Wine Line: Thanksgiving wines under $10
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s all about the meal. Preparing the meal and having it ready on time can be stressful. To reduce some of the stress, the Navigator ordered me out of the kitchen. I agreed. “Since you’re the wine guy, just do that,” she said. I agreed. Since I passed down the responsibility of carving the turkey to our sons, my only duty is wine. I love Thanksgiving.
Two things to consider when buying wines for Turkey Day are to avoid high alcoholic wines and big tannic reds. Both will overpower the food plus burn your throat and coat your teeth with fur. For reds, consider pinot noir, merlot or zinfandel. For whites, try un-oaked chardonnays and sauvignon blancs. Also, dry roses are an excellent choice. Remember drink what you like and give thanks.
Brands I recommend
Under $5: Sutter Creek has a new elegant label and their merlot, red blend and gewürztraminer will work. Trader Joes’ Charles Shaw, yes “Two-Buck-Chuck” (actually $2.49), makes consistently solid wines.
Under $7: Barefoot, is the best-selling wine in America and the current cabernet is from Argentina. Also try their red blends and the bubblies. Trader Joe’s Moon wines are terrific buys. I like their viognier, pinot grigio and merlot. Fetzer, owned by Concho y Toro, has their award-winning Sundial Chardonnay, merlot and their gewürztraminer.
Under $10: Bogle chardonnay, pinot noir and zinfandel; Cupcake sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir; Columbia Crest, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay; McManis, cabernet sauvignon, petite sirah, viognier, barbera. These wines have an amazing quality to price ratio and they are all available at your local supermarket. Happy hunting and have a great Thanksgiving.
2015 California harvest
According to the Wine Institute, the 2015 grape harvest delivered another stellar vintage. Despite the lighter crop and one of the earliest seasons on record, wildfires during harvest in some regions and a fourth year of drought, the quality is high across the board. Robert P. Koch, president and CEO of the Wine Institute, stated that the light vintage will not affect the supply of California wines because of the three previous record harvests.
What’s on our table
The Louie M. Martini 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma County) lists for $20. Every time I shopped at Costco I’d buy several bottles at $11.99, which is a steal! It’s a black currant cabernet with black cherry/blueberry flavors, a soft, round mouthfeel, smooth tannins and a nice long finish. It’s a beautiful wine and the recent Sunset International Wine Tasting Competition agreed, awarding it a gold medal. Cheers!
This story was originally published November 10, 2015 at 11:50 AM with the headline "Wine Line: Thanksgiving wines under $10."