I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
For me, after countless emails, phone calls, and being stopped in person by friends, co-workers, family, readers and fans about what wine they should serve or bring on Thanksgiving, it is a pleasure to step back and look at empty bottles after the big meal.
A question I often leave unanswered, is “What wine did _YOU_ serve this year?” Because I tend to serve four or more types of wine. Well, this isn’t a year of crazy stories, such as the year I had an entire case of pricey, vintage Blanc de Lynch Bages that had either corked or cooked. (In retrospect, I wish that I had video of my expression as I opened, tasted, and tossed bottle after bottle in total disbelief.) No such luck this year, thank goodness.
With only seven wine drinkers at my table this year I had less pressure on quantity -a problem I have sometimes experienced- but I didn’t know the entire planned menu until the actual day. So I had made some preparation in advance but no final decisions until about an hour before it was time to sit down. While I passed over some pricier choices from my cellar, this year’s final choices landed mostly in the $11-16 range, with one bottle (marked with an *) at $20, and one bottle (marked with an $) in the low $30’s. Links on the name are to the manufacturer’s site when available, or other resources when not.
My 2013 Thanksgiving Dinner Wine Servings:
Domaine de Vaufuget Vouvray 2011, Loire, France. The chenin blanc used for this Vouvray has a nice balance of fruit and acidity. It is gentle with a hint of sweetness that is perfect for wine drinkers with less complicated palates who want something they can simply enjoy that will also beautifully complement the entire meal.
Heinz Eilfel Spatlese Riesling 2011, Mosel, Germany. The doctor (who normally only drinks bold reds) fell madly in love with this wonderfully balanced gem that offers depth of minerality with gentle fruit, some sweetness up front, some salinity on the back palate, and a longer finish than most whites. Three non-drinkers tasted this but preferred the Vouvray this year, while the serious wine lovers at the table adored this one.
Modus Operandi Vicarious Rose 2011*, Napa, California. The older generation at dinner surprised themselves and preferred this rosé over other wines tasted. Overheard: “I usually don’t like rosé, but this is amazing”. This is a very well-made wine with great character and depth of flavor that pulls together the savory and sweet with nice acidity and no aftertaste, leaving the palate clean and fresh like a white wine but pairing on the palate like a red. The best of both worlds, perhaps, and a regular in my stable for Thanksgiving. Only four barrels were made in 2011, but my secret weapon, and it always delivers.
Jean-Foillard Côte du Py Morgon 2011$, Beaujolais, France. Gamay at its finest, a lovely beaujolais that ages with finesse and grace. Bright, vibrant fruit with shining acidity that is the alcoholic equivalent to a fabulous homemade cranberry sauce: fruity and tart, acidic and clear, defining the savory dishes and integrating all the elements. Only the oenephiles at the table ooh’d about this wine that sold out after I tried to get more from the NYC wine store where I’d found it. Hard to find and a pain to remove the wax cap, but oh such a perfect expression of the grape.
Château Canteloup, Premières Côte de Blaye 2000, Bordeaux, France. Aged to perfection, this wine was the answer to dark meat, mushroom gravy, and the elderly Bordeaux snob. The nose is musty, the mouthfeel is velvety, the fruit is subdued, the tannins are retrospective. The wine is smooth and classically styled.
Bogle Vineyards Phantom 2010, Clarksburg, California was the big bold wine I held in reserve for this year’s meal. One specific guest did not make the table this year and this wine was perfect for him; several people tasted it today and remarked at the massive fruit flavors of this old vine zinfandel/petite sirah/old vine morvedre blend with powerful tannin on the finish, but it was passed by this group for lighter or delicate options. Resealed with a vacuum pump, I look forward to a better pairing for a meal soon to be devoured!
I’d love to know what wines you served this year. Feel free to leave a response to this post, drop me an email at jvbuncorked@gmail.com, or via twitter, @jvbuncorked.
à votre santé!
Thanksgiving Wine, 2013. “One Wine to Serve Them All”
23 NovHere’s my 2013 update on Wine for Thanksgiving. And may you be surrounded by loved ones and take time to enjoy and slow down, if only for the one day!
For the past few years I’ve written about my Thanksgiving preference to serve several wines at Thanksgiving, in order to suit both a range of courses over a long meal as well as to cater to different preferences of individuals in large groups. (*See my footnote below if you need a reminder.) Well I’m NOT talking about those today. Let’s talk about a SINGLE bottle of wine for Thanksgiving… not because it’s what I’ll serve, but because it’s what I’m constantly asked about at this time of year.
People regularly ask me to suggest ONE wine to pair with the traditional Thanksgiving meal that all their guests will enjoy. Others want a bottle to bring as a gift to someone else’s home that might or might not be served with the meal, so it should be appropriate for use on Thanksgiving or by the host at a later date.
A Thanksgiving Gift Wine, or One Wine for the Big Meal
If you are OK with red grapes, then you have to make a choice: Rosé or Gamay?
Option One: Rosé. Relax: this is not the lousy rosé we grew up with that made so many wine lovers turn up their nose at the faintest idea of a pink wine. We shall only consider the well-made rosé wines that will pair beautifully with opening courses, make the cranberry sauce sing, and take your turkey to a higher level. My favorites here would be Modus Operandi’s Vicarious Rosé from California, or from Provence France’s Domaines Ott, Chateau de Selle Rosé. Both of these should have a street price in the $30-$40 range, and are highly worth the price for the religious experience they deliver. For the under-$20 crowd, there are very good rosé wines from Guigal,and locally from Coppola (a 90 pointer called Sofia), and a good dozen other producers that you can find in most wine stores. Key phrase here is “what is the best rosé you carry that will pair well for the entire meal”? Last year I served the Vicarious Rosé during the soup course and had several guests drink it through to dessert, enjoying it thoroughly the entire evening.
Option Two: Beaujolais Nouveau, the gamay grape’s fruity, light, fall season ‘fun’ wine. This is my other best option for a wine that can match with the entire meal. George DuBoeuf has the corner on the market, his nouveau wines will run you around $10-12 and are consistent, tasty and good. You can go up the ladder, however, with Domaine du Peuble’s 2012 Beaujolais Nouveau in the $12-16 range, or Jean Foillard Morgon Beaujolais, which runs in the mid $20’s. To give you an idea of the quality of this wine, famed chef Thomas Keller’s Bouchon restaurant in Beverly Hills is serving this with their prix fixe this week. For a few bucks more you can get a big jump in quality, but beaujolais nouveau is always fun to open and a good conversation piece.What could be easier for people who panic and don’t know what wine to bring? Here is your answer: Beaujolais Nouveau.
And for those readers who just don’t do red wine… I haven’t forgotten you. (Yes, Virginia, that rosé is made from red grapes.) For you, I’d suggest you consider whether you prefer either the serious white or a “lighter” white for your gift or single meal wine. In the serious realm, a white Bourdeaux Blend is always appreciated and appropriate for Thanksgiving and any time of year, or a white Burgundy will pair beautifully with this savory meal. You can find white bordeaux blends starting around $10 and up, and Burgundies about $16 and up, into the thousands per bottle… and if you can afford these upper tier wines, please invite yourself to my home for dinner! Shifting to the lighter side, I often start by suggesting Riesling, and I’ll take that a step further: consider Riesling, Kerner, Gerwürztraminer, or Grüner, many of which have a hint of sweetness on the nose and initial early palate but offer depth in their acidity and minerality, and often can be found in the $12-25 range. There are countless offerings both Stateside and abroad, but the masters of these grapes are from Germany, Austria, and Alto Adige region of Italy.
Happy Holidays to you!
à votre santé!
*The four wines are I usually serve are: 1) a fun white, 2) a serious white, 3) a delicate red, and 4) a bold red.
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Tags: Featured, Thanksgiving Wine, wine gifts