A quick "Tips and Sips" for Thanksgiving wines

Just a quick posting to toss out some favorites for Thanksgiving wines. In terms of white wine, you really can't go wrong with Sparkling wine, such as Champagne from France, Cava from Spain or even Prosecco from Italy. The wines won't overpower your food (like Chardonnay would) and all the complex pairings will work out well (e.g. think of a typical Thanksgiving spread--lots of different flavors which would make it tough to pair just "one" wine with everything). If you are not a bubbles fan (shame on you!) an excellent plan B is Viognier. Viognier is a very yummy grape that pairs well with many of the foods as well. Try to find the white blend by Treana or Tablas Creek. If you can't find one of those (try Costco!), perhaps try a DRY Riesling (emphasis on dry--which is NOT sweet). A perfect example is Chateau St. Michelle's Eroica Riesling (around $25).

In terms of red, Beaujolais Nouveau is out now and is always a youthful, fun wine to have with turkey. If that's too light/fruity for you there is always Pinot Noir--try Acacia or anything from Russian River Valley, Carneros (both California) or something from Oregon's Willamette Valley. It can be tough to find a 'good, cheap' (those words together) Pinot though! As always, a RED Zinfandel is a great option to toss out there; go for a Ridge blend and you'll be pleased but anything from Amador County, Lodi or even Napa/Sonoma will work!

So there's a quick shopping list for your feast! Have a WONDERFUL thanksgiving! Blessings to you and yours!

Thanksgiving wine: "the aftermath"

So you know what I recommended for Thanksgiving, here's what we drank :) We had some Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau (which was quite nice this year; actually very lively and not at all like 'cough syrup', which has been the lingering aftertaste in some vintages); then some Mumm Champagne (yum!). The Mumm was a gift-pack closeout from BJ's Wholesale club (found in Woodstock, not sure of other locations). The bottle + 2 glasses was only $32--for 'full-French' champagne (esp. a well-known name) that was a deal! My sister brought some Acacia Pinot Noir which was very yummy with the turkey! It's funny-my Mom had some IceWine that I tossed in the fridge to go with the desserts but we were all too full to have any that night (wine OR dessert!). Over the weekend we drank a good amount of good old Red Zinfandel (yes, I still have to qualify it by putting the "Red" in front of Zinfandel, lest someone think I like pink and sweet! I do enjoy pink vino, but more of the dry variety for sure (think Rosato or Rose blush wines, dry and not sweet at all). What did YOU drink for Thanksgiving? Have a wonderful week!

One note about BJ's and wine sales in general--while BJ's has some good prices on vino, they don't have a huge selection (which is fine). They do have one coveted bottle for sale--Roderer "Cristal", one of the top champagnes in the world, usually over $200 per bottle in a 'normal' store. They have a bottle or two for a lot less and a few bottles of Dom. However, they have it displayed in a glass cabinet with lights in it. What does that matter? Well, these lights shine down onto the bottle which MUST be cooking it slowly over time. I guess my message is to pay attention where you buy your wine--it's not solely about the price as I would venture a guess that the sub-$200 Cristal would not turn out to be the deal you'd expect as it may not be as amazing as it should be (or even turn out to be bad)! Food for thought! Cheers, Bo

Thanksgiving Wine!

Let's talk turkey! It's time to plan NOW for your Thanksgiving wine and food fest. I know that having a group over to your home can be overwhelming enough but trying to choose a 'one-size fits all' wine for dinner is pretty much impossible! Earthy flavors like turkey and dressing plus sweet flavors like sweet potato casserole (I'm getting hungry) and top that off with slightly bitter cranberry relish and you've got a taste 'mash-up' that can truly confound you! What's the solution? Have several wines! One wine (one that I don't normally 'push') that holds up well to so many flavors is Chardonnay-go for a Carneros (Napa) or Russian River (Sonoma) from California, and try to avoid super 'oaked' wines. One splurge is Au Bon Climat, which is more of a central coast choice but worth it. Another white that will pair well with such varied flavors is a dry Riesling (a phenomenal choice is Chateau Ste. Michelle's "Eroica", around $20 but yummy). As for reds, my old friend Zinfandel (I stole a quote I read-try the "3 R's": Ravenswood, Ridge or Rosenblum) is a great catch-all but you may want to choose something lighter like a Pinot Noir (From CA, look for Acacia, Chalone, Schuug or go for Oregon, Foris, Witness Tree or Erath) . A fun choice is always Beaujolais Nouveau, which is always released on the 3rd Thursday of November (a/k/a TODAY). Always light and fruity it can be a fun addition to your celebration. Finally, an option that is always appropriate is Champagne. From a Spanish Cava (usu. around $10) to a sparkling wine from the USA (Gruet from New Mexico is awesome, around $14, Chandon from Napa (also $14) or Ch. Ste. Michelle from Washington) to a "fully French" selection (Moet White Star-$35, Veuve Clicquot-$40)--you can't go wrong with bubbly. The final thing to note-get to your local wine shop early as they won't have time to help you find hidden gems as they will be SLAMMED like Hartsfield airport as we get closer to Thanksgiving. Sure, they can point you in a general direction but for more 'hands on' help you need to get there sooner rather than later.