Beaujolais is a light, somewhat fruity, red wine, made from the gamay grape. It is one of the wines we recommend with turkey and much of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Like its slightly heavier cousin, Pinot Noir, Beaujolais pairs well with heavier fish (salmon) and lighter meats (chicken, turkey, lightly seasoned pork).
Beaujolais is a sub-region of Burgundy where Pinot Noir is used to make French Red Burgundy.
Beaujolais, the wine, is named for this region, instead of the gamay grape from which it is made.
Nouveau Beaujolais (Georges Duboeuf is the only one available in PA) was just released this week in PA Wine and Spirits stores for $12.99. Nouveau is made from the recent harvest, is lighter, fruiter, and fresher than traditional Beaujolais. Because of its very low tannins, drink Nouveau Beaujolais soon, we recommend before New Year's. Even traditional Beaujolais is not made for long-term cellaring or storage, but is not as fragile as Nouveau.
We just sampled a bottle of Beaujolais-Villages by Joseph Drouhin. It is harder to find than similarly-priced Beaujolais, but we think it is worth the search. The Drouhin is currently $9.99 at PA Wine and Spirits stores. Let us know what you think!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Wine Tip of the Week # 2 - Wine for Thanksgiving Dinner
We distributed this Wine Tips for Thanksgiving Dinner to our Wine Friends through our Vintage Connections Wine Info email newsletter last week and wanted to share it on this Vintage Connections Wine Info blog. We realize this information is too late to use as you plan Thanksgiving Dinner this year, but it may still be useful as you plan other Holiday meals.
Recommended for Thanksgiving, "affordable" sparklings. Sparklings add a touch of class to any Holiday. If you like your sparklings with a touch of sweetness, we recommend Blanc de Blanc from Pinnacle Ridge Winery. This wine is made from 100% Cayuga grapes, has 2.5% residual sugar, and is $14. If you like your sparkling on the drier side, Pinnacle Ridge produces Brut Reserve, made from 100% Pinot Noir and is $18. Both are available only at the winery just north of Kutztown, PA.
If you want the convenience of your local Wine and Spirits store, Korbel from California provides several choices. Their Brut is a blend of Chardonnay, French Columbard, Chenin Blanc, and Pinot Noir. Their 100% Chardonnay Sparkling is an interesting alternative. Both are $14.99 and contain 1% dosage sugar. Korbel's other sparklings are available at some PA Wine and Spirits stores.
Recommended for Thanksgiving, "affordable" sparklings. Sparklings add a touch of class to any Holiday. If you like your sparklings with a touch of sweetness, we recommend Blanc de Blanc from Pinnacle Ridge Winery. This wine is made from 100% Cayuga grapes, has 2.5% residual sugar, and is $14. If you like your sparkling on the drier side, Pinnacle Ridge produces Brut Reserve, made from 100% Pinot Noir and is $18. Both are available only at the winery just north of Kutztown, PA.
If you want the convenience of your local Wine and Spirits store, Korbel from California provides several choices. Their Brut is a blend of Chardonnay, French Columbard, Chenin Blanc, and Pinot Noir. Their 100% Chardonnay Sparkling is an interesting alternative. Both are $14.99 and contain 1% dosage sugar. Korbel's other sparklings are available at some PA Wine and Spirits stores.
More Info - Wine with Thanksgiving Dinner
Below is more information and a few additional wines that we feel pair well with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. At the bottom of the page we have provided a “Name Guide” for those who aren’t sure of the “French translation” of wine names.
First and foremost, as we always say, drink what you like. If you don’t like the wine, it won’t be a good pairing.
If you want to “step out of the box” and try something different, think sparkling wine. The clean acidity, bright fruit and yeasty aromas pair well with just about everything on the Thanksgiving table. The only hold out will be the cranberry sauce and dessert. But as long as you don’t take a big bite of cranberry sauce and wash it down with a hearty swig of sparkling, things should turn out all right.
Not a big fan of sparklings? Then go with whites in general, especially those with higher acidity and no oak. Sauvignon Blanc or white Bordeaux/Meritage (blends usually including Sauvignon Blanc) go really well with butternut squash soup and lends a pleasant flavor to salad, turkey, stuffing (not spicy) and vegetables. If you are having a creamy vegetable try “naked” (un-oaked) chardonnay. Excellent choices also include Gerwurtztraminer and Riesling which pair well with all parts of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner except the cranberry sauce and pumpkin or butternut squash soups.
Really a fan of reds? Then you have two good choices: Pinot Noir or Beaujolais (made from the gamay grape, which is a cousin to Pinot Noir). Pinot Noir usually has more body and tannins than Beaujolais, so if you like bolder reds it may be the better choice. If you want a very light red this Thanksgiving, try Beaujolais.
The smooth fruit and low tannins of Pinot Noir and Beaujolais work well with most of the holiday servings.
Note: Nouveau Beaujolais is a variation of Beaujolais and is a freshly pressed and fermented, low tannic wine. The Wine and Spirits stores should get their shipment this week. If you buy the French Nouveau Beaujolais, drink it soon. Without tannins or aging like other red wines, it could easily go bad by New Year's.
Our choice? Invite friends and family and open one of each!
The Name Game
Most of the World | France |
Sauvignon Blanc (grape), Fume Blanc (same grape, name created by Robert Mondavi) | |
White Meritage (a blend that usually includes Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and other varietals) | White Bordeaux (a blend that usually includes Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and other varietals) |
Chardonnay | White Burgundy |
Sparkling | Champagne (Cremant if not from the Champagne region of France) |
Pinot Noir | Red Burgundy |
Gamay | Beaujolais, Nouveau Beaujolais |
Thanks and
Happy Thanksgiving!
Vintage Connections
Lisa and Dean Foster
Wine Tip of the Week # 1 - Montepulciano
We distributed this Wine Tip of the Week # 1 to our Wine Friends through our Vintage Connections Wine Info email newsletter several weeks ago, and wanted to share on this Vintage Connections Wine Info blog.
We have used Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from Italy for several events and find it to be an excellent, medium-bodied dry red. Each bottle is decorated with a small cutting from the vine. It is currently on sale for $11.99 at many PA Wine and Spirits stores. It's PLCB code is 004560.
More Info! Montepulciano is both a wine grape variety and a wine region in Italy, which can cause confusion when purchasing wine.
The Montepulciano wine grape (also known as "Montepulciano d'Abruzzo) is found in numerous regions in Italy and is grown in some areas of the US. The Montepulciano wine grape makes a medium-bodied red wine, rich deep red in color, with purple shades that evolve to a rich garnet color as it ages. It has a nose of strawberries and ripe plums, with a hint of leather and flavors of cherries, peaches and plums and a hint of tobacco. Great with rich, flavorful cheeses, lasagne and other pastas with red sauce.
The Montepulciano region of Italy is known for its sangiovese grapes, the main ingredient in Chianti. It is located north of Chianti, Italy (yes, there's a region named Chianti, too) in Siena in Tuscany. The region is known for its "Vino Nobile, the wine of the noblemen" often made of a blend of sangiovese with caniaolo, malvasia or trebbiano to add structure and complexity. It is a beautiful area of Italy with rolling hills, some 2500 vines, beautiful churches and "wonderful art and architecture".
We have used Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from Italy for several events and find it to be an excellent, medium-bodied dry red. Each bottle is decorated with a small cutting from the vine. It is currently on sale for $11.99 at many PA Wine and Spirits stores. It's PLCB code is 004560.
More Info! Montepulciano is both a wine grape variety and a wine region in Italy, which can cause confusion when purchasing wine.
The Montepulciano wine grape (also known as "Montepulciano d'Abruzzo) is found in numerous regions in Italy and is grown in some areas of the US. The Montepulciano wine grape makes a medium-bodied red wine, rich deep red in color, with purple shades that evolve to a rich garnet color as it ages. It has a nose of strawberries and ripe plums, with a hint of leather and flavors of cherries, peaches and plums and a hint of tobacco. Great with rich, flavorful cheeses, lasagne and other pastas with red sauce.
The Montepulciano region of Italy is known for its sangiovese grapes, the main ingredient in Chianti. It is located north of Chianti, Italy (yes, there's a region named Chianti, too) in Siena in Tuscany. The region is known for its "Vino Nobile, the wine of the noblemen" often made of a blend of sangiovese with caniaolo, malvasia or trebbiano to add structure and complexity. It is a beautiful area of Italy with rolling hills, some 2500 vines, beautiful churches and "wonderful art and architecture".
Welcome to Vintage Connections Wine Info
Welcome to Vintage Connections Wine Info. Through this blog, we share information and encourage others to share, react, and create a dialog about wine, wine events, and the world of wine.This blog and our related email newsletter focus on wine and wine events available to those of us who live, and purchase most of our wine, in the Montgomery, Berks, and Chester Tri-county area of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
We also focus on affordable and accessible wines, mostly priced under $20 and sometimes under $10, and available at PA Wine and Spirits stores or at wineries located in Eastern Pennsylvania. Sometimes we venture to wineries in other regions of Pennsylvania and in other states and will, from time to time, write about wineries and wine trails across Pennsylvania and the Eastern USA.
Mostly, we want to create a dialog with each other about wine so we can all share our wine experiences, what we learn about wine, and what we like and don't like about various wines.
For more information than we are able to publish in this blog, you can subscribe to our newsletters, Wine Tips of the Week and Wine in Depth distributed every few weeks. To subscribe, email us at vintageconnections@comcast.net
Drink Wine (responsibly) and tell us all about it!
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