As we roll right in to the thick of all of the holidays the question keeps on coming up ; what should I drink for Thanksgiving? In some worlds being that Thnaksgiving is truly an American holiday (okay I know about the Canadian one but still...) there is a belief that only American wines should be consumed. While I hold to that belief for many reasons; good silky cabernets disguise dried out turkey, rich creamy chardonnays stand up to mashed sweet potatoes, and of course the age old Zinfandel is the way to be. I have been finding that it is actually all about the Italians for me. I am not sure why since I have never actually eaten a turkey in an Italian restaurant or in Italy for that matter but it really seems to work. So in that vein here are a few of my faves for the turkey day:

Chiorri Rose, this one is made for Thanksgiving and what a great reason to drink rose
Squinzano Rosso, big earthy rich and interesting, almost like a sauce in its own right
Terre di Gioai Sauvignon Blanc, lovely lingering flavors of melon and a white that actually just gets better as it warms up.

Maria, Troy and I will be tasting these and other wines in the store on the Wednesday before so stop by. As for Christmas time well that is whole different story.

Labels: american, cabernet, holidays, italian, reds, rosé, sauvignon blanc, whites, wine culture, zinfandel

So I did it. I ventured in to Trader Joe's in Union Square, swearing the whole way that there was no way in hell that I would stand in line to shop at a grocery store. Luckily the line was diminishing rapidly as we approached and our ability to shop was semi-unimpeded, needless to say shopping anywhere on a Saturday is a bad idea. It looks like Trader Joe's everywhere else, just smaller and more packed. I wandered the aisles and filled my very well designed cart with a smattering of products. I could never actually elbow my way in to see the cheese or frozen meats but I assume they are fine. After standing in line for a very pleasant five minutes, interrupted only by the infernal clanging of their bell, someone in marketing must think that it's really cute to clang a bell when a register is open, lets see how long this lasts in New York city. I spent $27 on what? A WHOLE BAG OF SNACKS. Okay this is one of my complaints with Trader Joe's it seems to be a potheads mecca, which was evidenced by the woman in front of me in line at the Portland store who told her cashier that she had just quit smoking pot, hence the piles of snacks. What did I get, you ask? Let's see apparently some olives, bananas, chocolate cookies shaped like cats and chili - lime pistachios. I rest my case.

Pairing:
Dogpoint Sauvignon Blanc and Chili-Lime Pistachios

Labels: food, new zealand, sauvignon blanc, wine culture