Wine for Thanksgiving

       There we were... having an early Thanksgiving with friends.  Why not?  Isn't there a saying about "the early bird catches the worm?" 

       We had a delightful day with all the basic fixin's-- glorious golden turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffed zucchini and onions from my family cookbook, bread sausage stuffing, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream--preceded by a prayer of thanks for all the blessings in our lives and accompanied by a special Carmel Valley wine.  What could be better.

        Our wine?  A Chesebro Roussanne. It was a rather spontaneous choice.  I walked into the Chesebro Wine Tasting Room to pick up my wine club wine and asked what they would serve with a Thanksgiving turkey.  Roussanne was the first answer; since I knew I liked the wine, that's what I bought.  A nice medium bodied Rhone blend--Roussanne (85%), Vermentino (10%), and Sauvignon Blanc Musque (5%), all from grapes grown in Carmel Valley mountains-- it was perfect...as would have been many of Chesebro's other unique, very affordable wines.

        I also wandered over to the Bernardus tasting room and bought another one of my current favorite wines, a 2011 Saignée de Pinot Noir, a true rosé from grapes from the Santa Lucia Highlands, which we thought would be a wonderful light crisp wine with the turkey.  We were so prudent, however, that we never even got to it.  Thank goodness there are more holidays ahead.

        After our event, I got curious as to what Carmel Valley wineries might suggest for the traditional Thanksgiving turkey extravaganza.  Here are some responses: 

Bernardus: 2009 or 2010 Pinot Noirs (Santa Lucia Highlands); Chateau Julien: 2011 Pinot Grigio Reserve or the 2013 Gewurtztraminer...to be bottled on the 19th, and released soon after, just in time for Thanksgiving; Dawn's Dream: 2011 Arroyo Seco Chardonnay, 2011 Alyssa Pinot Noir; Georis: 2012 Sauvignon Blanc, 2012 Les Abeilles Rose, 2011 Cabernet Franc; Parsonage: 2012 Sauvignon Blanc, 2011 Red Wine (their biggest seller), 2009 Bordelaise; Talbott: 2012 Kali Hart Pinot Noir ("for easy pre-dinner drinking"), 2012 Sleepy Hollow Pinot Noir.  And, as you know, there are many more Carmel Valley wineries to check with for their suggestions.

And this is just a beginning...

        No matter what wine you have for Thanksgiving, may the holiday bring you tasty fare, good companionship and many blessings.