November 19th, 2008 by Jeff

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