Thanksgiving Wines: A Post-Dinner Review

BY DALY CLEMENT

Thanksgiving is the favorite holiday of every gastronome and, consequently, of every oenophile. Who knows what the Pilgrims drank with dinner? Ale? Cider? We might throw a cider or two into our Thanksgiving case and I don’t have a bad word to say about fine ale, but this is a holiday for wine – light, refreshing red wines with acidity to tackle cranberry sauce and character that will marry strange combinations.

But wait. Thanksgiving is over. Why am I writing a piece that everyone else finished weeks ago? This is, in fact, a post-Thanksgiving wine review. Use it as a recommendation for what to buy next year if you would like or, better yet, look for a wine to have with dinner tonight. The vino that we fret over this one day of the year happens to be my favorite anyway, so I would recommend most of these on an average day.

On my plate last Thursday, fish-pie shared a space with wild turkey and some sort of citrus salad (we had a potluck but provided turkey, pie and some vegetables.) Is any wine perfect for such a plate? Not at all. But this is the fun of Thanksgiving wine buying and why it has become such a foodie sport. If you’re much, much richer than I am, you can buy good Burgundies and Northern Rhones and call it a day. For you, I am not writing this (although I would love an invitation to next year’s dinner.) The rest of us are left to choose from wines under $20.

As you know if you’ve ever searched for wine on a budget, you can do worse than only buying wines under $20. Even with the euro kicking dollar butt like it has for three years now, $18 or even $16 will get you very tasty wines. When I am buying for a party of 12, though, this is still a little expensive. With one exception, all of following wines are under $14 and all but the first was purchased at Chambers Street Wines in Tribeca

Donnas Vallee d’Aoste Rosso 2005

This is definitely the most expensive wine that we opened  – Astor Wines sells it for $21 – but I bought two at auction for $13 a piece. I consider it one of the better deals of my life.
A friend of mine gave it to a well-known poet who will remain unnamed. Do poets have a heightened sense of taste? Well, he didn’t like it. To me, this makes sense – one loses an ability to taste subtle flavors with age and this man is 81. I imagine that he once enjoyed wines as understated as this but has since resigned to more southernly pleasures.

The second bottle was the fifth I’ve tasted and quality remains consistent. Violet and cranberry dominatel and soft tannins kick in exactly when they should. Extremely refreshing. It’s a soft wine with backbone – reminiscent of very good young burgundy. I love this wine so much.

Fenouillet 2008 Vin De Pays de Vaucluse

If your checking account bungee jumps like mine does but you can’t stay out of wine shops, chances are good that you’ve left with this compromise. It’s not great but it was fine for Thanksgiving. At $8.99, though, it’s nice to have around.

Is it even worth complaining about a wine that goes for $9? I suppose not. But if you don’t NEED to save two or three dollars, spurge for something a little better. It’s a perfectly fine but uninspired Vin de Pays that seems proper for steak frites at lunch.

Guion 2007 Bourgueil Cuvee Domaine

In the world of dirt-cheap and exceptional wines, this has to be one of the great finds. $10.99? Are you kidding? For lovers of cabernet franc, it’s just a blessing.
That said, the wine may ONLY be for lovers of cab-franc. Like gewürztraminer and Sauvignon blanc, it is one of few varietals that even novices can identify with little difficulty, and it doesn’t take to every palate. Guion’s approach brings out the rustic essense of a varietal that is bound to show off green vegetable and black pepper in its youth. I love it. If you’re in the mood for something a bit more refined, the Cuvee Prestige sells for $13.99 and is way more round and fruity. Both are good, and I can’t lie – the Prestige is probably worth a few more bucks if you have them. But this is real wine for $11, it tastes like France and it’s delicious. Try it right away.

Bereziartua 2008 Cider Sagardoak

I have been experimenting with ciders lately and it’s lots of fun. It also seems patriotic – cider is all American. Johnny Appleseed planted cider apples, it was basically our national drink in 1776… once again, though, I find myself drinking European booze. I can recommend some decent American ciders if you’re interested but the good, dry stuff is often TOO serious. I want something dry, fizzy and with a finished quality but enough fruit to remind you that the stuff comes from trees. I can’t tell you a whole lot about Basque ciders but I will say that this is delicious.

2006 Bera Arcese (White Canelli Wine)

I spoke to a salesman in Thirst recently who told me that he loves this wine because “every bottle is completely different.” I guess that’s okay if every bottle is delicious. I haven’t found this to be the case. Sometimes it’s pretty good and I’m happy that for $11 I came away with a more than drinkable bottle, but other times I wonder why I didn’t just get a fruit smoothy – all that papaya and mango. Perhaps you like papaya and mango, and that’s okay. For me, these flavors are awful when they dominate a wine.

This particular bottle was the most subtle I’ve had and actually quite nice. It’s bar wine, but you would find it at a pretty good bar.

Bordelet 2007 Sparkling Pear Cider Poire Authentique

Fresh pears. That’s what this tastes like, and at 4% alcohol there isn’t much booze to cover them up. From now on it will serve as a traditional accompaniment to pumpkin pie, but it’s hard to imagine dessert that this doesn’t belong with. I found it sweet but never cloying, almost gritty in the way that well made pear-based spirits are. A $15 revelation.

Bregeon, Michel 2007 Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Li

Why is muscadet so cheap? I ask myself this question every time I drink a good one. Is there another white wine with the elegance, structure and personality of muscadet at the same price point?

But nearly as often, I ask myself another question: why am I drinking anything but Marc Olivier’s wines? His most basic cuvee sells for $12.99 and it is the top-seller at Chambers. The Bregon is a dollar less. It’s good, but what I love about muscadet is length – the flavor should linger in your mouth for as long as possible, evolving while it’s there – and this just isn’t as good. Oliviere’s wine is better and not a whole lot more expensive. This is good, though, and had a unique creaminess that I found attractive. Salinity, peach-skin, minerals – it’s really muscadet and it’s $11. Try it beside some others for comparison.

Benaza 2008 Monterrei Mencia

Someone told me that this is “like Spanish Beaujolais.” Great! And you know, it kind of is. It’s mencia, not gamay, but I’ve been told that these grapes share a lot in common. According to this bottle, they can. It was like a tart berry salad – lots of blueberry, a little raspberry. Serve it lightly chilled. At $11.99, this is really a steal.

Duffour 2008 VdP des Côtes de Gascogne

Bleh. Whatever. It’s $8.49 – that’s great. Inoffensive stuff but not exactly a steal even at this price. I was surprised, however, by its relative restraint. For such a southern wine, it wasn’t the mouthful of overripe fruit that one seems likely to get. Still not exciting but an excellent choice for a large event.

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