Tag Archives: Thanksgiving

Last-minute wines for the Thanksgiving win

24 Tuesday Nov 2015

Posted by in Thanksgiving, Wine

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Between handling airport pick-ups and stocking up on essentials from cranberry sauce to ingredients for your great aunt’s famous stuffing, it’s tough to find time for wine. That’s why we’ve put together a list of last-minute favorites that will pair beautifully with your Thanksgiving dinner and impress even the most discerning in-law.

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Photo credit: Dr. Heidemanns-Bergweiler

The Mosel is home to some of Germany’s very best Rieslings, and Dr. Heidemanns-Bergweiler Riesling QbA is no exception. Riesling and Thanksgiving are well-matched, since the wine’s lightness, acidity and fruitiness make it a perfect companion to sweet dishes like candied yams as well as rich sides like stuffing. Boasting an 88-point rating from Wine Spectator, Dr. Heidemanns-Bergweiler Riesling QbA offers great flavors of peach and ripe apple. Hints of cream and honey give this wine a delightful finish that will pair perfectly with your first, second and third helpings of turkey.

There are many reasons to love Pinot Noir. But one of its signature strengths plays a critical role during the holidays: It’s hard to find a food it doesn’t complement. This year, we’re toasting with Pinot Noir that hails from one of America’s hottest wine-making regions, Willamette Valley, Oregon. Kudos Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton District, Willamette Valley, is a perfect wine to give thanks with on name alone. It also happens to be a wonderfully flavorful wine with notes of black cherry and raspberry accented by aromas of white pepper, spice and rose.

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And last, but certainly not least: Muirwood Chardonnay Reserve Zanetta Cuvee, a wine that often makes our recommendation list, given its incredible value and delightfully expressive qualities. Produced from two vineyards in California’s famed Monterey County, it possesses flavors of pear and peach with a finish of vanilla and spice that lingers on the palate. The ripe fruit flavors of the wine counterbalance the richness of many Thanksgiving dishes, as well as the savory, earthy flavors of turkey.

Between last-minute grocery store trips and wondering again why you decided to host Thanksgiving, stop by Total Wine & More, and we’ll be ready with the most essential ingredient when it comes to celebrating the holidays.

You can also shop our Thanksgiving selections online by clicking here.

More Favorite Red and White Wine for Thanksgiving, Plus Recipe!

20 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by in Wine

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Table_Reds_Whites-featured-Brussels sprouts, traditionally among the last of the seasonal produce to come to market in autumn, are a classic side dish with Thanksgiving turkey. This flavorful Brussels sprouts recipe, enhanced with pancetta and garlic, will delight your guests!

Brussels sprouts, depending on the preparation, can be a tricky pairing with wine. But there’s no need to worry if you go with either of these delicious suggestions:

A staff favorite red wine for Thanksgiving, Domaine Mas du Bouquet Vacqueyras [pronounced vah keh rahs] impresses with a room-filling bouquet of spices and black fruits. This beauty from the south of France is brimming over with flavors of roasted plum, mocha and lots of spices – ideal with the array of seasoned dishes on the traditional Thanksgiving table.

Are you looking for a versatile white wine for Thanksgiving? Let us suggest Summit Estates Gewürztraminer from Washington State. It’s a beautiful example of Gewürztraminer’s perfumed character, with classic aromas of floral, peach, apple blossom and ginger. Bright fruit flavors with a kiss of sweetness continue on the palate, concluding with a note of spice on the finish.

Pancetta Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Adapted from a recipe by Sean Eastwood, executive chef of La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla, Calif., courtesy of Wine Spectator.

• 4 cups fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed, larger ones halved

• 2 tablespoons olive oil • 5 ounces pancetta, cut into 2-inch-long and ¼-inch-thick strips

• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 cup chicken stock

1. Bring a large pot of 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil, and add the Brussels sprouts. Cook for 5 minutes, drain, and refresh in ice water. Drain, and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta, and sauté until it begins to turn crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, and sauté, stirring, until pale gold in color, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the Brussels sprouts, raise the heat to high, and cook until heated through and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the stock, and simmer until it reduces just enough to coat the Brussels sprouts, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 8 to 10.

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Craft Beer and Thanksgiving, the Perfect Pairing!

16 Friday Nov 2012

Posted by in Beer, Thanksgiving

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Thanksgiving Day often involves relaxation and social time with family and friends, some football on TV, and the anticipation of a big evening dinner. Thus, different beer styles will nicely suit the multiple courses of the evening and keep the taste buds tantalized!

Before dinner: Terrific pre-dinner beers offer clean crispness and plenty of flavors to a fresh palate, with moderate alcohol that won’t overpower the senses. Abita Amber Lager is an easy-drinking Vienna-style lager that’s golden caramel in color with a toasted, bready malt character nicely balanced by mild hop bitterness. For more hop-forward character, Victory Prima Pils is a straw golden colored German Pilsner-style beer with heaps of hops imparting an herbal bite over layers of soft and smooth malt flavor. These pre-dinner lagers slake your thirst and keep the palate clean while prepping it for the food to come.

With dinner: Thanksgiving in my family has always included a traditional turkey dinner with popular trimmings such as stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, potatoes, squash and a green vegetable. Several beer styles with autumn-like colors can pair nicely. Bell’s Amber Ale and Scuttlebutt Amber Ale are orange-amber in color and won’t overpower the food with a mild floral, fruity hop character that’s well balanced by sweet malt undertones. With brown gravy and/or the darker meat of the turkey, a Belgian Strong Dark Ale-style beer can complement nicely. Adriaen Brouwer Dark Gold Ale pours deep burgundy in color and offers sweet, bready caramel malts, dark fruit and mild roast character delivering flavorful complexity with an engaging vinous essence. This style is stronger in alcohol; the Adriaen Brouwer is 8.5% ABV.

With dessert: The trend toward increasingly darker beer colors with each course of the day can carry through dessert. Thinking apple, pecan and pumpkin pie here, perhaps with vanilla or chocolate ice cream, both the Schwarzbier and Stout styles come to mind. A Schwarzbier (“black beer”) is a dark lager style originally from Germany that is moderate in alcohol and, as its namesake implies, is a clear dark brown, almost black color. But motor oil it is not. Examples including Samuel Adams Black Lager, and Xingu Black from Brazil, are relatively light-bodied dark beers on a base of pilsner malt in which the dark hue is derived from additional, specialty malts. Decidedly malty in aroma and flavor character with little hop influence, this style evokes caramel and chocolate notes with a very subtle undertone of roasty bittersweetness. It’s smooth and highly drinkable. Alternatively, Stout will generally provide more body and higher alcohol. Pike XXXXX Extra Stout, at 7% ABV, is virtually jet black in color with an espresso-cream tan head. Fresh roast coffee aromas with notes of bitter sweet chocolate and hops deliver a rich and complex character of roasted flavors, caramel, licorice, and hints of vanilla and oak to complement and balance the sweetness of the dessert.

Rob Hill
Certified Cicerone®
Author of Total Guide To Beer
Now available in iTunes Bookstore as a FREE download
Follow me on Twitter! @TWMBeer