Birds & Pinot

So as the weather becomes a little cooler into fall my mind intuitively switches gears and starts thinking of my favorite red varietal pinot noir.  The birds that naturally pair well with pinot noir are squab, quail, chicken, pheasant, and so on. 

Squab is hands down my favorite eating bird, but for some reason, Americans give the pigeon a bad rap.  I think it has something to do with Central Park—they are not flying rats!  They are rich and meaty with a distinctively squabby flavor, and delicious. If I was allowed to in public parks, I would trap them, just as the residents of Dijon did during Nazi occupation in their town square, and then eat them with pinot noir.  Here are two classic dishes that pair well with pinot that is quintessentially, American.

Coq au Vin, “rooster in wine,” is a traditional peasant dish of Burgundy.  It is essentially vegetables, mushrooms, and whatever random chicken cuts around roasted and braised with red wine and herbs.  Naturally, since Burgundy is the motherland of pinot noir, pinot is drunk with this dish.  I prefer a rustic style that is earthy and seductive.  The more dirt I taste the better.  Volnay is a good commune to look for in the Côte de Beaune of Burgundy.

Pekin Duck

Duck à l’Orange is a French dish popularized in the 1960’s most likely by the influences of Julia Child, the Pekin Ducks raised on Long Island, and emergence of Haute Cuisine in Manhattan—Lutèce, Four Seasons, etc.  The orange sauce, Sauce Bigarade, which usually has an addition of sugar, is the origin for the modern day gastrique sauce that is prevalent in modern day restaurant menus.  (Sweet and sour sauce is another theory.) Naturally pinot noir is the perfect match for it—its acidity cuts through the rich sweet sauce.  I like a powerful style of pinot with good fruit and some muscle.  I like a nice Pommard from Domaine Parent in Burgundy or a Santa Barbara County pinot noir—grapes sourced from the Bien Nacido Vineyard stylistically work quite well.  Some producers I enjoy from Santa Barbara are Foxen and Au Bon Climat.