Need Wine Advice? Ask me here!

[AgentOrange]

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/d...heap_wine.html

I am a Gallo sales rep.

[crowmst3k!]

I am a Gallo sales rep.

And I think Gallo has easily some of the best values coming out of California. It's a shame that the Gallo name is not respected among the hoity toity.

[crowmst3k!]

My parents grow concord grapes and sometimes make wine. I remember how delicious it tasted, but have never found something off the shelf that tasted quite like it. Any suggestions? Is the Jewish section of the store where I will find all of them?

Mogen David or Manischewitz both do Concord wines. Not my thing, but certainly popular among our Jewish clientele.

[crowmst3k!]

How about some box wines for Thanksgiving? I need to get a big group drunk .

I hear Big House does decent wine in a box.

Yeah. Absolutely. There are some great ones out there.

For reds I would recommend:
La Vielle Ferme Cotes Du Luberon Rouge (Rhone Valley, France)
Vina Borgia Garnacha (Campo de Borja, Spain)
Vin Tesa Tinto (Spain) <--- Easily my favorite boxed red out there, but an obscure distributor supplies the wine, so it's not everywhere.

White:
Wurtz Riesling Trocken (Germany) <--- A dry style Riesling that is crisp and refreshing. Will pair beautifully with turkey and ham.

[AgentOrange]

And I think Gallo has easily some of the best values coming out of California. It's a shame that the Gallo name is not respected among the hoity toity.

I couldn't agree more. I am obviously biased, but we have an incredible value brand portfolio. It is a real shame that most of America thinks high price = better wine.

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of incredible wines that cost quite a bit, but just because its a 30 dollar bottle, doesn't mean its better than a 11 dollar bottle.

Do you guys carry Liberty Creek? If not, you need to. 6.99/7.99 1.5L that sells a ton. I have some stores that go through 20 cases a month, easy.

[crowmst3k!]

I couldn't agree more. I am obviously biased, but we have an incredible value brand portfolio. It is a real shame that most of America thinks high price = better wine.

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of incredible wines that cost quite a bit, but just because its a 30 dollar bottle, doesn't mean its better than a 11 dollar bottle.

Do you guys carry Liberty Creek? If not, you need to. 6.99/7.99 1.5L that sells a ton. I have some stores that go through 20 cases a month, easy.

Yeah, we carry their cab. We do well with it. But, honestly, the stuff that works best from Gallo's book are the wines from Louis Martini. Their Sonoma cab and their Ghost Pines cab sell extremely well in our shop.

[crowmst3k!]

Thanksgiving meals are interesting wine pairing opportunities. While turkey is the center of the meal, many of the other traditional side dishes complicate the pairing process. Basically, you want to start with a lighter wine for the turkey, and then seek out certain nuances for the rest of the meal. Both whites and reds will work, but you should be more selective with reds.

Reds:
Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, Burgundy, Dolcetto D'Alba, all work because of their style. Each of these wines is lighter, fruity, and less overpowering. In other words, they won't completely get in the way of the delicate flavors of dishes like turkey and mashed potatoes. Also, their fresh, tart flavors will mirror the flavor of your cranberry sauce. If you're part of the contingent of German descendents of Baltimore that pairs Sauerkraut with their meal, the fresh acidity in these wines will mirror a good bowl of kraut, as well.

Look for Pinot Noir from France's Burgundy region. All of the reds from Burgundy are made with Pinot Noir (except Beaujolais) 2009 was a fantastic vintage, and even low priced red Burgundies taste great from that vintage. Some noteworthy producers of red Burgundy are: Vincent Girardin, Henri Gouges, Michel Noellat, Thibault Liger-Belair, and Mongeard-Mugneret. If your local shop does not stock these producers, some more commonly stocked houses include Louis Jadot and Georges DuBoeuf.

Also, Pinot Noirs from Oregon, Carneros, and Santa Barbara will also pair well with a Thanksgiving meal.

Beaujolais: The south of Burgundy is Beaujolais. Home to the Gamay grape, Beaujolais is often dismissed as cheap, quaffable Nouveau and Villages level wines. While these wines exist, and will work for Thanksgiving, don't overlook some of the Beaujolais "Crus" (Specific vineyard sites). Many of the Beaujolais from Morgon, Bruilly, Moulin-a-Vent, and Chenas are some of the most affordable, delicious expressions of Gamay in the world. My personal favorite for Thanksgiving is Cru Beaujolais served with a slight chill. Many of the aforementioned Burgundy producers also make wines in Beaujolais.

And the rest:
Dolcetto is a light and fruity wine from Italy's Piedmont region. I don't think I've ever had a "bad" one. Some producers I like are Massolino, Lodali, and Renato Corino.

Wildcard reds: If you change your Thanksgiving to include beef tenderloin, along with the Turkey, consider a wine from the Rhone. They'll be hearty enough to stand up to the beef, while not being too heavy for everything else. Also, consider Barbaresco from Italy's Piedmont region.

Whites:


Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris. What's that? You don't like sweet wines? Well, fear not! Each of these wines is done in both a dry and a sweet style. Rule of thumb: Alsace wines will be dryer than their German counterparts. If you want a dry style from Germany, look for the word "Trocken" on the label. Trocken means "dry". Pinot Gris from Alsace and Oregon will both be dry in style, but with a lot of fresh fruit flavors and zippy acidity.

Gewurztraminer is my favorite white wine to go with Thanksgiving. ?Gewurz? means ?spicy? in German. And this accurately describes the aromas and flavors from the wine. The primary flavors of citrus fruit and peach are accompanied by a spice note, almost like cloves or cinnamon. This rich, spicy style mirrors the many of the side dishes served with a traditional meal like sweet potatoes or autumn squash.

Other Favorites:
Riesling (sweet). Dr. Loosen, Germany. Merkelbach, Germany. Joh Jos Prum, Germany. Kung Fu Girl (semi-sweet), Washington State. Chateau Ste. Michelle, Washington state.

Riesling (dry): Klemens Weber Riesling Halbtrocken, Germany. Albert Seltz, Alsace. Michel Fonne, Alsace.

Gewurztraminer: Albert Seltz, Alsace. Michel Fonne, Alsace. Domaine Zind Humbrecht, Alsace. Villa Wolf, Germany (Sweet style).

At any rate, I firmly believe that no Thanksgiving feast is complete without a great bottle of wine. I hope this post helps some who are new to wine, or wish to know more about wine and food pairings. If you still need help, visit your local wine shop. Their staff should be able to help you and give you personal service and recommendations.

[bdlj0887]

I was just about to ask and I see this posted, excellent.

[SammyBirdland]

So how do we get on the mailing lists of you wine reps so that you can send us freebies from time to time

[Lucky Jim]

Wildcard reds: If you change your Thanksgiving to include beef tenderloin, along with the Turkey, consider a wine from the Rhone. They'll be hearty enough to stand up to the beef, while not being too heavy for everything else. Also, consider Barbaresco from Italy's Piedmont region.

Whites:


Gewurztraminer is my favorite white wine to go with Thanksgiving. ?Gewurz? means ?spicy? in German. And this accurately describes the aromas and flavors from the wine. The primary flavors of citrus fruit and peach are accompanied by a spice note, almost like cloves or cinnamon. This rich, spicy style mirrors the many of the side dishes served with a traditional meal like sweet potatoes or autumn squash.

Good stuff here. Thanksgiving is a hectic time in the industry (I worked in it while in grad school, and then full-time in NYC before law school), so thanks for taking the time to do this.

I would whole-heartedly agree with the above. While not all Rhone reds are perfect for Thanksgiving (wines like Gigondas can be too burly), I've had a lot of success with fairly forward Chateauneufs and even more obscure villages like Cairanne. For those in the Baltimore/DC area, Bobby Kacher is a DC-based importer whose entire portfolio is stocked with really drinkable reds, and great Rhones - if you see his name on a label, you can bet it's going to be pretty darn good.

Thanskgiving meals are so rich that a lot of wines hold up better than you'd think, though Pinot Noir is always a good choice. If you have fresh, home-made cranberry with your meal, I actually think a lot of table Zinfandels work too - low tannin, low acidity, and that crushed raspberry/blackberry fruit can be really nice. I lean toward heavier reds, but Thanksgiving meals hold up to them better than most imagine.

For whites, I tend to go with dry Rieslings, myself. If you haven't familiarized yourself with dry Riesling, it's a remarkable grape. Buy a good one (whether from Alsace, or Austria, or Australia - and even places not beginning with "A") and you'll be hooked. A truly noble varietal.

As Crow stated, though, finding a wine shop where you're comfortable asking questions is key - when I got started in the business, we hand-sold pretty much every bottle, and the Q&A with customers was all the information we needed to hook people up with a better bottle, at a lower price, than people expected to take home. Your local shop will be happy to do the same.

[Lucky Jim]

Ended up having a 2001 Hugel Jubilee Riesling and 2007 Chateauneuf that I picked up at wine shop near my folks. Both worked very well, particularly the Riesling. Not my favorite producer, but such a good match with the "autumnal" fare.

[SammyBirdland]

Can anyone suggest some types of white wines that are similar in sweetness to champagne or champagne-like wines?

[SammyBirdland]

Can anyone suggest some types of white wines that are similar in sweetness to champagne or champagne-like wines?

I played the wine store guessing game today and found exactly the flavor I was looking for on the first try.



Any suggestions for other wines to try for someone who likes Moscato?