Get documents about "Be Thankful_ ThankSgIvIng PaIrIng CharT - Fine Wine _ Good Spirits
Document Sample
NOVEMBER
2008
P L C B ’ S E X C L U S I V E W I N E C L U B
Be Thankful! ThankSgIvIng PaIrIng CharT
hello and welcome to the november Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to enjoy family, friends, and good food. It’s also
edition of the Wine Connection. The a great time to savor a fine wine. Whether it’s a traditional roasted turkey with
holidays are here with colder weather all the trimmings, your grandmother’s favorite pasta, or even a vegetarian feast,
soon to follow, so this month we will chances are there’s a wine (sometimes several) to accompany it.
be taking a look at wines to pair up
according to the Pennsylvania liquor Control Board, with a meal like Thanksgiv-
with a Thanksgiving meal. Of course
ing, it’s important to select a wine that doesn’t compete with the flavors on your
there are many other options for the
table. rich white wines, like a chardonnay, are a traditional choice for roasted
holiday rather than turkey, and our
turkey. lighter, more acidic whites, also work well. While maybe not the obvious
Thanksgiving pairing chart will help
choice, red wines like rosés, pinot noirs, and Beaujolais are other great options.
with suggestions to match the interna-
tional selections we have gathered at The following pairing chart provides recommendations for a variety of Thanksgiv-
the table. ing meals, from traditional turkey to tofu casserole. either way, don’t forget the
dessert! Courtesy: Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, Thanksgiving Pairing Chart LCB2 929
Don’t forget that Thursday, novem-
ber 20th is Beaujolais nouveau day. Sommelier
Red Wine White Wine
2008 is shaping up as another fine Suggestions
vintage, so remember to stop at your
Traditional Pinot noir, Beaujolais viognier, Chardonnay “While white wine is
local wine and spirits store to pick up Roast (Cru and nouveau), (Chablis or unoaked), a traditional pairing
some of this easy-drinking “quaffer!” Turkey Zinfandel, aged Chenin Blanc (dry to with poultry, Thanks-
With that, I would like to take this op- Bordeaux, Dry rosé, off-dry), riesling, giving is a great time
portunity to wish all of you and your White Zinfandel, Cote gewurztraminer, to sample november’s
du rhone blends Moschofilero, Pinot annual Beaujolais
families a happy and safe Thanksgiv- gris (france or nouveau offerings.
ing from all of us at the Wine Con- Oregon), vintage This light red pairs re-
nection. Be sure to join us in Decem- Champagne ally well with turkey.”
ber, when we do things a bit differently
this year by taking a look at some of Asian/ Zinfandel (White or viognier, Chenin “gewurztraminers
hand Picked Selections’ great portfo- Fusion red), Dry rosé Blanc (dry to off- have a wonderful spici-
lio of wines. See you then! Preparations dry), riesling, ness and are a good
gewurztraminer match for any
spicy dish.”
Cheers!
Vegetarian Beaujolais (Cru and viognier, Chenin “Pick a wine that
- Stephen J. nehilla Style nouveau), White Blanc (dry to off-dry), matches the flavors
Wine Club Manager Zinfandel, Dry rosé riesling, gewurztra- you are serving. a
1-800-332-7522, Option #2 miner, Sauvignon Sauvignon Blanc is a
snehilla@state.pa.us Blanc great option here.”
Italian Barbera, Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Pinot “a deep Barbera is
Influence Merlot (red sauces) gris/grigio really nice with any
(white sauces) red sauce dishes and
makes the meal a
little special.”
Dessert late harvest fortified Muscat (from “late harvest ries-
Course Zinfandel france or australia), lings are sweet and
late harvest riesling pleasant to sip after a
full meal.”
D I S C OV E R Y R E D
lyeTh “l De lyeTh” ZInfanDel
2006—code #1903, $13.99
notes from: ity and allow for the grape tannins to
mature nicely.
The l de lyeth Sonoma County Zin-
fandel is a wine warm with the scent
of blackberries and plums. Tantaliz-
ing flavors of dark berry mingle with
The color is an opaque purple, not as savory spices on the palate. Cumin,
dark as some Zins, but the nose be- anise and notes of cinnamon mix with
trays it as genuine. Plenty of smoke, fine, soft, ripe tannins to add a velvety
plum, blackberry, and bramble enve- richness and broad mouthfeel to the
lope the nose, and bring similar flavors overall profile. This wine is right at
on the palate with a touch of earthi- home with a mushroom and parmesan
ness. The oak nuances are soft up risotto, homemade mac n’ cheese, or
front, and grow to the finish, combin- on a picnic with a roast beef or smoked
ing with a slight vegetal character and turkey sandwich with Dijon mustard
soft tannins. The wine is a bit on the and fresh greens.
hot side, but is not out of the ordinary
for Zinfandel. enjoy this with red-
sauced pasta, sausage, and roast beef.
notes from winery:
established by Chip lyeth in 1981,
lyeth was one of the first wineries in
California to pursue the unique com-
plexity and composition achieved by
the marriage of Cabernet Sauvignon
with the other major Bordeaux variet-
ies, now known as the Meritage style.
The term “Meritage” (pronounced like
heritage) is a combination of the words
merit and heritage. lyeth became a
founding member of the Meritage as-
sociation in 1988, which created the
Meritage concept as a means of identi-
fying blends produced in the Bordeaux
style. Today it continues the tradition
of blending outstanding wines, win-
ning praise from critics and consumers
worldwide.
Sonoma County is one of the most
prestigious and historic wine producing
regions in California. With its warm
days and cool nights, it is perfectly
suited to Zinfandel. Cooler tempera-
tures preserve Zinfandel’s juicy acid-
D I S C OV E R Y R E D
ShOTTeSBrOOke ShIraZ
2006—code #1945, $15.49
notes from: The rainfall is about 21 inches per
year, mainly in the winter months.
The estate-grown grapes were har-
vested March 25 – 30, 2006, at
approximately 14.6 Baume after fruit
flavors were fully developed. after de-
The color is a deep opaque purple, with
a nose full of smoke, bacon fat, pepper, stemming and crushing, the wine was
fermented in static fermenters with
and plums. The flavors are similar,
pump-over cap management. The
with blackberry and a slight pruni-
temperature was maintained at 20°
ness underneath it all. Overall, the
- 25° C. after sufficient color and
wine is very chewy and rich, finishing
tannin was extracted from fermenta-
smoothly with plenty of pepper and
spice. enjoy it with an Italian-style tion on skins, a portion of the wine
was transferred to american oak to
Thanksgiving dinner, or with any red
complete the process. The wine was
meat dishes.
then racked and transferred to ameri-
notes from winery: can oak hogsheads for a further twelve
nick holmes started his winemaking months prior to bottling.
career in 1967 as a trainee cellar hand. The color is a dense, deep red with
even then, his ambition was to estab- purple hues. The bouquet displays
lish his own label, plant vineyards, and black cherries, with some pepper and
build a winery. In 1983, nick started spice. The fruit aromas are compli-
planting vineyards and in 1994 built mented by toasty oak. Bold, rich,
the winery. Today Shottesbrooke is a and full-flavored, the palate is layered
proudly estate-grown, family-owned, with ripe fruit and mocha, with toasty
boutique winery. The first wine was overtones from barrel maturation.
a blend from the 1984 vintage which The wine has a velvety mouth feel with
incidentally won the Montgomery Tro- great length, and is part of the proud
phy at the royal adelaide Wine Show, tradition of big, generous Mclaren
and began Shottesbrooke’s reputation vale fruit combined with Shottes-
of specializing in fine reds. brooke style and elegance. It is drink-
Shottesbrooke is located in the eastern ing beautifully now, and will cellar for
pocket of the beautiful and tranquil another 5 -7 years easily. Serve with
Mclaren vale, just 45 minutes from lamp chops or veal parmigiana.
adelaide. The vineyards are situ- review:
ated on the upper slopes of the vale International Wine Cellar 88 Points
amid sandy loam (July/August 2008): “Deep red.
soil of moderate Smoky blackberry and cassis aromas
fertility, and provide are complicated by smoked meat and
spectacular views black olive. Bitter cherry and dark
of nearby Will- berry flavors are given grip by dusty
lunga hill. Careful tannins and lifted by tangy minerals.
management of yield Slowly gains sweetness on the finish,
produces consis- but this is still youthfully tough right
tently high quality
now.”
fruit with excellent
balance. The warm
climate produces PurChaSe COnneCTIOn
big, bold Shiraz with
an elegance that is SeleCTIOnS
the signature of the
To purchase Wine Connection wine club selections go to:
Shottesbrooke style.
Production of all www.pawineandspirits.com.
wines in the Shot- Click on the Wine tab located on the top navigation bar, then click
tesbrooke portfolio is Connection Selections from the drop down menu. Current selections
under 10,000 cases will be added to the online store the first week of the following month.
annually.
D I S C OV E R Y R E D
WhaT IS BIODynaMIC vITICulTure?
With global warming and other below the surface in the autumn, that The Demeter Biodynamic Trade Orga-
environmental concerns in the news are then left to decompose and later nization is the world’s most important
almost daily, our society has taken a recovered for use the following spring certifying agency. The process to be
keen interest in all things “green.” when the field is now ready to accept certified by Demeter is both rigor-
from hybrid cars, solar panels, self- vine plantings. This rather elaborate ous and expensive to the point that
composting toilets, and organic pro- ritual encourages the formation of many biodynamic winemakers forego
duce, people are doing what they can humus in the soil. Compost piles and it altogether. Some wineries refuse to
to minimize their “carbon footprint” leaf sprays are prepared using medici- formalize their beliefs, and resist certi-
and do more for our fragile ecosystem. nal herbs such as chamomile, horsetail, fication. Others certify, yet downplay
Organic winemaking and its contro- and dandelion flowers. Pests such as or completely ignore the method when
versial evolutionary counterpart, bio- field mice are controlled by spreading marketing their wines.
dynamic viticulture, are two methods ashes made from field mice skins that
many in the wine industry are using to are then scattered when venus rises in What remains true is that the phi-
help the planet and ensure that their losophy itself is gaining in popular-
the Scorpio constellation. Weeds are
wines are as natural as possible. ity, especially in these times of acute
combated with the usual pulling and
concern for the environment. The list
Organic winemaking is winemaking cutting, as well as with more unusual
of winemakers below that practice the
au naturel. Only organic materi- methods, such as spreading ashes made
biodynamic method is both impres-
als are used in the tending of the from the seeds of the weed trying to be
sive and growing. While the jury is
vineyards, and the method shuns prevented, then spraying the ashes with
still out regarding whether biodynamic
the employment of chemical fertil- urine from a sterile cow. The urine
practices work or not, the idea behind
izers, herbicides, and pesticides. The is first exposed to the full moon for
them is both noble and commendable.
nutrients needed for the health of the six hours before spraying to block the
grapevine rank first in importance, moon’s influence on the weed, thereby Biodynamic winemakers from
for unhealthy vines make unhealthy making the weed infertile. These are around the globe:
wines. Biodynamic viticulture is also just a few examples of practices that
are taken very seriously by biodynamic France
concerned with chemical-free vineyard • Domaine huet (loire)
practices, but its devotees take a much vintners.
• Domaine leroy, Domaine Dujac,
more holistic approach. The health Critics of biodynamic viticulture point Domaine romanee-Conti (Burgundy)
and well-being of the vine is only part to the above examples, and numer- • Chapoutier (rhône)
and parcel of the overall health of the ous others, as ridiculous and laugh- • Zind-humbrecht, Ostertag,
entire ecosystem under the biodynam- able. They also argue that biodynamic kreydenweiss (alsace)
ic method. methods are an enormous waste of time
and money, as well as an effrontery to Spain
Biodynamic viticulture is a natural • Pingus
outgrowth of a belief system known science and technology. Proponents of
as anthroposophy, first developed by the practice claim that not only are the California
austrian philosopher rudolf Steiner wines free from synthetics and poten- • Bonny Doon (randall grahm)
(1861-1929), who is also the father tially harmful chemicals, but that the • Quivara
of the Waldorf method of education. wines taste different from counterparts • Benzinger
Biodynamic viticulture looks at the made using more modern, scientific • robert Sinskey
entire universe as one great ecosystem, methods. Biodynamically created wines • Joseph Phelps (converting since 1999)
where every action has repercussions are supposed to give the taster more
terroir and natural flavor than the same Italy
that affect the whole. The farm be- • Cascina Corte
comes its own living organism with its wine from the same area made with • Monte Bernardi
own individuality, dependent upon the modern science. Taste being entirely
careful integration of crops, the recy- subjective, there is no doubt of the costs Australia
cling of nutrients, and the health and in time and money, and the seriousness • henschke
well-being of not only the vines, but of biodynamic viticulture. • Talijancich
the animals and insects that feed upon
them. The farmer himself is part of Life
the ecosystem, and his health, well-be- Life Force
ing, and practices are vitally important Working with the
to its sustainability. Cycles of Nature
Biodynamic Preparations
Taken at face-value, some of the Closed Nutrient System
methods used in biodynamic viti- Self-Regulating Systems
culture can seem rather pretentious Traditional Estate Farming
Observations, Anticipation,
and more than a little wooly-headed. Personal Connection to the Land
vineyards are prepared by burying cow
Rudolf Steiner Biodynamic Pyramid
horns filled with manure 40-60 cm
D I S C OV E R Y R E D
