What wine with turkey?
Jenise Stone

The question comes up every year. And more people are asking because more people are enjoying wine and making it an essential element on their holiday tables. Of course, by that definition, every day's a holiday at my house, but I digress...

So, what wine with turkey? The straight answer is that where it’s easy to pair with a variety of wines with your well-tanned little Butterball, the side dishes can be a bit pesky. Consider the gooey marshmallow and yam casseroles, the bitter and sweet flavors of cranberry sauce, or that green jello-pineapple thing your Aunt Thelma can't be dissuaded from calling a "salad". Which wine goes with all that? Well, none.

So this is what you do: select medium bodied wines that will pair well with turkey and stuffing, and steer away from easily-offended delicate wines and complex, full-bodied wines that deserve your undivided attention. Not to mention a slab of red meat.

If you're serving a crowd, consider offering a choice of red and white wines: variety is festive, and choice is fun.

Among the best choices will be wines made from these grapes: pinot noir, sangiovese, syrah, chardonnay, pinot gris and riesling. Here are some wines currently on the shelves in Whatcom County that will surely please your crowd:

2004 Patricia Green pinot noir (Oregon): Patty Green has just released her 04's, and it's a good vintage for her. At $20, the quality of her basic bottling is almost unmatched at this price point, and the fresh berry and spice flavors of the young wine will surely impress. The Estate, Croft and Shea bottlings have also been released and are excellent upper-end values at around $28. Also, Castle Rock pinot noir sets the value standard for this grape, and the 2004 are widely available and just $10.

2003 Patrick Ryan Rock Island Red (Washington): Costco is currently selling this knockout cab/merlot/syrah blend at just $11.49. Plush and rustic at the same time, and a good choice for those who favor a bigger style of wine no matter they're eating. This wine shows the kind of balanced red and black fruit layering with complex, red-rock minerality more typical of wines three times its price.

2003 La Carraia sangiovese (Umbria, Italy): Sangiovese is the grape that made the Tuscan appellation of Chianti famous, but you get more for your wine buck from its not-so-famous neighbor. The Carraia displays a lot of ripe cherry fruit, sandalwood and raisin notes for just $10, and it's a best seller at Haggen Fairhaven. If you'd rather serve American wines on this American holiday, consider the current vintage of Columbia Winery's sangiovese. It's a pretty, juicy, floral style of Sangio that you won't confuse with its Italian cousins, but it won't embarrass your turkey, either.

2004 Forgeron Cellars “Unoaked” chardonnay (Washington): Clean chardonnay fruit with green apple skin, sweet cider, spicy sandalwood and good acidity. Obvious quality at $16, and one of the better Washington chardonnays I've tasted. For a richer, oak-laden and fruity style of chardonnay the 2003 Chateau Ste. Michelle “Indian Wells” is a bargain. Once a mid-20’s priced wine, the worldwide grape glut has pushed the price way down; at Costco now for just $13.

2004 Cristom Estate pinot gris (Oregon): Bold, well-delineated yellow fruit flavors with excellent balance and acidity, and a fine example of how Oregon can create its own niche with this grape without being a fake-Italian or almost-chardonnay. $13.

2004 Chateau Ste. Michelle Eroica Riesling (Washington): There’s a riesling revolution going on in the world, and the state of Washington's participating. A collaboration with famed German winemaker Ernst Loosen has resulted in this deliciously old world style riesling with spicy citrus flavors. But at $25, it’s a bit dear. For just $6ish, Hogue Cellars and Covey Run offer excellent alternatives that could turn that homemade cranberry-orange relish you’re planning into a real scene-stealer.

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Jenise Stone is a wine enthusiast and avid foodie who lives in Birch Bay, Washington. She can be reached by emailing wine@tasteofwhatcom.com.

(11-18-2005)

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