Turkey Day Wine Simplified

I was sadly reminded this morning that blogs that recycle news or merely publish lists don’t like to be reminded that they don’t do any solid research or legwork. It might have something with not wanting to pay writers, but who can really say? I won’t name names, but a blog I will simply refer to as “The Fluffington Joke” wouldn’t publish my comments about their best wines for Thanksgiving post, which was merely a slide-show of different wines, about which I complained, “I could provide the same information by walking through a liquor store and shouting out names of varietals on the signs on the bins.”  Yes, really.   As many people would like to enjoy wine, yet  may be too intimidated by dudes on public radio extolling the virtues of “hints of pear…coffee…oak…or burnt fig to the tune of $28 per bottle” the article was a big FAIL.

I am no wine connoisseur, but I have a serious knack for finding lovely tasting, affordable wines and if that interests you, please read on.

My experience in finding nice wines just began as picking out artwork on the labels that I liked. I have gotten extremely lucky this way. I also look within the $8-15 dollar range. Two vineyards I have found that are quite good with this method are Smoking Loon and Rex Goliath – both from California. Another vineyard that is a very nice value that I stumbled upon (as I was trying to be ironically disrespectful to a hateful relative) is Fat Bastard, also from California.

After I moved past labeling I looked at regions. I suppose it all depends on the soil and the rainfall every given year (Who can keep track of that? I can't remember what happened yesterday.), but once I find a region I like, I stick with it. For example, as much as the California wines I have named are very nice, I find Washington and Oregon wines to be a bit higher quality (Chateau St. Michelle-WA). Australian wines are solid, but New Zealand bumps it up a notch further. I am a huge fan of the pinot grapes and I typically stick with Italian wines as they all come from the same region (Delle Venezie), so again, quality is consistent - and good.

My personal preferences to go with turkey are Pinot Grigio or Pinot Noir.  I like a very dry wine with my big bird. The Pinot Noir can have black cherry undertones, which would compliment cranberry sauce very nicely.  I often drank the customary Beaujolais Noveau for Thanksgiving in the past until a certain uber snob who I will not name pointed out that it was overrated – and I sort of had to agree.

In summary: whites should be drunk while they are young (within 2 years), reds should be aged longer. Pick a winery you like or a region you like and stick with it!  And you can definitely find a drinkable wine in the $8-$15 range.

I hope this takes some of the mystery out of choosing wine for the beginner,  but never be afraid to ask a strip mall sommelier for suggestions either as they can always direct you to what is dry, sweet,  sparkling, has been aged in oak barrels, etc., to match your taste preference.  Many wine stores (which are popping up everywhere) are offering tastings on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons, so you can take advantage of that too.

Enjoy your holiday!