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I Know, This Is Late…

I’m sure most of you have already purchased your Thanksgiving wine. 

Yes, this post is late, time has gotten away from me.  But I’m sure there are a few of you who have waited until the last minute to figure out what wine you are going to serve with the bird or bring to the party. 

But since most folks are running around crazy today preparing, who knows if anyone will even have time to read this!  Oh well, I tried.

We have already discussed Riesling, Syrah/Shiraz and Zinfandel in the continuing saga to find wine suitable for the Thanksgiving meal; wines both good and affordable.

So why Sauvignon Blanc? 

There are few white wines that have both fruit and the acidity to pair well with the Thanksgiving meal, Sauvignon Blanc is one of them.  It’s a crisp, white wine known for its herbaceous flavors and earthy nuances.  It’s perfect with herb-filled stuffing or an herb-roasted turkey.

When I drink Sauvignon Blanc, I have two favorites which are consistently good.

2007 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand $13-15

Nice fruit and floral notes; pears, crab apples and lychee.  Crisp and light with citrus and stoney earth on the finish.  An overall great example of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.  Awarded 91 Points by Wine & Spirits Magazine.

2007 Navarro Sauvignon Blanc, Mendocino, California $18

Ripe melon, fig and lime are most apparent here with hints of other tropical fruit.  This wine is very fruit driven and very enjoyable.  A winner in my book.  Unfortunately you will only be able to get this from the winery….maybe for the Christmas turkey?

Of course there were other varietals I wanted to recommend for Thanksgiving but just didn’t get a chance.  Other choices would have included Viognier, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir and Beaujolais Nouveau.  If you are still at a total loss, serve a Sparkling wine from start to finish, it will carry the whole meal.

Pumpkin & Pecan Pie Pairings

For those of you who didn’t get enough wine with dinner (or even if you did) and want to round out your meal with some dessert wine, I would recommend a Pedro Ximenez or Cream Sherry.  These will pair nicely with both pumpkin and pecan offerings.  Late Harvest Riesling or a Tawny Port will also make stunning accompaniments to these dessert choices as well. 

Since I am currently in Oregon, I will dropping by my favorite Willamette Valley wineries to pick up my Turkey Day wine.  For me this will include Riesling, Pinot Noir and Late Harvest Riesling for dessert.

I would love to know what wine you are serving.

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  3. Thought of you and your input on wines last evening while I was staring at wines in Trader Joes. Decided what the heck, grabbed a box and ended up with 12 wines. About six had the sign “Goes good with Turkey.”

    Since we are having a small aka 2 person dinner and haven’t even given the meat part a thought, I’m sure one of them will go with the meal whatever it turns out to be!

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  4. I’m serving Chateau St. Michelle Riesling because I love Riesling. I wanted to serve Kung Fu Girl Riesling, but I already had chilled it and I didn’t think it was a good idea to take it back out of the fridge, until tomorrow when we’re somewhere I can chill it again. (We’re traveling). Please let me know if that’s a wrong assumption.

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  5. I love that kim crawford! We are just hosting dessert (my favorite part) so I haven’t thought about my wine yet, figured nothing would go perfectly with the abundance of pies taking over the kitchen…

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  8. Thanks to you I am serving Chateau St. Michelle Riesling and Broadbent Vinho Verde. I have no idea if the Broadbent is good with turkey, but it is my absolute favorite of all the wines you have reviewed! I hadn’t thought about dessert wine. I’ll have to see if our local store has any of your suggestions.
    Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!
    Melissa

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  10. Wish the wines you recommend were available here! Our local wineries are good, but there certainly isn’t the variety available like there is in your part of the country.

    I chose a Pinot Noir for our dinner based on your advice.

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  12. NO, NO, NO…. Cathy, It is not too late at all! I haven’t bought any, First I thought I am just going to serve what ever my husband have in his collection. I think now, I can go shopping and off course I’ll take your recommendation. Thanks, Cathy!

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  14. I tried the Penfold shiraz-cab and it was quite good. Penfold has a shiraz called Bin something or other (actually they seem to have about a dozen of them with various bin numbers) but this one ranges from about $18 to about $23 and is very, very good. The Gnarly Head was also good and a good value. I also like Bogle Zin, made just down the street in Clarksburg. Keep tasting!

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  16. I would love you even if you only wrote about food, but throw booze on top of that and you own my heart.
    One person said they wished those wines were available where she lived. Well, I just wish you were available where I live so you could just coordinate my entire holiday meals. Damn you, Oregon, send Cathy to Oklahoma!

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  17. Good one Cathy! I typically reserve Sauv Blanc for the warmer weather but it is one of the more versatile wines out there. And the Kim Crawford one you mentioned was recently names to the Spectator top 100 of 2008.

    I’ll be opening up an array of bottles, including a muscat enfused with brandy for dessert.

    The fun wine part of the day will be a vertical of Chardonnay from Israel. I have Chardonnays going back from 2006 until 1999. Not sure that the older ones will still be alive, but they will be fun to try. And if they are alive drinking the different vintages with the turkey will be a real treat.

    happy Turkey day!!

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  18. Good recommendations! I love a good sauvignon blanc, although I didn’t get any for dinner this year. I’m going with Pinot Noir (boring, I know) and a Zinfandel to cover the meal…considering a tawny Port with dessert, but we shall see.

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  20. You might be proud to know that I bought wine for Thanksgiving. Although my husband, I’m sure, would rather have beer, I figured we should at least have wine available. But I am terrible at knowing what is good and what is bad so I bought Little Penguin because penguins are just so cute! Is that a bad reason to buy wine? Probably.

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  21. I love both of those Sauvignon Blancs. Although, I have to admit, I never thought of SB with the turkey dinner.

    We decided on a Vouvray for the white, and Pinot Noir and Zinfandel for the reds.

    Happy Thanksgiving!!

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  23. I had purchased a bottle of California Sauvignon Blanc, Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi. It was very inexpensive and I chose this wine to go with the turkey and dressing part of the dinner. I could not find a late harvest riesling, but rather chose Schmitt Sohne riesling, a German riesling that I had already tried and I know it is a good one. That will be served with the pumpkin pies and the pecan pies. Our Thanksgiving turkey will be smoked on the smoker, stuffed with cornbread stuffing. We have smoked turkey before, but never a stuffed one. This should prove interesting. Thanks for the wine tips. Enjoy your Thanksgiving.

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  30. I have fond feelings about Navarro, because they make awesome grape juice from wine grapes – and it got me through my pregnancy…I don’t think I’ve ever had that wine of theirs though, and I do like a nice Sauvignon Blanc.

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