Get a head start on picking out thanksgiving wines now. Try this one for turkey day!

One of the most difficult aspects of putting together a Thanksgiving meal, and I’ve put together quite a few, is picking a wine that will not only pair well with the meal, but will satisfy your guests. Some will prefer white, some red, some sweet, some dry. Here is my advice: get one white, and one red and make them pleasant but not overly complex wines. If your aunt Hilda doesn’t like anything you picked out, pull the moonshine out of the freezer. That will do the trick, but I digress.

The fun part is picking the wine. Thanksgiving is one of those meals that contains so many elements it can really match well with a great variety of wines. I’ve found one that I’m going to consider for my thanksgiving this year. It might make the cut for the white wine that I serve at the table. It is a pleasant little Sauvignon blanc from France by Domaine de la Motte 2012. It is light and a little floral on the nose. It has a slight citrusy crisp appeal on the palate but has a smooth honeyed finish. It has just enough fruit to pair with the turkey and is palate cleansing for all of those heavily seasoned sides.

Enjoy this French Sauvignon with your turkey dinner this Thanksgiving, and make sure to not let Hilda have too much of that moonshine. Remember what happened last year?

Chardonnay for the summer: Silver Palm 2009

Try this great Chardonnay with any fish that you throw in the pot or on the grill this summer!

If you are looking for a new Chardonnay to try this summer, I have a great suggestion. Silver Palm 2009 chardonnay is a fantastic wine that is refreshing and would be great with a variety of dishes.

Silver Palm as a winery only produces a cabernet sauvignon and a chardonnay. They practice very artisanal techniques and the quantities they produce are relatively small. That being said, the wines are still not that expensive at less than $20 a bottle typically. Even though the parent company of Silver Palm is Kendall-Jackson, they do a great job of creating signature wines that aren’t of a mass produced quality. The chardonnay is primarily fermented in stainless steel tanks so it keeps a good crisp fruit quality that is often lost in heavy, oaky Californian chardonnays.

The Silver Palm started with a pleasant fruity aroma that was matched by pear and apple on the palate. Its mouth feel was crisp and pleasant and refreshing. It had a minerally finish that had just enough acidity to make this wine an amazing food partner. I would try it with a firm fleshed white fish such as halibut or shellfish in the pot. It is even light and crisp enough to steam your mussels in! Just make sure to save that broth. It’s great to dip your crusty bread into it.

Salud!
dd

A great summer sparkling wine…

This little Spanish sparkling wine is great for the summer heat.

When looking for a refreshing wine for summertime, I often turn to Spanish sparkling wines.  They are amazingly versatile and almost always a bargain.

The one that I tried recently that I found to be quite nice is Muscanti.  Don’t make the mistake that I did and assume that the name is in some way connected to Moscato, the intensely sweet, grapey wine.

It is actually a sparkling wine made up of a blend of Macabeo (50%), Parellada (30%), and Xarel-lo (20%).  These grapes may seem strange to many wine drinkers out there, but they are in fact some of the most iconic Spanish white grapes.  Macabeo being one of my favorites.

This pale sparkler had a lively effervescence.  It had a floral aroma on the nose and had notes of honey on the palate.  It had a slight sparkle of sweetness on the finish but not overly so.  I tried it on its on and in a mimosa.  It worked well both ways though the mimosa was on the sweeter side.

I would love this little wine with a salty cheese, like Manchego, or with sushi, and it would be spectacular with spicy Thai food.

Salud!