Holiday Dither

Well, it’s that time of year again for The Great American Turkey Dinner. All media – print and internet – are a-twitter with articles by The Experts on which wines to drink with The Bird. The dilemma – to match with the bird or to match with the sides? (But seriously, how does one match a wine with mashed turnip or creamed onions?) The recommendations range from the general  to the specific to the whatever, i.e. “Drink what you want”. Some extol the virtues of drinking local – only serving wines from one’s regional AVA- to a global approach. And now, it’s my turn to offer my holiday wine menu!

We will begin our feast with some champagne (excuse me, sparkling wine) from Westport Rivers, the 2003 Westport Brut. I’m going local on this one but I’m jumping to the West Coast for the remainder of the meal. I’ve become a fan of Charles Smith, his generation’s Randall Grahm. So, our white will be the 2008 Kung Fu Girl Reisling; the red, the 2008 The Velvet Devil Merlot. Note – the names of the wines alone can enlighten a dreary assembly of dull relatives. And to finish the repast, Essensia from Quady Winery. If all this matching seems to be a bit much, then consider matching your beverage to the game on tv. A six pack anyone? Happy Holiday………