The Underground Railroad
Colson Whitehead
Cora’s progress is linear but never smooth, driven by a hard structure of endurance through episodes of terror, compromised safety, and uncertain freedom.
The varietal
Xinomavro · Naoussa, Greece
Naoussa Xinomavro beats softer Pinot Noir or fruitier Cabernet Franc because its iron, dried tomato, and severe young tannin make progress feel earned; air reveals fragrance without erasing the wine’s underlying austerity.
Ask for High-acid, iron-edged earthy reds — think Xinomavro from Naoussa or Cabernet Franc from the Finger Lakes
Acidity supplies the journey’s forward pull, while ferrous flavors, dust, and resistant tannin evoke rails, tunnels, red earth, and a freedom never allowed to become comfortable.
Accessible
~$18
Thymiopoulos Vineyards Young Vines Xinomavro
Naoussa PDO, Greece · Xinomavro · 2022–2023
Sour cherry, dried tomato, rose, iron, and dusty tannin move with lean, insistent acidity.
Metaphor
Its initially severe tannic frame gradually admits floral detail, mirroring Cora’s movement through a system that permits brief openings but never relinquishes its hard structure.
Refined
~$29
Ravines Wine Cellars Cabernet Franc
Finger Lakes, New York, United States · Cabernet Franc · 2021–2022
Red currant and cranberry sharpen around graphite, dried herbs, and a cool stony finish.
Same ground
The Finger Lakes border Auburn, Harriet Tubman’s home and a major Underground Railroad center, placing the wine in the northern landscape where the historical network emerged into documented ground.
Prestige
~$65
The Sadie Family Wines Old Vine Series Treinspoor
Swartland WO, South Africa · Tinta Barocca · 2022–2023
Black plum and mulberry are crossed by rooibos, dust, smoked earth, and a distinctly ferrous mineral line.
Recurring image
“Treinspoor” means railway track in Afrikaans, and the old vineyard stands beside a disused rail line, turning the novel’s buried iron route into a literal feature of the wine’s place.
P.S. If your wine shop doesn't have these specific wines, just ask them for a High-acid, iron-edged earthy reds — think Xinomavro from Naoussa or Cabernet Franc from the Finger Lakes.
- Temperature
- 58–62°F
- Glass
- Medium-sized universal red-wine glass with a gently tapered bowl
- Decant
- Decant the Thymiopoulos and Ravines for about 30 minutes and the Treinspoor for 60–90 minutes.
- Alongside
- Serve with a smoky mushroom-and-lentil ragù, whose earth and char meet the wines’ iron and dried-herb notes.