Previewing my thanksgiving wines 2007
Every Thanksgiving has a challenge for the wine geek. Usually it is those dastardly side dishes like sweet potato with marshmallow and the cranberry sauce.
In my case this year, I’m adding the attendees and a budget to increase the degree of difficulty to Olympian proportions.
We’ll be heading to a family reunion with over a couple of dozen relatives, some distant cousins that I’ve never met. In fact, although we’ll be gathering in western Massachusetts, I’m not even sure where they all live–I know California (northern and southern), Minnesota, Chicago, Washington DC, and I think even Texas! I know some people are into wine but others might not really be that into it. I volunteered to coordinate the wines and was given a budget of about $15 a bottle ($400 for two dinners, one Wednesday and one Thursday).
So, what did I do? I called Chambers Street Wines in Tribeca and spoke with one of the owners, Jamie Wolff. Here’s what we cobbled together:
Bisol 2005 Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Crede Brut, $15 (find this wine)
Bubbles are always good, but they are expensive. This is a dry prosecco that I’ve poured at my classes before and people have liked. I figure I’m safe here.
Ferrara, Benito 2006 Greco Di Tufo, $19.99 (find this wine)
Jamie’s pick. Although I’ve previously enjoyed Greco di Tufo, a grape from the south of Italy that can make surprisingly full-bodied, dry whites with no oak, I’ve never had this particular one.
Erben, J. Geil 2006 Rheinhessen Bechtheimer Roseng Riesling Kabinett $13.99 (find this wine)
I wanted something off-dry and this is what Jamie recommended. He said it is a great Riesling, the kind that wine newbies will love and people who say “I don’t like Riesling” will want a second glass–providing I don’t tell them what it is ahead of time.
Hureau 2005 Saumur-Champigny Grande Cuvée $13.99 (find this wine)
I really wanted to include either a Loire red or a cru Beaujolais in the lineup. Jamie recommended this one, which I had heard was great too. Add to cart.
Richaud, 2005 Cotes du Rhone $18 (find this wine)
I wanted two full-bodied red wines. I don’t think that they go particularly well with the foods on offer for thanksgiving but many people–particularly men of a certain age–seem to love big reds. As Chambers doesn’t stock many American wines, I opted for a Rhone and a Bordeaux. I haven’t tried this one but Jamie recommended it. It’s a current staple in Parisian bistrots.
Peybonhomme 2005 Côte de Blaye Cru Bourgeois $12.49 (find this wine)
Cote de Blaye–ever heard of it? Exactly. This is a big, tannic Bordeaux that I poured at a class recently to the delight of many. Although it’s mostly Merlot, this one would even keep the interest of any “Miles” characters in the group. It’s organic too for any Slow Food types.
Total: 4 bottles of each, $382 including tax and a 10% case discount. My tasting notes to follow in the last week of November! What are your constraints (if any) and plans (if any) for your Thanksgiving day feast?
On November 5th, 2007 at 2:26 pm ,JB wrote:
We’re about to launch a special blogger wine-pack for Thanksgiving, conceived by Brooklynguy himself. We admit we’re very excited.
And we have some cross-over with the Hureau selected by Chambers Street (though Neil has picked a slightly different bottling).
Neil’s tastes are perfect for this holiday, so we’re pretty excited at what he’s come up with.
On November 5th, 2007 at 10:08 pm ,BB wrote:
We have a feeling that our Reilly’s Sparkling Mad sparkling shiraz will be a hit at Thanksgiving. We had an early Thanksgiving dinner last week to test out some wines, and the Sparkling Mad was by far the most popular.
On November 6th, 2007 at 8:42 am ,Brooklynguy wrote:
Nice picks, as always, from Chambers Street. And by the way JB, it is the same wine. It doesn’t say “Grand Cuvee” anywhere on the bottle, but it’s the same bottle, Hureau’s entry-level red. It’s really really good, especially at this price point.
On November 6th, 2007 at 10:12 am ,Dr. Vino wrote:
I look forward to seeing your picks, Neil! I couldn’t resist previewing the Hureau and popped open a bottle that I had bought previously–and it was indeed a good one. Delighted guests, bottle quickly drained.
BB let us know how that sparkling shiraz goes!
On November 6th, 2007 at 5:56 pm ,Jim Gordon wrote:
Hhhhmmm. No American wines for this all-American holiday? Westport Rivers in Massachusetts makes some very nice bubbly, and Mass. is a natural appellation considering your Thanksgiving location. Of course, I believe the pilgrims had beer or hard cider.
On November 6th, 2007 at 8:40 pm ,Dr. Vino wrote:
Thanks, Jim. Will try to check out the local offerings while visiting. One of my friends had an all Belgian beer thanksgiving last year!
On November 7th, 2007 at 1:13 pm ,Carol Bancroft wrote:
As a native of Western Mass. I am not sure I can reccomend too many great Massachusetts wines (though some of the cranberry dessert wines produced near the Cape are nice). If you have the time, however, and you want to go local, check out Paper City Brewery in Holyoke for some great small-batch beers.
On November 7th, 2007 at 5:35 pm ,Cameron wrote:
For a white I chose Lazy Creek’s 2005 Gewurztraminer from Anderson Valley ($25). It’s an excellent Gewurz, floral and spicy with good acidity and just a hint of sweetness.
The red is a single-vineyard Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley by Homefire ($15). It’s not a big bruiser; rather, it has beautiful white pepper, spice and persimmon aromas that are utterly singular and smell, oddly enough, like the holidays. It also has a nice zing of acidity.
I think those will both work with the wide array of foods and please the family. If not, there’s always my grandpa’s go-to beverage- Bud Light over ice.
On November 7th, 2007 at 7:46 pm ,Joebof wrote:
A Dry Creek Zin – the perfect Thanksgiving wine in my estimation! Nice job Cameron.
And while Thanksgiving and “Italian” don’t typically go together, I had a bottle of Cesare Mari Vino di RiPasso, a grape used in the Amarone process, and it would be a very nice choice.
On November 8th, 2007 at 4:45 pm ,swirlingnotions wrote:
Wow, an organic Bordeaux for under $15 . . . pretty wild. I’ll definitely be snagging some of that Saumur Champigny. We had a Saumur with a duck confit glazed in spiced honey that I made a while back and it was to die for. Thanks for sharing the list!
On November 16th, 2007 at 11:26 pm ,Weekend wine bargains: Thanksgiving edition, experts pick reds and whites wrote:
[…] 2005 Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Crede Brut, ItalyDr. Vino — A bubbly for starters. This dry Prosecco has been a sure hit at Dr. Vino’s wine classes. […]
On January 16th, 2009 at 8:37 am ,Pardon, Madoff, barrel motel, Saran Wrap, discussion - sipped and spit | Dr Vino's wine blog wrote:
[…] he worked the system–unsuccessfully–to try to get a presidential pardon. He’s no turkey! (via Mark […]