Happy Thanksgiving to Our Valued Clients and Friends:
I am sure all of you have the food portion of your Thanksgiving menus all planned out – but have you selected what you’ll be drinking with your feast?
I decided that I wanted to prepare some charcoal-grilled oysters as an appetizer at my parent’s house on Thanksgiving morning. My first thought was not to look up recipes and instructions on how to prepare the oysters – rather, my thoughts turned to what beverage I would pair them with. Well, wine, of course – I’m a wine enthusiast.
Over the weekend, I sampled several wines, and have narrowed my choices down to three:
The first is Kirkland Champagne. Surprisingly, I found the Kirkland champagne to be quite good – especially for $20. This champagne is made by vintner Jonathan Mercier of the Janisson Wine House, in the village of Verzenay, a designated Grand Cru village for champagne. I found this champagne to be structured, with notes of citrus and a nice, nutty nose. I enjoyed it well. A similar champagne, made by the same vintner for Janisson under the house’s own label (Kirkland can be found at your local Costco), costs approximately twice what the Kirkland champagne does.
The second is Nicholas Feuillatte NV Brut Reserve Champagne. I found this wine, made with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier grapes, to be elegant, fruity, and soft – very drinkable and enjoyable. The wine is light, with a hint of lemon acidity providing crispness. I liked the Feuillatte better than the Kirkland; however, I am not sure it is twice as good, and it costs twice as much.
The third wine I sampled was a Villages Chablis by Patrick Piuze. Piuze is a Canadian who moved first to Australia to make wine. He then settled in Burgundy, France, about 10 years ago, to pursue his craft. He does not own a single vineyard, but purchases all of his grapes from local growers. From these grapes, he makes 38 different Chablis wines. These wines range from basic Villages to 1er Cru to Grand Cru Chablis. Piuze’s Chablis are notable for clarity and cleanliness, with a sharp feel and a taste of minerality that I find most appealing. Piuze does a remarkable job making Chablis wines, and the Villages variety I sampled costs in the neighborhood of $20.
I am often surprised at the high quality of some wines that can be had for very reasonable prices – all three of my “finalists” are at reasonable to bargain rates for good French wines.
But the point is to suit your taste, your palate. Taste is subjective. By all means, pair reds with shellfish, if that is what tastes right to you.
It seems that almost any topic can come back to that – we must take ourselves, our individuality, into account when making important decisions. And I think wine-pairings at Thanksgiving count as important – they do for me.
What will you be eating and drinking this Thanksgiving Day? Please click here to email me directly – I would love to hear your tastes and preferences.
Until next Wednesday –
Peace,
Eric
