wine with the turkey dinner?

[pastramionrye]

what would you all recommend that might be affordable and go with this poultry feast filled with heavy side dishes?

$10 to 25 price range...thanks.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I'll be serving a Gewurtz and a Pinot Noir - the Gewurtz from Gundlach Bundschu (less than .5% residual sugar) and the Pinot from Sinskey.

A classic German white can have the slight sweetness in aroma (not sugar) that will cut through the heavy gravy and stuffing. A Pinot is the most food-friendly red and compliments both light and dark meat as well as many spices.

[melkor]

You could start with a sparkler (prosecco/cali sparkler/sekt/cremant) then with your food serve a riesling and a california rhone blend, they tend to be more fruit forward early in life - Phelps Le Mistral is a good thanksgiving match. You can find any number of good prosecco's for $10-$15, the riesling is likely to set you back a similar amount, and the Phelps runs $20 to $25 depending on your wine shop.

[Carema]

We always like Rose, there is a Nicodemi Montepulicano from Abruzzo that has very dark color and makes the bird meat quite juicey. About 10 bucks.

Also a Pinot gris with a touch of RS like Sineann from Oregon (not the oak aged one) about 17 bucks.

You can always be really decandent and drink something like Torcolato from Maculan in the Veneto. Botrisised Vaspaiola and Gargenaga grapes 1/3 aged in allier oak barriques. $33/ half bottle but you will only need a thimble full.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Like Melkor said - start with some bubbly! I forgot about that point... If only for yourself! It will make the day go much more smoothly!

[docsconz]

Zinfandel is an excellent match with turkey. The three R's are generally good choices (Ridge, Ravenswood and Rosenblum) although I think Ravenswood has slipped in recent years. Ridge remains my favorite of the bunch, but is also the priciest. Others to consider include Lava Cap and for bigger bucks Turley and Martinelli.

[Carema]

IMO the '01 Ridge is way too powerful for a dry arid bird such as the Turkey. Better go with pure juice fruit like Limerick Lane or Marietta. Just a thought.

[melkor]

It all depends how the bird is cooked, an unbrined bird that's baked until the plastic thing pops up is a poor match for most any wine. There are plenty of prep options that would be well suited to a Zin paring, even the 01 Ridge line - which to be fair is closer to Turley in style than ridge usualy is.

[docsconz]

IMO the '01 Ridge is way too powerful for a dry arid bird such as the Turkey. Better go with pure juice fruit like Limerick Lane or Marietta. Just a thought.

Depends on the bird. If you are talking about thosed insipid all-breast frankenstien supermarket turkeys, I agree. I prefer the juicier and more flavorful farm raised turkeys like the ones that used to be commonplace. I am happily anticipating cutting into a nice red bourbon (turkey ).

[KatieLoeb]

Zinfandel is delicious with turkey if fruity enough to stand up to the accompaniments like cranberry sauce, etc. Other possibilities are a good Cru Beaujolais (Morgon is quite tasty, as is Fleurie), or any other low tannin, soft fruity medium bodied (12-13% alcohol) red like a Dolcetto. I think the big assed Turley zins just blow the food off your plate and your palate. At 17% alcohol it's more akin to drinking port with your meal!

For whites I always like wines of Alsace and Germany that balance a bit of residual sugar against a bracing backbone of acidity. Gewurztraminer if your bird has enough spice to stand up to it. Riesling and Pinot Gris are no brainers. I had a lovely Auslese Scheurebe from Weingut Weegmuller a couple of years ago that was an absolute knockout with roast turkey. This year I ordered and split a case of Edelswicker Sept Grains 2001 from Domaine Barmes-Buecher with the other managers here at Striped Bass. The wine is farmed biodynamically in Alsace and the blend is made from the free run juice of Muscat, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Chasselas, Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner and Chardonnay. It's everyone's latest fave wine-by-the-glass here so it was easy to find others that wanted to have some too.

[tommy]

am i the only person who pours 2 wines at thanksgiving, a zin and a gewurtz, and drinks them in alternating sips, depending on what the moment is moving me to do?

[MatthewB]

am i the only person who pours 2 wines at thanksgiving, a zin and a gewurtz, and drinks them in alternating sips, depending on what the moment is moving me to do?

Yes, you are the only person who does this.

[KatieLoeb]

am i the only person who pours 2 wines at thanksgiving, a zin and a gewurtz, and drinks them in alternating sips, depending on what the moment is moving me to do?

Tommy:

I usually switch to red mid-meal when I start digging into the sides and not just scarfing the bird. I don't do it exactly the way you do, but you do have your own inimitable style that would be hard for ANYONE to replicate...

[melkor]

am i the only person who pours 2 wines at thanksgiving, a zin and a gewurtz, and drinks them in alternating sips, depending on what the moment is moving me to do?

Thats the plan here also, we'll drink a bunch of sparklers then serve a riesling and an as-yet unknown red. I suspect we'll be able to get away with a bigger red if its only matching the bird, stuffing, and roasted potatoes - we'll probably end up with a cali cab.

[Mark Sommelier]

am i the only person who pours 2 wines at thanksgiving, a zin and a gewurtz, and drinks them in alternating sips, depending on what the moment is moving me to do?

Tommy Dear,

What if people don't like zin and gewurz?

[Mark Sommelier]

what would you all recommend that might be affordable and go with this poultry feast filled with heavy side dishes?

$10 to 25 price range...thanks.

With all the incredibly delicious 2002 German rieslings that have come on the market recently, I don't think there is a choice. Start with Kabinett and finish with Auslese. Them's my advices.

[tommy]

am i the only person who pours 2 wines at thanksgiving, a zin and a gewurtz, and drinks them in alternating sips, depending on what the moment is moving me to do?

Tommy Dear,

What if people don't like zin and gewurz?

i'm not sure what your point is, however, my point, mark, is that i have no problem with serving 2 wines, rather than deciding on one.

Edited November 26, 2003 by tommy (log)

[Al_Dente]

am i the only person who pours 2 wines at thanksgiving, a zin and a gewurtz, and drinks them in alternating sips, depending on what the moment is moving me to do?

mmm... gewurtzfandel

[GordonCooks]

Zinfandel is an excellent match with turkey. The three R's are generally good choices (Ridge, Ravenswood and Rosenblum) although I think Ravenswood has slipped in recent years. Ridge remains my favorite of the bunch, but is also the priciest. Others to consider include Lava Cap and for bigger bucks Turley and Martinelli.

I've traded an "R" - Ravenswood for 2 "C's" - Cline and Cosentino as my value Zin choices. The vineyard designates are still tasty but I have to believe Joel Peterson has handed over the winemaking duties on the lesser bottlings.

[Carolyn Tillie]

am i the only person who pours 2 wines at thanksgiving, a zin and a gewurtz, and drinks them in alternating sips, depending on what the moment is moving me to do?

Nope, you are not the only one. I said I was opening a Gewurtz & a Pinot to do just what you are doing alternating.

And I do it often, not just at Thanksgiving.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I think Ravenswood has slipped in recent years.

They slipped significantly when they were purchased by Almaden... Used to be a fabulous wine, when not corporately-owned and operated.

[tcizma]

My wines for thanksgiving this year:

2001 Hans Wirsching "Julius Echter Berg" Scheurabe ( cross between Riesling and Sylvaner ) Spatlese trocken ( in the Franken bottle no less )

Crushingly acute, twice as dry as a trocken riesling, and exoticly complex spice characteristics for my chipotle cranberry glazed turkey and chorizo stuffing

2002 Copain "Broken Leg" Syrah Anderson Valley

Dark and brooding with a searing blast of pure unadulterated over ripe fruit right down the middle.

[GordonCooks]

For dinner - I'm gonna do some Argyle sparkler, Guigal Tavel, Cloudy Bay Sauv Blanc, and a couple bottles of Clape Cornas.

[KatieLoeb]

mmm... gewurtzfandel

Seems like everyone has some excellent choices for their Thanksgiving tables! I forgot to mention earlier that the Sept Grains we'll all be drinking is about $13.00. Not too shabby.

I agree with you Mark, re: the German stuff this year, but a lot of those Auslese aren't within the price point quoted, I'd guess.

The Argyle Sparkling is yummy. A great starter for a festive dinner.

[pastramionrye]

this is not an insipid bird...it is one picked up from a berry farm in pennsylavania that sells 100 birds every year for thanksgiving, and 100 for xmas...killed on monday...delivered to me yesterday...it will be brined for three days in a nice spicy brine with star anise, allspice, cloves, cinnamon etc for three days...it is not for turkey day...it is for my "friends thanksgiving" on sunday...

i do have a rosenblum zinfandel...andmaybe i will grab a german gerwurtz...and start with the bubbly...