This week is all about the TURKEY!
So pull out your pen & paper (or your phone) and get ready to make your shopping list of wines to serve with your turkey feast this weekend.
We’re covering a lot of geography in this time around – from Sonoma, California to Piedmont, Italy, offering a great array of wines for the Thanksgiving table. For those of you who love big buttery chardonnays – this release is for you! I hope you will have a chance before you sit down with friends & family for your big feast – or any dinner – to stop in at the LCBO and pick up some real finds this weekend.
Whatever you are enjoying to give thanks, Happy Thanksgiving!
Julie
Quebec, Canada
$22.95 (LCBO Vintages #393611)
Unfortunately, this cider was unavailable for tasting but I’d planned to include this in my $100 basket since I think cider is such a festive fall drink. Not to mention, a perfect match for Thanksgiving desert with pumpkin pie or pear crisp. It does not break the bank – so I hope you’ll pick one up too!
Sonoma County, California
$19.95 (LCBO Vintages #34777) 13.5% alcohol
Pale straw in colour with aromas of tropical fruit, a little buttery on the taste but lemon loaf fresh. This white wine is not too heavy and has a clean fruity aftertaste. It would be a perfect accompaniment with turkey, mashed potatoes and trimmings. Very yummy indeed and would be nice just on its own.
Pella the Vanilla Chenin Blanc 2012WO Stellenbosch, South Africa
$14.95 (Vintages# 389619) 12.5% alcohol
Chenin Blanc is what I call a glamorous grape varietal. Its’origins are in the Loire Valley in France where it goes by the name of Vouvray. In South Africa it is called “Steen” so if you see this on a label and wonder what it is, now you know. I find it to be an extremely versatile white grape for pairing with food.
Usually medium bodied such as this one with tropical fruit aromas, lots of pear overtones, a little honey but bone-dry. The wine was aged for several months in oak barrels but takes on very little oaky flavour. There’s some minerality on the aftertaste which adds interest and complexity. It’s different and delicious and a fabulous price point. It would be nice with before dinner snacks and definitely with a ham or turkey dinner.
Fontanafredda Raimonda Barbera D’Alba 2012DOCG Italy
$16.95 (Vintages #23135) 13.5% alcohol
Smooth, subtle and sexy this aromatic red wine is plush with aromas of licorce and plums, with some blackberries to mellow the flavours. I found it a little earthy on the finish, tasting of pine needles with a little leather, medium to full-bodied and another great accompaniment with pasta, lasagna, turkey, duck or chicken.
AG Guerroune, Morocco
$16.95 (Vintages #92825) 13% alcohol
It’s fun to find a new wine from the not so usual culprit countries and this one caught my eye. Confident, ripe red and black fruit aromas, very flavourful, bone dry with medium tannins. There’s a little leather, toast and dusty earth on the finish. This is one delicious tasting red wine with a pretty attractive price point. It would be great with a tagine or roast lamb.
The Contradiction, Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvedre 2010Clare Valley, South Australia
$24.95 (Vintages #377077) 14.5% alcohol
You can never go wrong with a blend of the above, 50% Grenache, 26% Shiraz, and 24% Mourvedre. This is like ripe luscious cherry pie in a glass, robust, full bodied with undertones of spice and vanilla, a lovely long finish of earthy dark fruits blended with a little pepper. It’s sheer delight on its own or with some grilled meat, a beauty, elegant wine.
