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+--- Thread: Matching wine with food (/thread-17027.html)
- carsonjane - 11-11-2003
Hi guys, I'm back with another question, this time it's about pairing a wine with turkey for Thanksgiving. I have a know it all son-in-law who thinks that having a Dom is the ultimate in wine for any meal. While I like to have a glass of champagne I like to enjoy it after a meal. What is a good wine to serve with a meal that will have cornbread stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, vegetables and the multitude of pies and other sweets. I wouldn't take offense if I could put my son-in-law's nose a little bit out of joint by having a better wine with dinner. Any suggestions? Carsonjane
- Kcwhippet - 11-11-2003
Hate to say it, Jane, but a sparkler is one of the most food friendly wines out there. It goes with just about everything, including turkey - with cranberry sauce. There are a lot of really good ones from CA that will go well with the bird, like Pacific Echo, Iron Horse , Domaine Chandon and more - I'd go for the Blanc de Noir rather than the Brut versions because they'll taste a bit less dry (like the Dom will). That said, there are a number of other wines that go well with the bird. For whites I'd suggest Gewurztraminer, Riesling or Chenin Blanc. In fact we'll be putting out some Dry Creek Valley Dry Chenin Blanc for the SW folks here on Thanksgiving. For reds I'd go with Beaujolais, Zin or a young, fruity Pinot Noir. We're thinking of putting out a nice young Siduri or Loring PN on our table.
- wineguruchgo - 11-11-2003
Although you want to put the pumpkin pie in your son in laws face - why not compromise? Make some wonderful appetizers and ask him to bring the bubbly. Then have a kick-ass Pinot Noir with dinner and some wonderfully juicy port with dessert.
There is a small producer, AF Gros, out of Burgandy that is a stones throw away from Romanee-Conti. I'm not kidding. I could have thrown the rock, but I behaved myself!
They have some wonderful Pinot Noirs that might be a tad pricey, but if the "boy" is dropping a "C" note, you can drop far less and be more impressive!
Just my opinion.
- White Wine Lover - 11-12-2003
Personally, I would take the opposite tactic and serve your son-in-law something good but "very reasonably priced," if you get my drift. Expand his horizons beyond the Dom! :-) Being in upstate New York, I take a little trip down to the Hudson Valley Wineries this time of year to Rivendell's Winery, where I pick up a few bottles of Cranboise. This is a cranberry flavored wine that my guests think is a delight on Thanksgiving, and it's a whopping $7.99 per bottle. It also makes a great Cosmopolitan. Just for kicks, check out their website at:
http://www.rivendellwine.com
(They accept orders on-line, too.)
We have some great wineries in the Hudson Valley Region!
Donna
[This message has been edited by White Wine Lover (edited 11-12-2003).]
- wineguruchgo - 11-12-2003
Hey Donna,
I grew up in the Hudson Valley and although that winery was born after I left, my Mother spoke of it often and loved their wines!
Glad to hear it's still thriving.
- Brom - 11-12-2003
I always suggest American wines at Thanksgiving. I think it is even better if you can get local wines, although I don't think I would go for cranberry.
Plenty of people go with Zin as the quintessential American wine. I would rather go with a PN as a red although an argument could be made for the gurgley fruit of a cab. I would use a riesling for white
- Kcwhippet - 11-12-2003
Folks, note this on your calendars. I completely (mostly) agree with Brom. Our choice in reds is almost always Pinot Noir (domestic, of course - probably Siduri or Loring), and Riesling for white (decided to serve an Eroica this year instead of the Chenin Blanc).
[This message has been edited by Kcwhippet (edited 11-12-2003).]
- yabloka - 11-13-2003
Hee hee!
- carsonjane - 11-14-2003
Thanks again for the wonderful advise. I think I'll go with the Pinot Noir with dinner and the Port with dessert. But the cranberry flavored wine interests me, I may just have to order it for me to try at my leisure. Carsonjane
- Thomas - 11-15-2003
Is it really cranberry-flavored wine? I mean, a real wine that is infused with cranberry? If so, that seems a worse choice to me than a drink produced by fermenting cranberries which, as we have pointed out many times, is not wine. Wine can be produced only from grapes--both technically and semantically. In case you are interested in why I say that:
The grape is the only fruit that, when ripe, has natural yeast and the right level of sugar to ferment to 12% by volume alcohol without human intervention and with nothing added.
The word "wine" stems from an ancient word that literally refers to "the juice of fermented grapes."
[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 11-15-2003).]
- White Wine Lover - 11-15-2003
Hi Foodie,
Thanks for posting the interesting facts on wine. This board is a great learning experience for a novice like me!
To answer your question, Cranboise is a lower alcohol, cranberry flavored wine made from a special blend of regional grapes (from the Hudson Valley Region of New York). I think of it as a "fun" vs. "serious" wine. As I mentioned, I'm just a novice, and I go by personal taste when choosing wine. I like some really expensive wines I've tried, but by the same token, there are some inexpensive ones that I'm fine with, too. If I like how it tastes to me, I buy it, regardless of the price (well, within reason, of course), and that goes both ways, pricey or cheap.
Donna
- Thomas - 11-15-2003
whitewinelover, always drink only what you like, not what others say you are supposed to drink or what others think is not worthy of drinking.
I simply am a purist when it comes to wine--well, even a purist in other matters, but this is a wine board after all!
You might have noticed my upstate (really upstate) address--the Finger Lakes. We have a fun rivalry with the Hudson Valley, but we all know who wins...chiding, of course; this electronic typing shields nuance.
[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 11-15-2003).]
- White Wine Lover - 11-15-2003
I am looking forward to a trip to the Finger Lakes, probably spring or summer next year, with some fellow wine lovers who want to tour the wineries of that area. When it gets closer to the time, can I ask your advice on which ones to visit?
The Hudson Valley Wineries are the only ones I've visited in New York State simply because of location. They are still almost 2 hours from me, as I live in the Capital District Area. I look forward to the comparison between Hudson Valley & Finger Lakes wines!
Thanks,
Donna
- Thomas - 11-15-2003
The wine board has a group gathering in the Finger Lakes on the weekend of May 4.
- Innkeeper - 11-17-2003
What the Foodster meant to post was May 14-16, 2004. Hope we can meet you there.
http://www.wines.com/ubb2/Forum39/HTML/000567.html
[This message has been edited by Innkeeper (edited 11-17-2003).]
- Kcwhippet - 11-17-2003
Yeah. I don't know why I kept putting May 4 in my posts. That's in the middle of the week. Now I have to check to make sure I have the correct dates on the reservation I made.
- Thomas - 11-17-2003
You did it to make me look stupid...or to maybe get me to miss the whole weekend...
- Kcwhippet - 11-17-2003
I would never do that -- intentionally. Besides, I'm looking forward to the draft of the new book.
- White Wine Lover - 11-17-2003
Wow, that weekend in the Finger Lakes sounds great. I went to the part of the board where you were discussing this, as advised by Innkeeper. I'm assuming there will be some notice on the board when a firm commitment is needed?
Donna
- Thomas - 11-17-2003
If you need a place to stay that weekend, the firm commitment time at Glenora may have passed. As for other places, I am sure Gene at Glenora has suggestions.