado con Puntas de Esáprragos, Quail in Almond Sauce with Asparagus Tips.

2013 was a rare kink between luni-solar Hebrew calendar and the Gregorian calendar and the convergence of the American holiday of Thanksgiving and the first day of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah; the last time it happened was in 1888. So, my menu that year was called 'Gratitude, Gimmels, Love, and Latkes' and my main dish was beef brisket with roasted grapes and horseradish gremolata.

Our first Thanksgiving during the pandemic - 2020 - felt so lonely and, well, grim. So, my menu was based on the stories of the Grimm brothers. That meal ended with Hansel and Gretel gingerbreads. And, I suppose, looking back, I do often lean literary or at least book-based. One year I pulled all of recipes from a book by historical novelist Crystal King; another year Claudia Rodin's Arabesque provided Middle Eastern inspiration for my dinner. In 2023 I prepared a Tolkien-inspired Thanksgiving; and in 2024 I had four hungry college kids around my table and I crafted a menu around the monster park in Bomarzo, Italy. 'Crearive' menus and pairings are kinda my jam!

I knew I wanted to make a duck dish for this event and decided to play on Duck à l'orange with braised duck and an 'orange' wine.

Running Afoul of Tradition with Waterfowl and a Skin-Fermented Grüner Veltliner

Skin-Fermented by Any Other Name...

Skin-contact wines might also be called 'skin fermented', 'amber', or even 'orange' wines. That's where some initial confusion lies. Even among our group, initial thoughts might have been that the 'orange' wine event had to do with wines made from the citrus fruit! But skin-contact wines are white wines made like red wines, that is to say they are fermented with the skins on. And the color of the resulting wine might be brilliant orange to a muted peach color with more tannins and a more voluptuous body than a typical white wine.

I drank many a Grüner Veltliner during our trip to central Europe this summer. So I was excited to find a 2024 skin-contact Grüner Veltliner by Winzer Krems in Austria. The wine poured a rich marigold hue with a golden shimmer. On the nose there were layers of apples, pears, and warm baking spices. On the palate there were flavors of candied ginger with the spiciness of fresh herbs. This was a gorgeous wine that cut through the unctuous mouthfeel of braised duck legs.

Braised Duck Legs

Ingredients

• 4 duck legs

• 1 large onion, peeled and thickly sliced, approximately 1-1/2 cups

• 2 to 3 carrots, diced, approximately 1 cup

• 3 to 4 celery stalks, diced, approximately 1 cup

• 1-1/2 cup stock, preferably homemade

• 1/2 cup orange juice

• salt and pepper

Procedure

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a Dutch oven, place duck legs, skin side down. Turn heat to medium. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes until the fat is rendered and the skin golden and crisped. Flip to the other side and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove the duck to a plate. Place the onions, carrots, and celery in the same Dutch oven with the rendered duck fat in the bottom. Lay the browned duck pieces on top.

Sprinkle the four legs with salt and pepper, then pour in the stock and orange juice. Bring to a boil, cover, and place in the oven. Braise for 90 minutes.

Raise the temperature of the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Return the duck to the oven, uncovered and roast for 15 to 20 minutes until the duck is browned and the skin on top crispy.

To serve, plate the duck. Spoon the sauce on the side or over the top.

That's a wrap for my creative Thanksgiving pairing. The wine writers will be back with a focus on Italy...theme to be determined. Stay tuned!