With Thanksgiving Day fast approaching, I thought that now might be a good time to suggest some wines that would be a good match for traditional meals with ham and turkey. While traditional dinners often mean the same old, same old, there's no reason why you can't introduce something new and out of the ordinary. That's why I'm giving you a few out of the box wines to consider pairing with your Thanksgiving feast this year. If you're looking for something a little different this year, then try one of the following wines.
Firriate Branciforti
Nero D'Avola (143818)
Italy
$13.99
Long before the birth of Christ, Sicily has been producing wine. Today, this region is Italy's largest wine producer. While this region is the largest producer, there is less per capita wine consumption than the rest of the country! An important red grape here is the Nero D'Avola and the only component in Firriate Branciforti (143818). This wine is a deep, but bright red with aromas that are reminiscent of Australian Shiraz. On the nose you find plum, black cherry, some dried fruit notes and hints of pepper. But it's in the mouth that I thought this wine showed its best with a full-body and velvety texture among ripe plum, a hint of sweet, but with a touch of acidity that kept it fresh. A very light touch of tannin will be unnoticeable served with the protein in ham or turkey. The price of $13.99 helps when serving a larger gathering for Thanksgiving.
Rigal
The Original Malbec (284026)
France
$14.99
While our shelves are filled with Argentinian Malbec, if we go back to its origins we land in the region of Cahors in France's Lot Valley. Here Malbec has been grown for centuries and from here has spread successfully to the New World.
The Rigal family has been in Cahors since the mid-1700s. Today, we have what they bill as The Original Malbec (284026). This wine has a Vin De Pays designation because Rigal hasn't followed the strict Appellation Controlle laws for Cahors and instead use more modern winemaking techniques such as fermenting both in stainless steel and oak. The results are a wine that is a brighter red and less the inky colour we often see in Malbecs. It has aromas of raspberry, cherry with hints of vanilla and savoury spice. This medium-bodied wine is fresh and lively in the mouth with fresh red fruit flavours and enough tannin to give it texture. $14.99 for a bottle of The Original Malbec isn't bad and worth the try.
Columbia Crest Winery
2007 Grand Estates Merlot (263418)
USA
$19.99
Columbia Crest Winery lies just south of Yakima, Washington and a few miles from the Columbia River, which forms a natural border between Washington and Oregon States. With its beginnings in 1984, this winery has experienced a lot of success. Some of their wines have made Wine Spectator's Top 100 list. In 2009, this same publication declared their Cabernet Sauvignon wine of the year.
Recently, I sampled the 2007 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot (263418). As I tasted it I thought it would be a good red wine for Thanksgiving. I could imagine it going nicely with turkey, ham, sweet potatoes and the like. This wine has a deep purple colour with a touch of garnet telling of its age and drinkability. The aromas in the glass were of dark ripe fruit such as cherry and blackberries with a touch of oak, vanilla and cocoa. This full-bodied wine had good balance between fruit, fresh acidity and just a light feel of tannins. It is ready to drink now and for $19.99 a bottle it's one I'll try again and certainly others from this winery.
Just a reminder to wine lovers interested in tasting a wide variety of wine, the Theatre Northwest Wine Festival is approaching fast. This year's event it will be held on November 12 at Exploration Place. Tickets for this very successful event are available at Books and Company or at Theatre Northwest itself.
