‘TWAS THE SUNDAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING

Posted on November 19, 2023 by Stan The Wine Man

We are fast approaching one of the biggest food and wine holidays of the year: Thanksgiving. Families get together to enjoy each other’s company (hopefully) and share their favorite dishes. When it comes to side dishes, Thanksgiving is the mega side dish holiday. With all that food, wine seems to be a natural fit and it is. Wine and Turkey Dinner are like peas and carrots! However, choosing the wine can be difficult for some people.

The first problem is the budget. Let’s say you’re planning to have eight people over for Thanksgiving and they will all be drinking wine. Potentially, that could be up to four glasses each (designated driver needed if more), which translates into roughly eight bottles or more, depending on the group. It also depends on when everyone gets together. Football watching, card games, etc., could be involved. This stretches out the time your family will spend at your home. More time, more wine. My point? You need to find wines that punch above their weight class. In other words, wines that deliver good quality for less money. This is where getting help is essential.

Some out there have a modest cellar (or not so modest) and have plenty of wine to choose from already. That is not the case with a lot of us. In my experience, even though wine is a big part of the upcoming holiday, many people put off purchasing wine until just a few days before. Some even wait until the day of! Here is where I come in. I’m known as the wine guy who can find you a great bottle at a reasonable price. I find great enjoyment in searching out quality wines at a price that most people can afford. This is so important for a holiday like Thanksgiving. I thought I would give you a few suggestions here in hopes that I can save you some cash and, at the same time, you will have wines that most of your guests will like. Not only that, but they may think you spent a lot more money than you really did. That’s a win-win situation if you ask me. Here are some of my suggestions; I hope they help.

Sandpoint Pinot Noir (California)… $10.

It’s not super complex, but a really easy-drinking Pinot that tastes like a well-made wine. It is a great one to have with a group that is not loaded with wine snobs. Just saying. 🙂

2020 Les Iris Beaujolais (France)… $12.

Finding a good Gamay at this price can be difficult. However, this little gem has all it takes to go with the meal. Balanced acidity with notes of cherries and Asian spices with some earth and flower notes thrown in. To get the Asian spices at this price just amazes me.

2022 Domaine Jean-Michel Dupre Beaujolais-Villages (France)… $15.

It is more of a traditional style Gamay with notes of cherries, raspberries and red flowers. The acidity is nicely integrated and makes this a great food wine. A touch more complex than the aforementioned Gamay, but the price is stupid for the quality.

2021 Carmel Road Chardonnay (Monterey, CA)… $12.

I only mention this one, because you will most likely will have a Chardonnay drinker or two come for dinner. I was struck by the quality of this wine for the money. Creamy texture on the palate with notes of butter, pineapple and hints of apple. For those of you who drink LaCrema, but don’t want to spend that kind of money when you are buying several bottles, this may do the trick.

Non-Vintage Domaine Lingut-Martin Pet Nat Gamay (Vin de France)… $18.

This baby really caught my attention and it’s under twenty bucks! Sparkling Gamay would be a perfect match with the Thanksgiving meal. I love bubbles with the bird. Notes of cherries and red plums with a little orange creamsicle in the background. Lively acidity lends itself well to food. You know you have to cut through some of that fatty food and butter that will be on the table. It’s also a Pet Nat which could liven up the table conversation. Do your homework.

2022 Saint Dominique Roussanne (Rhone Valley, France)… $15.

This is an unbelievable value from France. Saint Dominique will be on my table on Thanksgiving Day. Great balance of acidity and fruit. It has what I consider the perfect flavor profile to go with all the dishes. I’ve served it with guests on a few occasions and it is a hit every time. If you are not familiar with Roussanne, start here.

2022 Jones Of Washington Riesling (Washington)… $15.

Riesling always works with turkey dinner. I recently discovered this gem and I’m going with it. Nice apricot and mango notes balanced by well-integrated acidity. It is not what I would call a really sweet Riesling, but it does have some sweetness to it, which is what you need to make the match.

2020 San Marzano Il Pumo Primitivo (Salento, Italy)… $13.

Zinfandel (or as they call it in Italy…Primitivo) is recommended for Turkey Day by a lot of wine folks. I’ve gotten away from it because of the higher alcohol content. However, this little gem rolls in at 13.5% abv and it’s really tasty. All the things you look for in a Zinfandel without being hot. Currant notes, a touch of spice and black raspberry. All good flavors for the meal.

I hope this list gets you started on the right path for wine pairing with your Thanksgiving meal. If you live in my area, you know where to find me. I’m at your disposal. Have a great Thanksgiving.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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BITS & BOBS

Posted on November 13, 2023 by Stan The Wine Man

Tempus Fugit. It’s hard to believe we are at the end of 2023! I have a lot on my plate for this blog. Soon to come (hopefully) will be my “Top Twenty Wines Under Twenty Bucks.” I tried forty wines in past articles, which became somewhat of a burden. I think twenty is plenty. It should be an interesting list, I haven’t decided yet which my number one wine will be. I should have that list out in December.

I started fast and furious with my YouTube channel again, after the big move and vacation to Sicily. I published two, featuring Nero d’Avola. I was quite intrigued by this varietal while on my visit to Sicily. Having tried several over the course of two weeks, I found them to be quite different in style from various producers. I also reviewed a few wines from Mount Etna. Check them out when you get a chance.

Speaking of YouTube, I’m flirting with one thousand subscribers (I’m now at 818). I mention this because when I hit one thousand, I start to receive payment when they advertise on my channel. It would be nice to get a small monetary bonus for the effort it takes to put the episodes out there. However, payment or not, I really enjoy doing them. Today, I will have my first segment featuring Thanksgiving wines on my channel. I hope to put up at least three before Turkey Day. After that, I will focus on wines for Christmas dinner, which can go in a lot of directions. Prime rib, ham, duck, you name it. One thing I can say about the era we live in, is that people do not always go traditional.

This year, I will be working in my department on Thanksgiving Day. A lot of you might want to feel sorry for me, but I don’t. I actually like working on Thanksgiving, because it gives me opportunities to help people find a good wine for their meal. Believe me when I tell you, there are a lot of procrastinators out there who will be shopping for wine on the day of the dinner. Our department is stocked and ready with wines that I believe will fit the bill.

Speaking of wines that “fit the bill” I have been exploring YouTube to see what other wine people are suggesting for Thanksgiving. As my wife would say, “I’m gobsmacked” at the suggestions out there. It used to be there were four to six wines that were always recommended for the traditional Thanksgiving meal. Pinot Noir, Gamay, Zinfandel, Sparkling Rose’, Gewurztraminer or Riesling. Now, wine geeks are going ballistic with ideas. My approach is simple, use the kiss method (keep it simple stupid). Let’s face it, you’re having guests for dinner and you want wines that are both affordable and most likely acceptable for a wide range of people. A popular choice amongst wine people has become both Sauvignon Blanc and Gruner Veltliner. Personally, I don’t have a warm fuzzy feeling for either of those wines for the holiday meal. If you do decide on Sauvignon Blanc, I would stay away from the New Zealand versions. They can be quite pungent and could over-power some of the side dishes. As far as Gruner? If you walk into a grocery store wine department to search for a Gruner, good luck (other than my department of course). Make it easy on yourself, the meal is a big deal and the wine should not give you a brain cramp.

I have given up on Zinfandel for Thanksgiving. I’m not saying I will never go back, but for now, it seems to be a mismatch to me. Zin has a very high alcohol percentage which can be dangerous when you are sucking down wine during Thanksgiving. Don’t get me wrong, I love Zinfandel However, I’ve found it to be too powerful for some of the subtle side dishes of the meal and it can put you to sleep much earlier than a Gamay or Pinot Noir. The last thing you need is a bunch of inebriated guests for the evening. I know it’s a bit outside the box, but I’m saying it.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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BITS & BOBS

Posted on November 6, 2023 by Stan The Wine Man

One of the highlights of our trip to Sicily was visiting the winery Planeta, located on the slopes of the active volcano Mount Etna. It was a beautiful day and our driver kept us entertained on the way up to the winery. He knew quite a bit about the surrounding vineyards and although he was soft-spoken I was able to glean a few things from him (I think Susie heard a bit more than I did). We were scheduled for a winery tour and lunch. When we arrived we learned that five other people would be joining us. It turned out that I was the only man in the group, the rest were women. The reason I bring that up is that I think that was a first for me!

We were actually at their tasting room that was nestled amongst some of their vineyards. The tasting room was actually in the old winemaking facility that they restored, but do not use to make wine anymore. It was quite interesting to see some of the older equipment they had to press the grapes and store the juice. I’m trying to load some pictures, but it’s taking forever. I may have to do that later.

The vineyards were beautiful, especially against the backdrop of Mount Etna and the lower valley below. You can understand why viticulturists and winemakers are interested in this area for planting grapes. The soils from the lava flows are nutrient-rich, and the temperatures are a bit cooler with the higher elevation (Etna gets snow parts of the year and they ski up there) which gives them a longer growing season than other parts of Sicily. We were up there in September and Nerello Mascalese, one of the main red grapes for Etna Rosso was still not harvested. After our tour of the vineyards, we tasted quite a few of their wines which were stunning. It was a memorable time and good food as well. I am very happy that my wife Susie has always supported my career in the wine world. Not only supportive but quite interested as well.

Now to a subject that I have been ruminating on since the summer ended and we transitioned into Fall. Our wine department was quite depleted on the sales floor many times throughout this past summer. I normally have stacks of wine upstairs that are waiting for a spot on the floor. Not during the summer of 2023! I talked with my assistant Scott about it and he agreed that this was uncharacteristic of me to have so many empty spots in our wine department. After thinking about it, I realized that the main reason was the lack of presentation by the sales force that stops by the store on a regular basis to share samples of wine with us, which helps me make decisions on what to purchase. If I can’t try it, I won’t buy it.

This brings us to the ferry system, which has been struggling to keep a regular schedule due in most cases to “lack of crew”, a term we are quite sick of hearing. This has caused many cancelations of sailings over the summer which in turn makes sales reps reluctant to come to the island to sample wines with us for possible purchase. Hats off to Lauren and Kris for always being at the store each week to write their orders and at times present wines (they both live on the mainland). However, that is a small percentage of the sales force that normally calls on us. As a result, I had very few wines to choose from for stacking purposes (hopefully you understand what I mean by stacks). As most of you know, I am quite picky about what I put out there for my customers to choose from. I want it to be good, as well as an excellent value. Things have gotten a bit better and more of my regular sales force are making their way from the mainland to the store to show me what they have to offer. I’ve found some great values recently and the floor is plump with purchasing options. Phew! With the holidays coming up, it’s important to have some nice wines to choose from.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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STAN’S PICK FOR NOVEMBER 2023

Posted on November 3, 2023 by Stan The Wine Man

Well, here we are once again getting prepared for some major holiday action. November and December are big wine months with people searching out the best pairings for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. I decided to search for a red wine that would pair nicely with all the various dishes that make up the traditional Thanksgiving meal. I’ve been spending some time watching YouTube videos to see what other wine experts are suggesting and let me tell you, the suggestions are all over the place! However, there is one consistent element that shines through. First, the wine should be good, that’s sort of a no-brainer. Second, the wine should have decent acidity, to help cut through some of that butter we like to use and the gravy and the other fatty foods that complement the turkey.

I went with a red that I felt fell into the aforementioned criteria. Over the past couple of years, I have been gravitating towards Grenache as a pairing for the Thanksgiving meal. I’ve found some good ones that have worked well. So this year I as was presented a GSM red blend from a not-so-well-known winery out of Washington State. As soon as I tasted it, I knew it would be my pick. It has all the elements to make it a great match for the meal and the price is right. You see, it is a good idea to have a wine at the table that you are confident most of your guests will like. I believe this fits the bill.

Non-Vintage Guild GSM Red (Columbia Valley, WA)… $14.

As most of you know, GSM stands for the grapes Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. This is a Rhone-style red from the New World. Aromas of plums, cherries and spice, with a hint of roasted marshmallows. Plum and cherry notes ride on smooth tannins, with a kiss of blueberry underneath. Chocolate notes sneak in on the mid-palate into the finish where baking spice and white pepper notes shine. This baby is a “10” in the delicious category and has a good balance of acidity, fruit and tannins. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised with how well this will match up with your upcoming holiday meal.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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