Thanksgiving 2011

Wines for Thanksgiving

(& cheese)

(& beer)

We all know how hectic Thanksgiving can be – AND how CROWDED and TIME-CONSUMING it can be in the stores.

We want to help you with your Thanksgiving Dinner preparations.

So, we’ve put together a list of wines that will go well with the meal! We have a lot of other options – we do love these wines for a Thanksgiving meal and we are trying to simplify things for you!

A few things that are important to consider for Thanksgiving Dinner – (1) it’s a long day – drink wines that are lower in alcohol; (2) a big blockbuster California Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon, while it takes great, might clobber the turkey, especially the white meat; (3) you have a lot of things going on in terms of foods – white meat, dark meat, stuffing, gravy, root veggies, sweet potatoes, greens, etc.

Or, if you want to give us a guideline in terms of number of bottles and average price per bottle, we can put together an assortment for you and have them waiting for you to pick up.

Put together any combination of these wines that is 3 or more bottles, and take 15% off the price!

Feel free to pick-and-choose from this list as you want.

All-Oregon

(under $15)

White

Foris Vineyards Rogue Valley Gewürztraminer 2008 (Oregon) $13.99 - Big hit at a recent tasting! We love this Alsatian-style Gewürz from this small winery in Oregon’s southwestern corner. Wonderful aromas of pears, apples and stone fruits. Flavors of bright, fresh, crisp citrus fruits (lemons, limes), plus tropical fruit, Asian pears, minerals and that quintessential Gewürz peppery spice. Dry. Crisp acidity. Long, clean, crisp finish. Whole cluster pressed and cold-fermented. 1,229 cases made. Food pairing – ham, Thanksgiving-style meal, smoked fish, spicy Asian fare. Drinks well on its own!

Red

Eola Hills Pinot Noir 2009 (Oregon) $15.99 - This is a good-drinking, real Oregon Pinot! Well-structured and balanced. Well-balanced acidity. Dark cherry and dark berry flavors and aromas…with a touch of cranberry. A little spice and a hint of earth and toast. Velvety feel in the mouth. Soft tannins at the finish. Food pairing – Great on its own or drinking with grilled or roasted meats & veggies! Excellent with salmon! Wine & Spirits, “Top 20 Value Brands”

Northern Europe

(under $15)

Wines from Northern Europe, in this case, from Alsace and the upper reaches of the Loire Valley in the Massif Centrale, are generally lower in alcohol and well-balanced in terms of acidity and flavors. This means the wines work well with food.

White

Joseph Cattin Gewurztraminer 2010 (Alsace, France) $19.99 – Brand new to Maine. Thanksgiving Dinner is a meal with a lot going on on the table and in the room. There's a bit of chaos on the table and in the air. We have dark meat, white meat, stuffing, gravy, root veggies, cranberry sauce, green beans, maybe asparagus and more. Each family has its own traditions. Each person has their own combination of food on the plate. It can all get confusing when it comes to the wine. Pinot Blanc is food-friendly. It's "only" 12% alcohol, so it won't go to your head quickly. This has vibrant fruit, crisp acidity. It's simply delicious and great with a broad variety of foods.

Red

Famille Laurent Saint Pourcain Tradition Gamay – Pinot Noir 2009 (France) $14.99 - A big hit at our March tasting…..a perfect red that you may even chill a little if you want! The wine is bright & fresh and has beautiful berry qualities with a slightly darker undertone from the Pinot Noir. This unusual blend comes from the St. Pourcain area just southwest of Beaujolais and Burgundy. The grapes are farmed and fermented by the Laurent family which has worked this land for nearly 100 years. 12.5% alcohol. Food pairing – grilled chicken, pork tenderloin, roasted root vegetables.

All-Italian

(under $15)

Similar to wines from Northern Europe and Oregon, Italian wines are made to go with food. Balanced and lower in alcohol.

White

Zenato Lugana San Benedetto 2010 (Italy) $14.99 - We flat out LOVE this! This has crisp acidity and a soft, supple feel to its texture. Aromas and flavors of peach, citrus, bananas and herbs. The wine is soft and round and has a wonderfully long, savory finish. Made from an indigenous grape, Trebbiano di Lugana, a unique clone of Trebbiano that is highly regarded for its distinctly flavorful characteristics. Fermented in stainless steel and aged in stainless steel for 6 months. Bottle-aged in the bottle for 2 months before. Food pairing – Thanksgiving Dinner, roasted chicken, scallops, lobster, duck breast, etc.!

Red

Tedeschi Valpolicella Classico Lucchine 2010 (Italy) $14.99 - This is delicious, well-balanced and nuanced. It has vibrant, lively acidity. Aromas and flavors of cherries and red currants. Nice finish that carries through the fruit. Lucchine is the vineyard that produces the grapes; it’s in Valpolicella’s heart. Hand-harvested. 25% Corvina, 25% Corvinone, 30% Rondinella, 10% Molinara & 10% Rossignola, Oseleta, Negrara & Dindarella. That’s a mouthful and a truckload of grape varietals! Stainless steel fermentation. Food pairing – Thanksgiving Dinner, pasta, white meat dishes and lighter meals. Serve at 57 degrees.

A little bit nicer

(under $25)

White

Chateau de Chamboureau Savennières Cuvée d’Avant 2004 (France) $23.99 - Delicious! This is just a flat out wonderful wine –A UNIQUE wine! One of the best white wines, or any wine, under $25! Full-bodied. Smooth & mouth-filling. Not a sweet wine nor is it extremely dry. A rare white wine that really evolves after being opened for a day or so. Aromas of honeysuckle, green apple & crème brulée. Richly flavored with a stony mineral quality. Well-balanced acidity. 100% Chenin Blanc. From a tiny Loire Valley area. Food pairing - Great wine w/ shellfish in cream sauces. 1,200 cases made. Will age well through 2014.

Red

A to Z Pinot Noir 2008 (Oregon) $19.99 - Wonderful Pinot! This is a great vintage from Oregon! Clear and vibrant with a beautiful dark color. Pretty aromas and flavors of raspberries and cherries, earth, smoke, violets, Asian spices and minerals. A lush texture & good acidity. Long finish that shows this wine’s beautifully balance between richness & power, the wine possesses amazing depth & purity. Restrained use of oak – this wine sees 9-10 months of aging before bottling. Food pairing - Great on its own or with lobster, grilled chicken & pork, chicken salad, smoked salmon, grilled shrimp, sushi, gazpacho and more! Now-2016. Wine Spectator, 90 points

Going Whole Turkey

(priceless)

White

Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2007 (France) $34.99 - Blockbuster of a wine and a GREAT value from Châteauneuf-du-Pape! This is GOOD STUFF! It’s weighty and minerally and complex! Aromas and flavors of limes, almonds, honey, honeysuckle and peaches. Great weight and body to this wine! Crisp finish with vibrant acidity. The finish is long and complex. Blend of 45% Grenache Blanc, 20% Bourbelanc, 30% Clairette and 5% Roussanne. Food pairing – fish, white meat and creamy cheeses. Organic Farming

Red

A to Z Pinot Noir 2008 (Oregon) $19.99 - Wonderful Pinot! This is a great vintage from Oregon! Clear and vibrant with a beautiful dark color. Pretty aromas and flavors of raspberries and cherries, earth, smoke, violets, Asian spices and minerals. A lush texture & good acidity. Long finish that shows this wine’s beautifully balance between richness & power, the wine possesses amazing depth & purity. Restrained use of oak – this wine sees 9-10 months of aging before bottling. Food pairing - Great on its own or with lobster, grilled chicken & pork, chicken salad, smoked salmon, grilled shrimp, sushi, gazpacho and more! Now-2016. Wine Spectator, 90 points

Cheese

Cheese is priced per pound. You may buy it in any weight (1/4 pound or more). We cut it to order.

· Old Quebec Cheddar (Canada) $14.99/lb – easily our best-selling cheese and a crowd-favorite. This is a sharp cheddar that is aged over 5 years. Its texture has this nice crunchy aspect to it because calcium crystals have formed during its lengthy aging. Just a fabulous cheese.

· Manchego (Spain) $16.99/lb – the classic sheep’s milk cheese from Spain! This has a nice sharpness to it and a creamy texture. Try it with fig cake or quince paste.

· Pierre Robert Triple Creme (France) $19.99/lb – one of the world’s great soft-ripening cheese. This is buttery, creamy, rich and more. If you are familiar with Brillat-Savarin, you know this cheese. This is the best producer.

· Humboldt Fog (California) $21.99/lb – one of the most distinctive cheeses from anywhere in the world. 100% goat’s milk. The cheese ripens from the outside in…..as it ripens, it turns gooey. The outer part tastes different than the inner part, which is akin to a crumbly chevre. The rind has a subtle blue characteristic to it.

· St. Agur Blue (France) $18.99/lb – this is creamy, lush, rich and delicious. It’s buttery with a nice saltiness to it.

Beer & Cider

We are going to go local with our beer recommendations. Cider is from all over! Cider is the CLASSIC AMERICAN beverage from colonial days.

Beer

· Portland Lager $4.79/big bottle - Maine’s newest brewery and its only true lager brewery. A weighty, rich lager that has nice hoppiness to it.

· Maine Beer Co. “Mean Old Tom” Stout – this is the 2^nd year for Dave and Dan’s seasonal winter brew. It just arrived TODAY! This is a rich stout brewed with vanilla beans. It’s fantastic!

· Rising Tide Polaris Wheat Stout $14.99/big bottle – This is a limited edition beer. They made 336 bottles and all are hand-numbered. It’s made in bourbon barrels. Rich, lush and big.

· Rising Tide Daymark Pale Ale $5.99/big bottle – this has a wonderfully creamy feel to it. Well-balanced between the hops and the malt.

Cider

One of the beauties of cider is that it is LOW in alcohol. It is the drink that Americans loved from colonial days. Johnny Appleseed was not planting apple trees for eating purposes. Before Prohibition, 80% of all apples were used to make hard cider. Also, cider apples differ from the ones we eat.

Original Sin Cherry Tree Cider (New York) $11.99 – this is delicious. It’s dry and tart with great fruit. This is made from heirloom apples and cherries. Brand new to Maine! Christian Drouin Cidre Pays d’Auge (Normandy, France) $13.99 – Wonderfully sparkling cider. Refreshing. Lots of fine, soft bubbles. Aromas and flavors of pears, peaches, caramel, apples and baking spices. Crisp. 4.5% alcohol.