Phila. Foodie Pairs Wine with Turkey

I often miss Pennsylvania, the state where I went to college, saw many bands and movies, and lived off-and-on for about ten years. Great cities, great food, cool clubs... there are many things to recommend about places like Philly, Doylestown and Pittsburgh.

But one thing I don't miss about PA is its draconian liquor control laws. When I was living there, you had to purchase beer by the case and that was at an authorized beer distributor which usually wasn't open on Sundays. (I hear through the grapevine that some distribs are allowed to be open on Sundays now.) In places like Philly, corner markets were allowed to sell singles and six-packs but your choices there were usually limited to the Buds, Millers, Old Germans, and Knickerbockers of the world. You get the picture.

Want wine or liquor? That required yet another stop, this time at one of the lovely state-run liquor stores (colorlessly known as State Stores). Brightly lit and usually staffed by less-than-helpful employees, it's no wonder many PA residents openly flaunt the laws and drive to New Jersey to shop at specialty liquor stores where the sky's the limit. (I should know. While living in Doylestown it wasn't uncommon for me to drive over to Stockton to visit Phillips' Fine Wines.)

There was one thing I did enjoy about PA's Liquor Control Board, though. They would crank out wine and liquor marketing materials like they were going out of style. Just about every trip (and we're talking about a time in my life when said trips occurred two or three times a week) resulted in some new magazine, handout or chart that would heighten and/or simplify my booze purchases.

In fact, I still have a folder somewhere stuffed with the PLCB's monthly magazine (which always featured drink and appetizer recipes) and charts telling me what wine I should pair with my White Castle hamburgers.

I'm glad to see the PLCB is still at it. Phila. Foodie recently posted this year's version of the chart – luckily, it appears they're not simply recycling past charts – and just in the nick of time. I'm just about ready for Thanksgiving but I haven't had time to make a wine run. In addition to the handy dandy chart (which confirmed my plan to get some Zinfandel), Phila. Foodie added their own picks for specific bottles, most priced under $20.