Turkey Day wines
It's Friday, the sleepy day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. Most of us are taking the day off to make it a long weekend as we recover from yesterday's feasting excesses; and it feels an awful lot like Saturday.
The calendar says it really is Friday, though, and that means it's time for another <i>30 Second Wine Advisor</I>, even if quite a few of you who get your mail at work won't be there to see it. And, I expect, a lot more of you will be out shopping until you drop on "Black Friday." Enjoy your mall trips, and please pardon me if I don't venture out to join you.
With more feasting ahead as we move toward Christmas and the holiday season - not to mention all those turkey leftovers that need to be eaten - it makes sense to devote today's space to the wines I chose to go with Thursday's traditional banquet.
As the wine provider for a convivial group of friends and family who enjoy drinking wine but aren't really of the hard-core wine-geek persuasion, I veered away from cellar treasures and offbeat discoveries this holiday, in favor of interesting, easy-drinking wines that I thought would go well with the roast turkey and all the trimmings that weigh down the Thanksgiving table.
Faced with lots of possibilities, I ended up with three wines that, in one way or another, followed the suggestions that I offered in Monday's <i>Wine Advisor</i>: A "heritage wine," an Italian Barbera d'Asti, made an excellent companion with light and dark turkey with its light, earthy character and tart, snappy acidity. A rather full, round white wine from California - a textured blend of Chardonnay, Viognier and Chenin Blanc - was a delight with the turkey, particularly the more delicate white meat. And it just about goes without saying that a Pinot Noir - perhaps the most versatile of food wines, even in the unusual alternative of a German "Spätburgunder" version - went well with everything on the table.
<table border="0" align="right" width="150"><tr><td><img src="http://www.wineloverspage.com/graphics1/suri1122.jpg" border="1" align="right"></td></tr></table>Villa Giada 2006 "Surì" Barbera d'Asti Rosso ($13.99)
Very dark garnet. Black fruit and restrained "barnyard" on the nose, a little more forward on the palate, an earthy wine in a rustic old-country style that's fine with me. Very high in acidity - typical of Barbera - gives it a cleansing edge that makes it an exceptional food wine. U.S. importer: Vin DiVino Ltd., Chicago. (Nov. 22, 2007)
<B>FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:</B>
Check prices and find vendors for Villa Giada "Surì" on Wine-Searcher.com:
[url=http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Giada%2bSuri/-/-/USD/A?referring_site=WLP]http://www.wine-searcher.com/
find/Giada%2bSuri/-/-/USD/A?referring_site=WLP[/url]
<table border="0" align="left" width="135"><tr><td><img src="http://www.wineloverspage.com/graphics1/tenm1122.jpg" border="1" align="left"></td></tr></table>Ten Mile 2006 "Lost Horizons" California White ($10.99)
An eclectic mix of grapes and California sources, this unusual white brings together 53% Chardonnay, 27% Viognier and 20% Chenin Blanc from Mendocino (53%), Lodi (27%) and Clarksburg (20%) in a luscious blend that sees long, cold fermentation on the lees but no oak aging. Clear straw color, with an appetizing scent of white fruit and honey; just off-dry (0.4% residual sugar), on the full side of medium-bodied. It offers a bowl of bananas, pears and peaches on the palate with slight sweetness well-balanced by appropriate acidity. A very interesting wine and a very good value from California Wine Club.
<B>FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:</B>
You'll find technical information and spec sheets on Ten Mile White on the winery Website:
http://www.ninenorthwines.com/index.php?page=70
This wine is available through California Wine Club. To find it in the Club's online store, click:
[url=http://www.cawineclub.com/Ten-Mile-Wines-2006-Proprietary-White-Blend_PD213.html]http://www.cawineclub.com/
Ten-Mile-Wines-2006-Proprietary-White-Blend_PD213.html[/url]
<table border="0" align="right" width="170"><tr><td><img src="http://www.wineloverspage.com/graphics1/hube1122.jpg" border="1" align="right"></td></tr></table>Hubertushof 2005 Trittenheimer Altärchen Spätburgunder Pinot Noir QbA ($26)
Think of Germany and you'll rarely think of red wine, yet I can't recall ever having an unpleasant Pinot Noir ("Spätburgunder" in German, literally "Late Burgundian") from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. Clear garnet, offering fresh red-cherry fruit and warm spice on the nose and palate. Simple, true Pinot fruit is well shaped by zippy acidity. Opens up to more complexity with time in the glass, suggesting cellar potential. U.S. importer: Plumeridge Wine Negociants, City of Industry, Calif., for California Wine Club's International Selections. (Nov. 22, 2007)
<B>FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:</B>
This wine is available through California Wine Club's International Selections. Look it up in the Club's online store:
[url=http://www.cawineclub.com/Hubertushof-Weingut-Mosel-2005-Pinot-Noir-%28Trittenheimer-Altarchen%29_PD170.html]http://www.cawineclub.com/Hubertushof-Weingut-Mosel-2005-Pinot-Noir-
%28Trittenheimer-Altarchen%29_PD170.html[/url]
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