Good wine buys for the holiday
What to drink with all that turkey and trimmings? There are plenty of tasty options between $10 to $20
When it comes time to gather round the Thanksgiving table, you can toast to good friends and happy holidays without breaking the bank.
There are plenty of tasty but inexpensive wines well suited to turkey and all the trimmings, so scaling back on price doesn't necessarily mean sacrificing quality, according to Margaux Singleton, the owner of Calistoga's Enoteca Wine Shop.
"People love to come in and ask questions during the holidays," said Singleton, who points people to a wealth of options between $10 and $20.
Every year Singleton volunteers at the Calistoga Community Center on Thanksgiving for the annual meal designed to bring holiday cheer to residents who might otherwise be alone. "I'm the sommelier," she said. "I bring my corkscrew and everyone gets a splash of wine." Singleton knows wine at every price point can help create a special occasion.
As for the Thanksgiving lineup, Singleton suggests starting with a sparkling wine or a rosé before moving into pinot noirs, burgundies, Cote du Rhones, Chateauneuf du Pape and dolcettos from Italy.
Bill Traverso of Traverso's in Santa Rosa adds pinot gris, riesling, gamay beaujolais, beaujolais nouveau and moscato d'Asti to the mix.
If you're having ham Traverso advises white wines and fleshy rosés. If your feast is built around a traditional turkey, Traverso likes lighter reds like pinot noir, gamay beaujolais and beaujolais nouveau.
When it comes to the cranberry sauce, Traverso acknowledged that's where it gets a little tricky. "Fruitier styles of beaujolais nouveau can handle the fruit of cranberry because these are fruit-driven wines . . . but cranberry sauce can overpower pinot noir."
What to do with dessert? Traverso has the perfect pick for both traditional favorites, pumpkin pie and pecan pie: moscato d' Asti. It's 5.5 percent alcohol and is slightly effervescent, Traverso said.
What follows are some budget-wise wine picks:
Riesling
2007 Jekel Monterey, $9.99
2007 Gainey Santa Barbara, $12.50
Gewurztraminer
2007 Alexander Valley Vineyards New Gewurz, North Coast, $9
Pinot Gris
2007 "J" Russian River Valley, $19.99
2006 Balleto Russian River Valley, $9.99
Rosé
2007 Ott Les Domaniers Cotes de Provence (France), $19.99
2007 Casa Solar (Spain), $6.99
Beaujolais Nouveau
2008 Duepeuble (France), $15.99
2008 Mommessin(France), $12.50
Pinot Noir
2007 Cloud Line Oregon, $19.99
2006 Mark West California, $9.99.