Route de Epices/Peche Mortel

One thing that consistently surprises me about Atlantic City is the availability of interesting alcohol. I’m not talking about the top shelf elixirs or cleverly contrived cocktails found at the various casino bars; there’s a lot less novelty there than anyone is willing to admit. Instead, I’m referring to the omnipresent liquor stores, which are well stocked with fascinating (and reasonably priced) wines and beers from around world.

Two recent finds, Route des Epices and Peche Mortel, come from Dieu Du Ciel microbrewery in Canada.

Routes des Epices

In their words:
Routes des Epices (French for “Spice Route”) is a rye beer brewed with both black and green peppercorns. Initially the beer reveals flavours of fresh grain and malt, which give it notes of chocolate, caramel and fruit. The pepper flavour and aroma is fully revealed in the finish, which leaves a pleasant, spicy, tingling sensation on the tongue.

In my words:
If anything, I think Dieu Du Ciel is underselling just how potent this beer is. The nose is full with the aromas of freshly baked rye bread, cracked pepper, and coffee; there’s a definite maltiness encompassing the nose as well, which does lend hints of caramel.
For all of this, the beer is surprisingly crisp, with the body falling somewhere between the light and medium ranges. The pepper leaves not only “a pleasant, spicy, tingling sensation on the tongue,” but also a light burn in the back of the throat; consider yourself warned if you don’t like the spice.

Peche Mortel

In their words:
Peche Mortel (French for “Mortal Sin”) is an intensely black and dense beer with pronounced roasted flavours. Fair trade coffee is infused during the brewing process, intensifying the bitterness of the beer and giving it a powerful coffee taste. Peche Mortel is brewed to be savored; we invite you to drink it in moderation.
Peche Mortel was born in our Montreal brewpub in October 2001.

In my words:
This descriptor is much closer to the mark. The nose is a riot of fresh coffee grounds and bittersweet chocolate with a warm maltiness surrounding. The coffee and chocolate continue onto the palate, with their full, roasted flavours being contrasted by a pleasing bitterness. Though the body is only medium, this beer is amazingly rich.

Now these are just two of the beers available from Dieu Du Ciel; if you’re interested in either of them or want to see what else they have to offer, I recommend you visit their website. They’ve also got brewpubs in Montreal and St. Jerome, in case you happen to be wandering through the area.

The Amacker Thanksgiving

No lie, Thanksgiving dinner makes for difficult pairing. Depending on the meal, there can be a lot of strong flavors in competition with one another; mate this situation with a desire to cater to your guests’ palate preferences and it’s easy to end up with a wine nightmare.

The Menu:
Steak
Cornish Hens
Green Bean Casserole
Dressing
Peas
Dinner Rolls

The Traditional Choice:
I would recommend having a medium or light/medium bodied Merlot on the table. Even if you don’t like it, inevitably you’ll have a guest who wants a more traditional pairing. This is also the wine for the person who can’t decide between the steak and the Cornish hen and decides to have both.

As a side note, I would have used a bigger Merlot for the steak and a more demure one for the Cornish hens, but if you want to keep the table clutter down or there just aren’t that many people who will drink it, I think you’ll be safe with a single medium-bodied Merlot.

Something More Personal:
Since the hostess prefers sweeter wines, I’m going to recommend a medium-dry Riesling or a White Zinfandel. Classicists will probably cringe, but no wine rule has ever trumped a wine drinker’s taste. The medium dry Riesling will provide appeal with its kiss of sweetness, but it won’t be a sugar bomb that overwhelms the flavor of the food.

White Zinfandel is pretty much the same across the board. You’re going to get a little more body than you would with the Riesling, which will help it hold up a little better with the steak, but I think this advantage is negligible when you’re faced with that blast of residual sugar. If this appeals, however, you might want to look for a local White Zinfandel producer (if this is an option) rather than just using one of the big name labels (like Beringer); often times local producers will utilize a little more finesse when crafting a wine like this.

Something For Fun:
I can’t let a Thanksgiving go by without recommending that everyone put a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau on the table. It’s light, young, and inexpensive; it also makes a great bridge for white wine drinkers that may be peering over at the red side of the house. I tend to prefer it a little warmer than most, but at around fifty-five degrees you’ll have a refreshing and smooth red that’s bursting with strawberries and bananas on the nose.


From TheNettieP:

Steak: A Cab/Merlot blend would do nicely with this as well, to give it a bump in the body.

Cornish Hens: I think you can get away with a Chenin Blanc with this. AND the hostess may like it :)

I totally agree with the Nouveau choice as well.

Maybe even an Albarino? It will pair well with the green veggies, too.

And I will toss this in there as well: Sparkling goes with near next to everything. A little sweeter Sparkling may make it feel more festive for the hostess as well :)