The Stranger

5 Answers

• Yeah, for red, Beaujolais is probably the way to go. For Thanksgiving, I assume you're not trying to focus on brilliant pairings, you just want some all-purpose drinking that the greatest number of people can enjoy easily. Pinot Noir would be alright, too. A lot of people will tell you Zinfandel, but Zinfandel may be too...big in flavor for your Auntie, and it leans too high-alcohol for your mama. For white, unoaked Chardonnay is fine, I would also recommend a dryer Riesling or a Sauvignon Blanc. And, of course, you should never, ever underestimate the power of sparkling wine. In my experience, it seems to put most people in a celebratory mood to pop a couple of bottles of sparkling before dinner. Even non-wine people. Assuming your people aren't connoisseurs, go with anything from a $10 bottle of Freixenet or Segura Viudas (Cava, from Spain) up to a $15-16 bottle of Zardetto (Prosecco, from Italy) and you may end up even more popular than you already are. Town & Country (Ballard Market, etc.) and Metropolitan Market both have knowledgeable wine people, and there's always something on sale. Some Young Guy answered in Food & Drink 9 days ago | Report 3 0 5 comments by Dan Williams, keshmeshi, and Luckier… Good call on sparkling wine. If you want to go with actual champagne I would suggest pricing the bottles at Costco. They often have White Star by Moet & Chandon for less than $30 a bottle and pretty good deals on Veuve Clicqout. You can also often find other sparkling whites from France that don't come from the Champagne region. I picked up one from Trader Joe's the other day that was decent and only around $10. Dan Williams commented 9 days ago | Report For sparkling wine, be sure to get it bottle fermented (I guess that's the term). Drinking sparkling wine fermented in a barrel equals a headache the next day. I actually start developing a headache while I'm drinking it. keshmeshi commented 9 days ago | Report Thumbs up for bubbly. The Cristallino prosecco at Trader Joe's is good and cheap - under $10. Two or three bottles of that can get the celebration going while you're tending the bird, etc. Use a piece of tape to cover the "lino" and you can tell everyone you're serving Cristal. Luckier commented 5 days ago | Report I really like the proseccos and cavas. The Segura Viudas is my favorite of the lower-priced sparklers. But my real favorite isn't readily available around here - it's Toad Hollow's Amplexus, about $15/bottle. I love that stuff. Geni commented 4 days ago | Report I love the suggestion of unoaked Chardonnay. France does theirs this way... nice and mineral-y. thetomato commented 4 days ago | Report Enter a comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit

• I always go for a Gewurztraminer--you can Fetzer or Helfrich at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. Gewurztraminer is usually too sweet for me, but it pairs with turkey and gravy like nobody's business. ianto answered in Food & Drink 7 days ago | Report 2 0 1 comment by Peter F… I concur on Gewurtz, though Beaujolais is equally good. On an only slightly related note, I made my own wine for the first time this year from Riesling and Chardonnay grapes grown in Prosser, WA, and my Chardonnay came out tasting weirdly sweet, like a Gewurtztraminer for some reason. Peter F commented 5 days ago | Report Enter a comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit

• Beaujolais is a good choice, but don't serve Nouveau. Beaujolais Villages is a step up and the cru wine is very good: Morgon, Brouilly, St. Amour, etc. Oregon Pinot Noir and Burgundies are great. Loire Valley reds work well. I second the sparkling wine vote. I would strongly suggest going to a good wine shop (Pike and Western is delightful) and asking what they would suggest within your budget that suits your tastes. You can usually get nice discounts on half cases. vinogatito answered in Food & Drink 8 days ago | Report 0 0 Comment on this answer Enter a comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit

• Depends on your menu and your guests. My family is composed of near teetotalers and a couple folks who drink to get drunk, so I go with cheap white Zinfandel and everyone winds up OK. Plus, at about $10 a bottle, you can get a lot on a graduate student budget. Personally, my wine tastes run towards Hungarian wines. Tokaji Aszu is a delicious dessert wine, Harslevelu (roughly, leaves of the trees) is a nice not too sweet white that I think goes well with simply cooked turkey. However, I don't recommend white whines at all if your bird will be strongly flavored via smoking or brining. They'll be overpowered. Griffin answered in Food & Drink 8 days ago | Report 0 0 Comment on this answer Enter a comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit

• Even though a white would be traditional with turkey I would suggest providing both so your guests have a choice. In terms of reds I would go lighter, something like a good Oregon pinot noir or Beaujolais. For whites I would go with an un-oaked Chardonnay or Pinot Gris/Grigio. For specific labels I would suggest picking up a copy of Wine Spectator. I buy most of my wines from what used to be called "bargain buys" (I can't remember the name of the section now). The Seattle Times also had a good article on value pics on NWSource yesterday. Dan Williams answered in Food & Drink 9 days ago | Report 0 0 Comment on this answer Enter a comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit

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