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Wines featured in today’s show:

• Helfrich Riesling 2007  (~$13)
• Helfrich Pinot Gris 2007  (~$13)
• Helfrich Gewurztraminer 2007  (~$13)

Show notes from the Producer:

• Special thanks to the people at Helfrich and their PR firm of Folsom & Associates (cheers Sam!) for providing the Riesling and Gewurztraminer for the show.
• To find out more about the Alsace region of France, you can watch our previous episode called “Alsace My Love“, or read about it here on Wikipedia.
• And to explore the wonders of Gewurztraminer, check out our “The Magic of the Lychee” episode.

Recommended food pairings from The Som:

• What to pair with these intensely flavored and fruity whites?  Let’s start with the Riesling.    Asian foods usually work well.  Red curry with shrimp would be STELLAR.
• For the Pinot Gris, you should try it with grilled pork tenderloin.  Take note of the weight of the dish and the smokiness that comes out of the wine.
• And finally, the Gewurztraminer.   Oh…here you go: Chilean sea bass.   I dig this recipe.  Way easy to make, and I like that they mention the role of the fish oils and dense flakiness.  Combine those attributes with the Cajun seasoning and the whole deal served with an Alsace Gewurztraminer, and you got yourself a Helfrich of a dish!

Thanksgiving Dinner Wines

With the holiday upon us, we thought it prudent to suggest a couple good wines to pair with your feast!

Quick Show Note:

We were testing some new microphones. They really helped with the sound issues we were having, but they were highly sensitive and picking up sounds we normally wouldn’t wish to share (gulping and such). They were also picking up on some interference as well, so sorry for any static you may pick up on in the show audio. We’ll be working on perfecting our sound in the coming shows.

Featured in today’s show:

• 2007 Casillero del Diablo Reserve Gewurztraminer from Chile
• La Madone Gamay sur Vulcan from Cotes du Forez in France (sorry…couldn’t find a website for them)
• 2007 Ventisquero Pinot Noir from the Casablanca Valley in Chile

Recommended food pairings:

Thanksgiving is not the time for subtlety in wine. There is zero subtlety in a Thanksgiving dinner and the wine needs to mirror that. Thanksgiving is one of the few times you need to think about what is on the plate as a whole. There are too many flavors and too many styles to match a dish to one specific item. A “wine that goes with turkey” does not cut it.

• One of the first food and wine pairing rules is match the “weight “of the food with the wine beverage of your choice. It’s like drinking a glass of water with beef stew, or drinking a Porto with your Chef’s Salad…neither of which is very appealing.
• Thanksgiving dinner has a tendency to be on the salty side. High tannin wines (Cabernet, Syrah, Tannat, high end Petite Sirah, Nebbiolo,) can make saltier food and the wine taste bitter. Stick to fruity, full flavored, low tannin red wines like a Gamay (Beaujolais), a California Pinot Noir, or maybe a lower alcohol (13-14.5%) Zinfandel or Dolcetto. For whites, think about a full bodied, slightly sweet grape like a Gewürztraminer or Riesling, especially from the Alsace region of France, or a moderately oaked California Chardonnay.

What am I going to serve with MY Thanksgiving dinner, you ask?

• Chateau Valmer Vouvray: a full bodied, slightly sweet Chenin Blanc from the Loire region of France
• Firestone Santa Rita Valley Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara (nummy)

Here’s some great tips and techniques for preparing your bird.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Som