Thanksgiving is a very hard meal for which to choose a wine -- made harder because Americans refuse to eat in courses and try to have everything at once. Thus clashing tastes, and NOTHING matches the cranberries. And the plate is loaded with carbs -- one one think the (Oyster!) dressing would be carbs enough. But no, Americans have to add mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, etc. The turkey is always overcooked in America; the white meat tastes like plastic, so Gringos drown the turkey in gravy. There is in fact a trick to do the turkey with moist white meat. And for starters, DONT STUFF THE TURKEY. The dressing has to reach 165 degrees to be safe, and by that time even the dark meat is over cooked. Another time Ill tell your the rest of the trick. (But America is a bad country for cooking anyway. Gringo food is dull, variations on chicken and steak. And the Argentines do steak better anyway, and the French chicken. Even the humble Mexican cuisine vastly surpasses Gringo food. Indeed without ethnic/foreign restaurants America would be gastronomic wasteland. I except for patriotic reasons my own country, Dixie. Only in England is the food worse than in Gringoland, and even the English make fine meat pies and know good French wines.) But back to Thanksgiving. Total Wine has an ad in my box pushing Pinot Noir for the turkey. And Total Wine is correct. Why is Pinot Noir so good with Turkey? Pinot Noir tends to be light- to medium-bodied [not really] which wont overpower turkey, and its bright acidity brings out the juiciness of meats. The gentle tannins pair well with vegetable side dishes making Pinot Noir the ultimate Thanksgiving wine. I add, a full-bodied is just as good and will not over power the turkey. So go by Total Wine on Stratford Road and ask for the clerk Don. My own recommendations, all of which are at Total Wine: Belle Glos Pinot Noir, Clark & Telephone Vineyard, 2008, Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara County. MY FAVORITE FOR THANKSGIVING AND WITH LAMB AT EASTER firm, well structured with ripe rich concentrates of wild berry, blueberry, and strawberry; scents of wild flowers. Full Bodied, complex on the finish. And expensive. Chateau de Chamirey 2007 Burgundy. A French entry. Nose brings spicy, ginger, cinnamon aromas with notes of black cherry and white pepper. Fresh well balanced wine with melt and silky tannins. 2012 vintage: cherry, violet, cedar; taste full bodied plum earthy (elegant raspberry, spice) Athair, Russian River Valley, Pinot Noir, 2008 rich, extracted, full bodied style, complex, plum, dark berry; mineral and cedar notes, hint of herb in the mix, full bodied and muscular ending with nutmeg and espresso edge;elegant, raspberry, spice, 2012 vintage red cherry, currant, vanilla; elegant, black cherry A to Z Oregon Pinot Noir 2010 light, lively, tight but graceful; Glowing with boysenberry and plum shaded with cedar and cream; finish doesn’t quit (elegant,raspberry, spice, cassia, medium bodied Meiomi Pinot Noir 2010 Bright, deep garnet color. Aromas of cola, blackberries and a sweet cedar note. A greatly layered palette abundant in flavor and texture. The first entry encases the mouth with a velvety richness. Then the wine unloads with flavors of bright cherry, cola, dried leaves, undertoned with vanilla, leather, and high style oak. The many layers emerge independently, then refocus while the supple tannins carry the wine through to a lingering, succulent finish. Deep garnet color. Luxurious and dynamic aromas of ripe strawberry, bright cherry and faint notes of spicy oak and vanilla. The complexity of the palate smoothly layers rich red currant notes and baking spice flavors with light smoke, earth and leather. A balanced, velvety texture and supple tannins carry the wine through to a lingering, succulent finish. [ a little too much vanilla for me] Alouette Pinot Noir, Sonoma, 2012 aroma: cranberry, red apple, toasty cinnamon, vanilla palate: bright fruit, light tannins (elegant, strawberry, vanilla, Medium ) [better the 2nd day, so you might wish to open it the evening before] La Delizia Pinot Noir, Friulli INEXPENSIVE An entry from a region of Italy known for its white wines. Yet this read will do for Thanksgiving, aroma of plum and red fruit taste: cherry, berry, (Fresh, raspberry, cherry, light bodied) Mendoza Station Grand Seleccion 2010 Pinot Noir INEXPENSIVE and a steal for the money. black fruit, black currant, sweet cherry medium bodied
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 02:11:56 +0000