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11/17/1999 Archived Entry: "More Wine Buys: Thanksgiving"

Here are the last two week’s wine buys from my Wednesday Food Talk program. They are selected by Food Talk’s travelling sommelier, Carol A. Berman, who calls her services – bringing educational and entertaining wine tastings to your home, your event, your party – Class in a Glass. You can call Carol, who is based in New Jersey but will travel just about anywhere in the metro New York area, at (732) 381-7613.

Last week’s selection is called Vin Gris de Cigare, a “pink wine,” as its producer, Randall Grahm at Bonny Doon Vineyards in Santa Cruz, California, calls it. It costs about $8.99.

This is a dry, bright, spicy tasting wine that, had I not known what I was drinking, I would have sworn was from Provence, in France, which is famous for its rosé wines. The rosés of southern France, however, are equally famous for not travelling well. Oh, at least they never taste as good at home as they do on vacation. This California “pink wine,” made from a blend of the same grapes that are used in the Rhone Valley of France, and in Provence (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault), does, indeed, go from West Coast to East with no diminishment of freshness or flavor. I’ve tried it with highly seasoned food, and on its own, and it is a great match for assertive flavors (Indian, Chinese, even Jamaican jerk chicken), and a great refreshment as an aperitif. I venture to say, it would be a good choice for Thanksgiving, too.

The rule about our wine buy of the week is that it should cost under $10 a bottle, but I did let Carol choose slightly more expensive wines for our Thanksgiving feasts.

The white she picked is the 1997 Niersteiner Hipping, Riesling Kabinett, produced by J.u.H.A. Strub. German wine labels seem confusing, but they are not really that bad. On this label, the producer’s name (Strub) is in large bold letters, the name of the wine (Niersteiner Hipping) is in smaller letters under it. Niersteiner means that the grapes are from the town of Nierstein (which is in the Rheinhessen). Hipping is the name of the vineyard in Nierstein. (In Germany, there are often several producers getting grapes from the same vineyard, so producers’ names are particularly important on German wines. Well, they’re important everywhere.) The word Riesling refers to the grape variety. The word Kabinett means that it is a dry wine. (In Germany, there are other words to indicate different sweetness levels.) From the back label, you’ll also learn that it is a Terry Theise Estate Selection, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset. It costs about $13.99 – worth every penny.

Many wine experts feel that Riesling wines go with every kind of food. Personally, I prefer a red wine with red meat dishes, but I definitely see why Carol Berman selected this one for Thanksgiving. There are so many assertive flavors on the traditional Thanksgiving table, and this Riesling, with its peachy bouquet and flowery flavors -- can match them all, including the turkey, and even those sweet and tart cranberries. Don’t confuse fruit and floweriness in a wine with sweetness. This one is very dry.

Carol’s red wine selection for Thanksgiving is a Zinfandel, a variety I always think of as perfect for the holiday table because it is made from a grape variety (Zinfandel) that is uniquely American – or at least we used to think it was uniquely American.

We used to think it was not grown anywhere else, but that turns out to be a myth (and a long story). We now know, however, through DNA analysis, that the Zinfandel grape originated in Croatia (Plavac Mali it’s called there), and that it is the same grape that is grown in southern Italy (notably in Puglia) as the Primitivo.

Specifically, Carol chose the 1997 Sonoma Zinfandel from the Seghesio Family Vineyard. It is a big, rich, spicy wine – hints of cinnamon and clove – that I would love with a steak or a roast or a hearty stew. Why not with your roast turkey. It also costs about $13.99

How about this, serve the Riesling to start, then move on to the Zinfandel when the bird appears on the table.

Happy holiday!

Speaking of wine, on December 4, from noon to about 4 p.m., I will be signing Naples At Table and Soup Suppers, two of my cookbooks, at Shoppers of Madison, the wine merchant at 121 Main Street, Madison, N.J.; (973) 822-0200. Hope to see many of you there.