Talkin' turkey...and that ain't no jive.
Work has been a little nuts. It's been very busy as we had a wine sale last week and this week is Thanksgiving. Tomorrow (Wednesday) will be one of our busiest days of the year, not the day after Thanksgiving. Tomorrow hundreds of people will ask me "What goes with Turkey?"
Well...lots of things. Many wines pair with turkey, depending on your mood or preparation of turkey. What are you stuffing your turkey with? Are you roasting it, frying it, or smoking it? Does it have a cajun injection? Do you have any preferences for a white, a rose, or a red?
The usual response is "I don't know. We're just having turkey."
I recommend dry to off-dry whites including sauvignon blanc (great with traditional sage stuffing and sides of asparagus), riesling (dry of off-dry, great with a spicier stuffing), pinot gris (From Oregon or Alsace. Italian pinot grigio is too light.), or gewurztraminer (Dry or off-dry. It's wildly aromatic. Almost perfumey with notes of rose petals on the noese with notes of lychee and clove on the palate.)
Dry roses are dandy. (I don't know how to put an accent mark over the "e"). Sue me.) French, American, Spanish, whatever...any dry rose will do.
Pinot noir is probably the most popular red pairing. It's elegant and lighter bodied and holds up nicely against a traditional turkey. Fairly complimentary to cranberry sauce as well. Red zinfandel pairs pretty well too. Nothing too big. Something a little lighter. They pair great with fried cajun turkey, turducken, or even smoked turkey. A fruitier Australian shiraz pairs well too.
For something completely different...try a sparkling shiraz. It's red, it's bubbly, it's weird. Some sparkling shiraz wines are not very good, but some are pretty darn nice. They're certainly interesting. Some that I would recommend would be The Black Chook Sparkling Shiraz, Vixen (blended with cab and cab franc), or Rumball. Australians traditionally drink a sparkling shiraz with their Christmas turkey. At least that's what I've been told.
For dessert...
With pumpkin pie I'd recommend and Australian sticky such as any Chambers, Campbells, Dutschke, or R.L. Buller and Sons Muscat or Tokay (Muscadelle). They're rich, sweet, and wildly complex with notes of toffee, caramel, marmalade, clove, coffee, tea, treacle, spiced fruit cake, and nuts. A tawny port would be another fine choice. Try a "20 Year" if you can afford it. Otherwise try an Aussie value like Hardy's Whiskers Blake Tawny (8 year average age). Great for the price!
This year I'm bringing the following wines to my parents for Thanksgiving...
1999 Pewsey Vale Eden Valley "Contours" Riesling from Australia
2003 Tir Na N'og McLaren Vale Old Vines Grenache from Australia
DeBortoli Black Noble from Australia (botrytis-affected semillon aged in barrel for a long time)
DeBortoli "The Old Boys" 21 Year Tawny (probably will not be opened, but will just give to my parents as they've discovered that they like tawny port)
There's literally hundreds of wines that will work with your meal. Let me know your budget and what your having and I'll make a recommendation if you like. But then again I'll be busy at work tomorrow and won't have much time to check the computer. I'll try. The best wine is the one that you like the most. It really doesn't matter. Hope there's some "fun" in your "disfunctional" family holiday! Enjoy your tryptophan-induced coma. Have an awesome Thanksgiving! Go Lions!
Scary story here about Bush's propaganda guy.
Roy Orbison's widow is trying to get the US Post Office to offer a stamp with the likeness of her late legendary husband on it. Sign the petition here. Lick a legend!
I've been thinking for years that I should volunteer for a shelter on Thanksgiving, but I've never gone through with it. Maybe next year. If anyone wants to get a group together let me know. We've got a year to think about it. It seems that I don't have the time for volunteer work like I used to. I've got a pretty busy life, but that's no excuse. I give money to various causes, but it's not enough. Volunteering is very fulfilling work, but it can be very challenging both mentally and physically. Everyone should consider devoting a little time to some of their favorite causes. Volunteering doesn't cost a thing and it makes you feel great. Think about it...
Cheers,
Jason
Well...lots of things. Many wines pair with turkey, depending on your mood or preparation of turkey. What are you stuffing your turkey with? Are you roasting it, frying it, or smoking it? Does it have a cajun injection? Do you have any preferences for a white, a rose, or a red?
The usual response is "I don't know. We're just having turkey."
I recommend dry to off-dry whites including sauvignon blanc (great with traditional sage stuffing and sides of asparagus), riesling (dry of off-dry, great with a spicier stuffing), pinot gris (From Oregon or Alsace. Italian pinot grigio is too light.), or gewurztraminer (Dry or off-dry. It's wildly aromatic. Almost perfumey with notes of rose petals on the noese with notes of lychee and clove on the palate.)
Dry roses are dandy. (I don't know how to put an accent mark over the "e"). Sue me.) French, American, Spanish, whatever...any dry rose will do.
Pinot noir is probably the most popular red pairing. It's elegant and lighter bodied and holds up nicely against a traditional turkey. Fairly complimentary to cranberry sauce as well. Red zinfandel pairs pretty well too. Nothing too big. Something a little lighter. They pair great with fried cajun turkey, turducken, or even smoked turkey. A fruitier Australian shiraz pairs well too.
For something completely different...try a sparkling shiraz. It's red, it's bubbly, it's weird. Some sparkling shiraz wines are not very good, but some are pretty darn nice. They're certainly interesting. Some that I would recommend would be The Black Chook Sparkling Shiraz, Vixen (blended with cab and cab franc), or Rumball. Australians traditionally drink a sparkling shiraz with their Christmas turkey. At least that's what I've been told.
For dessert...
With pumpkin pie I'd recommend and Australian sticky such as any Chambers, Campbells, Dutschke, or R.L. Buller and Sons Muscat or Tokay (Muscadelle). They're rich, sweet, and wildly complex with notes of toffee, caramel, marmalade, clove, coffee, tea, treacle, spiced fruit cake, and nuts. A tawny port would be another fine choice. Try a "20 Year" if you can afford it. Otherwise try an Aussie value like Hardy's Whiskers Blake Tawny (8 year average age). Great for the price!
This year I'm bringing the following wines to my parents for Thanksgiving...
1999 Pewsey Vale Eden Valley "Contours" Riesling from Australia
2003 Tir Na N'og McLaren Vale Old Vines Grenache from Australia
DeBortoli Black Noble from Australia (botrytis-affected semillon aged in barrel for a long time)
DeBortoli "The Old Boys" 21 Year Tawny (probably will not be opened, but will just give to my parents as they've discovered that they like tawny port)
There's literally hundreds of wines that will work with your meal. Let me know your budget and what your having and I'll make a recommendation if you like. But then again I'll be busy at work tomorrow and won't have much time to check the computer. I'll try. The best wine is the one that you like the most. It really doesn't matter. Hope there's some "fun" in your "disfunctional" family holiday! Enjoy your tryptophan-induced coma. Have an awesome Thanksgiving! Go Lions!
Scary story here about Bush's propaganda guy.
Roy Orbison's widow is trying to get the US Post Office to offer a stamp with the likeness of her late legendary husband on it. Sign the petition here. Lick a legend!
I've been thinking for years that I should volunteer for a shelter on Thanksgiving, but I've never gone through with it. Maybe next year. If anyone wants to get a group together let me know. We've got a year to think about it. It seems that I don't have the time for volunteer work like I used to. I've got a pretty busy life, but that's no excuse. I give money to various causes, but it's not enough. Volunteering is very fulfilling work, but it can be very challenging both mentally and physically. Everyone should consider devoting a little time to some of their favorite causes. Volunteering doesn't cost a thing and it makes you feel great. Think about it...
Cheers,
Jason
posted by Jason at 1:43 AM
2 Comments:
I like pinot noir with osturduckenen as well. It is very filling, but I just have to make some every year.
Jason - everybody and their brother volunteers on Thanksgiving. Pick any other weekend and any shelter/food giver out place will be thrilled to see you!
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