Thankful for wine?

It's that time of year when we are all getting ready to freak out, spend a ton of money, and hope to not lose our minds with good cheer. If you're like me, every holiday meal is another chance to pull the cork on something special and get some reward for all the insanity. Thanksgiving is only a few days away so we're all wondering "hmmmm, what should I drink with the one meal that is sooo good that I only eat it once a year...?"

See, I like turkey, but I'm pretty sure that I like it for the reason that I like Corn Flakes, and that's because it's simple and comforting. Creamy mashed potatoes, green beans swimming in cream of mushroom soup, stuffing, and an infinite number of similar dishes mean that, for most people, Thanksgiving food isn't the most exciting culinary experience- so no need to waste the good wine.

Pairing wine with simple food shouldn't really be hard but because it seems too easy, we often think we should put more effort into it. For me, I have 2 choices when I am picking out which wine to bring to Thanksgiving: I can sit and analyze the menu and think about what would best compliment or contrast each dish; or I can just realize that the food is the same as it always is and pick something that I really want to drink and screw it if it isn't a golden pairing.

If you're trying to find a good match, focus on wines that have some solid fruit, low tannins, and medium body. Its pretty hard to find a white wine that doesn't agree with turkey meat and herbs n' spice flavored bread chunks so grab what you want as long as it has some nice fruit to stand up to the sweetness of sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce, and some acidity, so the flavors stay bright and clear. Unoaked white wines with bright appley flavors like young Chardonnay and Riesling are top matches since they compliment the Fall-ish flavors of the food while still being refreshing. Other good choices are Gruner Veltliner, Pinot Gris, or lots of indigenous Italian varietals with bright fruit and aromatics like Verdicchio, Grillo, or Arneis. For reds, stick to something light and fruit driven with maybe a hint of spiciness. Beaujolais Nouveau is the seasonally hyped, and often overdone choice, but feel free to go with something else that screams freshness like a simple Grenache from Spain or a Barbera D'Asti, zippy with acidity. Just don't go for the big, fat, extract monster wines like Australian Shiraz, California Petite Sirah, or wines that have a ton of oak on them since those will totally overpower and obscure the flavors of the meal or end up tasting dried out and flat.
If you're not concerned about matching the food with the wine, just go for what you like and concentrate on finishing your glass.

Best wine memories of last year by Mark!

2008 was a year full of wine, in fact, chock full of wine. So chocky that I actually cannot remember most of the bottles consumed... Of course this is to be expected when you taste so much wine every week but then there are always the truly great wines that upon first smell or taste assume a permanent position in your mind. It is narcissistic, of course, but sometimes tasting wine can feel a little like looking in a mirror, and when you see something you like you tend to remember. So without further ado, my list of ravishing, captivating, sensual, tasty wines of 2008: 2005 Terlano Pinot Bianco Vorberg Riserva - outstanding acidity and mineral component with great length, I grabbed a few for my tiny cellar. This is a really a time machine wine, that is, a wine that make me want a time machine so I can travel back and forth drinking old vintages and aging new ones. Man, I really want a time machine. 2001 Inama Soave "Vigneti Di Foscarino" - A bottle that I sold to a customer a couple years ago showed up mysteriously with "Italian white 20" written on the front in marker ended up being mine. Just when I was sure it was past its prime and would end up being dumped out, I popped the cork and discovered it was magical. Flowers, honey, and lemons. wish I had more... 1999 Pichon-Longueville - A beautiful wine that took several hours to open up, revealing layer after layer that was enchanting and intriguing. A nice insight into the world of the Bordeaux collector. 2004 Le Fonti Chianti Classico Riserva- one more bit of proof that 2004 was a great year and that I should have bought more. This took about 5 hours to open up without a decanter. Great acidity, depth and persistence of flavor with a refreshing finish that begged for pork loin. 2004 Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva "Rancia"- I had the opportunity to taste the 04 before I even had a chance to buy any which was really annoying because it rocked the house. I am now sure that I have had many more compelling wines from Chianti Classico than Brunello- does that even make sense? Whatever, I like, liked it. 2006 Librandi Ciro Bianco- I never expected this wine to be this good. I love the Ciro Rosso from Librandi, but this blew my mind. It was like drinking a great Fiano di Avellino with a little bottle age. All honey and floral aromatics on the nose with a little nuttiness and, of course, plenty of acidity...perfect for, say, arancini. 1971 Huet Vouvray "Clos du Bourg"- part of an insane, half remembered dinner that included 3 wines that were cumulatively 90 years old. The cork was black and looked like huitlacoche and the fill was low but the wine was beautiful. Absolutely singing. Totally ridiculous. Made me feel like a child on a swing for the first time. NV Mionetto Sergio Rose- a nearly perfect food wine- extra dry in style with bright bouncy fruit and crisp acidity. I think I am going to arrange to have this one come out of the faucets. 2006 Ceci Lambrusco "La Luna"- I have repeatedly told customers that this might be my favorite wine ever, a pretty bold claim since I hate favorites in general. I like to think of this a Italian wine in its purest sense, you have acidity, pure, unoaked fruit and bubbles that make you want to eat a pile of food. My only complaint is that it makes your mouth look like you have been eating fountain pens all day. 2005 Biondi "Outis" Etna Rosso- this was a revelation for me, tasted among 200 other Italian wines, it made everything else shrink away and stood alone like a beacon shining in the night, or something. Actually, just really interesting, earthy, scary wine. 2007 Ca Dei Frati "I frati" Lugana- another wine that make me salivate just by thinking about it. This is another time machine wine, but I can settle for decanting it for young drinking. Chock full of minerals, acidity, and layers of fruit- very chocky indeed. I bought a couple bottles so we will see how the wine ages. One reason I hate "favorite" lists is because I never really have favorites, just things that I like at the moment. So let's just say that for now, I really REALLY enjoyed drinking those wines last year and I can't wait to see what will make the list next year.td>

holy wow!

this is a test!