Borrowed this from Wine Enthusiast:Thanksgiving Wine Pairings - Recommendations for Turkey & More!

Thanksgiving Wine Pairings - Recommendations for Turkey & More!

Beaujolais Nouveau- the white wine of red wine opens Thursday, November 21, 2013.

 the old family farm's 2009 corn crop

Ever watch a farmer walk his cornfield pulling off ears at random, peeling down the husk, and then shoving it in your face so you too can see what he sees – the harvest that those ears, those stalks will become at some future date? Beaujolais Nouveau is the wine equivalent of those ears of corn. Harvested, processed, and ready to be drunk in less than ten days.

I say buy one of each Beaujolais Nouveau you can find. It is the perfect Thanksgiving dinner wine gift as its cachet transcends it price point (under $20), and is described as “a festive wine to be gulped rather than sipped” by www.winecountrytravel.com/France. To serve at the recommended 55 degrees, chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, or twenty minutes in the freezer, or about ten minutes in a bucket of ice and water.

You’ll find:

Joseph Drouhin – the family-owned winery was established in 1880. In the early 1950s, according to www.drouhin.com, they were the first to bottle and ship Beaujolais Nouveau. Their list of wines is produced from their own vineyards most of which are “premiere” or “grand” cru. Choose from Beaujolais Nouveau, Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau, and Beaujolais–Villages Nouveau “Romane” named after a daughter of one of the current managing family members.  

Georges Duboeuf – the marketer and winemaker credited with turning the release of Beaujolais Nouveau from a traditionally local harvest festival into a worldwide marketing extravaganza post-World War II. Duboeuf is a negociant buying grapes from hundreds of suppliers, then bottling under his own annual abstract design label. One scandal that has contributed to Beaujolais Nouveau’s negative reputation is dubbed “L’Affaire Duboeuf.”

Louis Jadot – a negociant of Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages, and vineyard owner of estates in the crus of Moulin-a-Vent and Morgon. Best known for their fine quality and expensive Burgundy wines, Maison Louis Jadot was established in 1859 and not so long ago expanded into Beaujolais Nouveau under the Domaine des Jacques label.

In addition to the above, look for Bouchard and Mommessin according to Kevin Zraly’s “Complete Wine Course.” 

 

Buy, if you can find them, the other wines released in the Beaujolais Nouveau marketing tradition, such as Italy’s “Vino Novella (Cabernet Sauvignon),” Spain’s “Vino Nuevo,” and the Czech Republic’s “Svatomartinske vino” or St. Martin’s wine (white, rose, red). Last year, I found San Giulio Vino Novello 2010 ($7.98) which was probably one year too late.

 

Things you’ll hear everyone say about Beaujolais Nouveau: Beaujolais region of France; 100% Gamay grapes; must be handpicked by French law the same as Champagne grapes; made using carbonic maceration aka whole berry fermentation; ready to drink in 6-8 weeks after harvest; now released for sale on the third Thursday of November by French law; drink young typically no later than spring of the following year.

Things you should know: Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau are not interchangeable terms nor identical wines; Beaujolais is one of the main red wine-producing areas of Burgundy; Burgundy is one of the best wine producing areas in the world; the two major grape varieties in Burgundy are Pinot Noir and Gamay; all red Burgundies are made from Pinot Noir except Beaujolais; the three quality levels of Beaujolais are (lowest to highest): Beaujolais; Beaujolais-Villages; and Cru; Beaujolais Nouveau is made in Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages but not in any of the ten  crus: Brouilly, Chenas, Chiroubles, Cote de Brouilly, Fleurie, Julienas, Morgon, Moulin-a-Vent, Regnie, Saint-Amour; if you want to party like the French on the third Thursday of November, click http://www.faccwinefestivals.com for a map of French American Chamber of Commerce’s Beaujolais festivities.

Beaujolais has been called by my idol Lettie Teague, Wall Street Journal, “one of the most versatile food wines in the world.”  Beaujolais Nouveau, on the other hand, has been called by Fritz Hahn, blogger, www.washingtonpost.com “a better marketing gimmick than it is a wine.” Try them both this holiday season!

Holiday Shopping Frenzy - what wine is coming to dinner with you?

                                        (graphic courtesy of Matt Groening, The Simpson's)

Thanksgiving has been called “the number one wine-drinking day in America” making wine as ubiquitous as turkey at the contemporary Thanksgiving feast. Forty-eight million turkeys are expected to be consumed at dinner tables on the fourth Thursday in November. Figuring a minimum of one bottle per table, more likely two or three, and if you are in a wine-drinking crowd, more than that; a lot of wine will be purchased and drunk! So the question is – what wine are you bringing to dinner?

One of my favorite retail managers, Rocky, from my local large specialty retailer, Cap n’ Cork,  recommends the following (all under $15): Pacific Rim Dry Riesling for its versatility in complementing many foods; Kung Fu Girl Riesling for a spicier meal; Columbia Valley Cellarmaster’s Riesling ($8) as a good match for cheeses and desserts; Chateau St. Jean Gewurztraminer; Gruet Blanc de Noirs outstanding for its salmon color; and Mark West Pinot Noir “if you want a wine to carry you through the day, from first baste to last load of dishes.”

At the November 08 Cap n’ Cork wine-tasting, they were pouring two of the recommendations - Columbia Valley Cellarmaster’s Riesling ($7.99).  User reviews on various websites pegged it as “an under $10 value Washington State wine.” Also poured was Mark West Pinot Noir ($10.99) described on www.honestwinereviews.com as “one of the most well-known Pinot Noirs out there.” To me, these are wines to buy for people you know like them.

If you are interested in taking something to dinner that reflects a little more imagination admittedly at a higher price point, ask the staff (at the tasting, I purchased Ridge Vineyards Petite Sirah, Lytton Estates), or visit “Thanksgiving Wine Guide” at www.bhg.com. Better Homes & Gardens, or just “BH&G” as my Aunt Daleth called it, has a broader spectrum of wine recommendations: sparklers as an elegant greeting upon arrival; whites: Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Gewürztraminer; reds: Pinot Noir, Syrah, Zinfandel, Beaujolais; rose; sweet wines for dessert: Muscat, Port, Sauternes, Riesling or Gewürztraminer, or a sweet sparkler.

The general rule of selections to pair well with the myriad tastes and textures of Thanksgiving is low alcohol, high-acid, wine with a touch of sweet. Missing from these lists is the number one selling wine in America - Chardonnay. According to the experts, the sugar, salt, and fruit in the feast will wreak havoc with a super-dry wine’s taste. If you like Chardonnay, buy it and save it for later with leftover turkey sandwiches.

 

Growing great reds - Elyse Winery and their C’est Si Bon, Naggier Vineyard (Sierra Foothills) Red Wine

Where I come from, everyone wants to be a farmer. 

Wherever there is land, there is someone dreaming of tilling the soil encouraging it to bear fruit. In Iowa, my brother Michael dreamed of corn and cattle. In New Jersey, a young Ray Coursen may have dreamt of the same but when he arrived in California in 1983 his dream was of growing grapes for his own wine.

Many years later after stints at Mt. Eden Winery and Whitehall Lane Winery, farmer Ray Coursen and wife Nancy have established a winery already endowed with the next generation of winemakers – daughter Elyse and son Jacob Franklin.  

Elyse Wines began as a label in 1987 buying grapes from the Morisoli Vineyard and crushing at various facilities, finally finding a home in 1997 when the Coursen’s purchased a small winery and vineyard where they remain today. Wine Spectator included them in “Hot New Wines from California” in June 1996 issue calling them “moonlighting winemakers.”

Elyse Winery self-describes as “focusing on small lots of vineyard-designated reds” and “a boutique producer of single vineyard wines of uncompromising quality.”  Their website www.elysewinery.com has pages of awards beginning with Wine Spectator’s 91 points for 2001 Zinfandel Howell Mountain through Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s 93 points for 2009 Black-Sears Vineyard Zinfandel (Howell Mountain).

My bottle of 2007 C’est Si Bon, Naggier Vineyard (Sierra Foothills) Red Wine is on the list with July 2011 Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s 89 points calling it “a lovely balance of red fruit and soft texture that’s quite enjoyable over the length of a meal from Napa-based Elyse, which sources the red Rhone varietals in this wine from a high-elevation vineyard in the Sierra Foothills” and July 2011 Connoisseur’s Guide to California Wine’s 88 points.

I got the last 2007 bottle from my local favorite retailer for $28.99. The winery lists the 2009 vintage at $28.00 and unfortunately, as “sold out.” The 2010 vintage is included in the winery’s Thanksgiving Six Pack along with 2011 Sonoma Valley Chardonnay, 2008 Napa Valley Syrah, 2010 Black-Sears Zinfandel, 2010 Napa Valley Petite Sirah, and 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Port.  The website also lists distributors by state; get a name and take to your own local favorite retailer and ask them to source Elyse for you.

Elyse as a girl’s name means “God’s promise.” I’m guessing that’s what my farming ancestors thought as they boarded boats from Germany and ended up in Iowa tilling corn, soybeans, Holstein and Angus cattle, and a few grapevines to remember the old country.  

C’est Si Bon translates from French as “it’s so good.”  Life is. Especially when drinking this wine with friends.

Naggiar Vineyard C'Est Si Bon 2005, Elyse Winery

Naggiar Vineyard C'Est Si Bon 2005, Elyse Winery

I don't know art but I know what I like - Wine Tasting "Iron Horse "Wedding Cuvee" -

 

The tongue of an adult has, on average, between 2,000-8,000 taste buds and each taste bud has up to 100 taste receptor cells. Knowing that, it does not come as a surprise that not everyone likes the same bottle of wine. Or pie, or yogurt, or vegetable, or whatever.

Those scientific facts are why I like to attend wine tastings with friends - we circulate around the distributor tables and share our “finds.” The Joseph Decius fall wine tasting was great because they had depth and breadth – 9 distributor tables each offering a minimum of six different bottles ranging from ubiquitous to obscure across varietals and blends from lowest of $13.49 per bottle to highest $107.29.

The only unanimous favorite of my group (all female) was Iron Horse “Wedding Cuvee” 2007 ($44) offered by distributor D & E Wine & Spirits.

I am pre-disposed to love Iron Horse as it is the label of choice of Hawk, close friend of private detective Spenser in the television series Spenser: for Hire. Played by Avery Brooks, Hawk was every man’s fear and every woman’s desire. In the Robert B. Parker books, Hawk always had a bottle of Iron Horse chilling for the occasion if you know what I mean.

“Wedding Cuvee” is a beautiful blush color made primarily from Pinot Noir grapes. According to the winery website www.ironhorsevineyards.com, “Iron Horse is probably best known for this cuvee.” The 2007 vintage is not yet reviewed but previous vintages were awarded 91 points by The Wine Advocate’s Robert Parker (no relation).  

Sparkling wines are Iron Horse’s well-deserved claim to fame. It has been served at the White House by Presidents Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, and Obama. Special cuvees have been made for top chefs and restaurateurs, for Presidential occasions (“Russian Cuvee” for Reagan/Gorbachev Summit; “Chinese Cuvee” for China’s future President Xi’s visit), for Disney (“Fairy Tale Cuvee”), for National Geographic (“Ocean Reserve”) with a portion of sales going to restore the ocean’s health and abundance.    

What you should know when selecting this wine or any wine: 1) LOCATION it’s from Sonoma County, termed one of the “best wine regions on earth” by Kevin Zraly, Windows on the World Wine School; 2) WINERY it’s from a winery specializing in it (sparkling wine); 3) WINEMAKER the winemaker, David Munksgard, has 14 years at Iron Horse and 16 before that in California’s Russian River Valley and New York’s Finger Lakes region; 4) MARKETING & MAKING these are estate grown grapes from a small, independent, family-owned winery.