Salon Saturday November 05

Introduction

Moving on from Halloween and Day of the Dead we come to Thanksgiving; a holiday in the middle of late fall when leaves in most places have already fallen or gathered into piles for children to dive into. Along the Rio Grande and backed by the Sandias we have many bright colors still reflecting the sun’s rays. Oranges, yellows and dusky browns reinforce a ripe pumpkin’s orange glow.

Of course, Thanksgiving is often overrun by Christmas and we haven’t even set down to the table to give thanks. What’s with all the crowding? Are the merchants trying to create a ThankXmasNewYear? I say we thwart them and savor this part of the year, families getting together, old friends meeting again, and the crisp air when we sometimes see our breath trapped in the cold air. And watching the trees do their seasonal chameleon trick of going from green to gold, orange and yellow before vanishing in a stiff breeze.

In the vineyard; long rows of stripped vines tell us that the grapes are ready to be crushed,

• or already are fermenting in must,
• or being punched down to enrich the flavors.

Finally some juice might already be drained off into waiting barrels of varying sizes and toast levels. Only late-harvest where that is possible or ice wines in Canada and Germany wait their turn to sweeten a thanksgiving feast.

Thanksgiving traditions

Every family has its traditions for this holiday; some reflecting the giving of thanks for a bountiful harvest, a son or daughter home on leave, a gathering of generations around the table or cheering your favorite football team. Here at KIVA, we’d like to share our thoughts on making this holiday even better.

It seems like the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys always hunker down for Turkey day. Well they are not playing each other, but are part of a 6-team roster on that day.

NFL Schedule November 24

• Bills & Lions: 10:30am
• Giants & Cowboys: 2:30pm
• Patriots & Vikings: 6:20pm

All times Mountain Time; telecasts not included.

Wines for Thanksgiving

Rule number one; there is no one wine that pairs with all the foods on the table. Since each table will be laden with several appetizers, sides, main courses and a myriad of desserts, a bevy of wines will be needed; and most likely expected. The good news is; you can hardly go wrong. Serve your favorite wines to go with the feast and permit your guests to do the same. That way no one is disappointed. And now you can concentrate on getting the bird ready.

Starters: Sparkling waters, still and sparkling ciders and sparkling wines come up first. Sparkling wines help set the palate for what is to follow and is the first wine served at many wine dinners. White and Rose versions pair with many foods and appetizers.

Also make sure the red wines have been opened and checked for faults. Most reds benefit from 1 to 2 hours of breathing time. A few carafes to handle the red wines being brought by guests is also a good idea. Check incoming bottles for the proper serving temperature, or chill them in the fridge if they are too warm. The best wines for food pairing possess good acidity or crispness and are balanced around alcohol level, tannin, body and lively flavors.

White wines: Typical whites are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris/Grigio and Riesling, but for something a bit different consider:

• Gruner Veltliner from Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Czech Republic have good acidity, lower alcohol and flavors of yellow apple, pear, white pepper and flint (Mineral)
• Semillon from France and Australia are moderate in body and alcohol, but with a little age can take on notes of fig and brown sugar
• Grenache Blanc wines from France and Spain are full-bodied and sometimes aged in oak for toasty and creamy notes along with yellow plum, pear, lemon zest and honeysuckle.
• Vermentino from Italy and France has lively acidity and moderate alcohol with lime, grapefruit, green apple and almond notes
• Albariño is more suited to seafood, but its crisp tantalizing elements of the sea will work with many lighter dishes and cream-based entrees

Rose wines: Most Rose wines now are dry or off-dry thanks to Provence, France, but excellent examples come from Rhone Valley and Languedoc. More extracted versions in Spain, Italy and Tavel in the Rhone Valley add more richness when needed.

Red wines: Pinot Noir, Barbera, Dolcetto and Beaujolais are light to medium-bodied wines that handle turkey, ham and lamb and prime rib. Some other choices:

• Aglianico a rising star in Italy with black cherry, white pepper, game and spiced plum
• Bordeaux blends Left bank: wines use Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec, many at 13.5% with good acidity and flavors of black currant, black cherry, chocolate and graphite
• Bordeaux blends Right bank: Wines are predominantly Merlot-based with Cabernet Franc and softer on the palate
• Nerello Mascalese is a Sicilian grape that grows on My Etna and reminiscent of Pinot Noir with flavors of dried cherry, orange zest, dried thyme and allspice.

Thanksgiving Movies

Many family comedies center on Thanksgiving and Christmas since traditionally that is when families get together, old wounds are opened, unexpected pairings occur, and chaos ensues. Here as everywhere else we pair these with wine, spirits and beer. Why? How else does one deal with chaos, or that annoying brother that always gave you a head nuggie?

Let’s face it, these days your comedy will always be mixed with drama. It’s how much drama you can handle that determines whether this is your kind of a movie.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (2003): Dir Phil Roman with Steven Shea

As long as David Benoit is pounding the keys of Vince Guaraldi’s inspired music I’m all in. And then we can enjoy Peanuts all over again at Christmas with another fun movie. It doesn’t get more enjoyable when the Peanuts gang get stated. I’m thinking egg nog with brandy and nutmeg. That’ll be two things that will warm me up.

Little Women (2019) Dir Greta Gerwig with Saoirse (Sur-sha) Ronan and Emma Watson

If you missed all the previous versions then check this one out with two excellent actresses bringing Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel to life. The 1933 version with the great Katherine Hepburn is the version I remember or the Gillian Armstrong version in 1994 with Winona Ryder. I’d suggest a Don Nuño dry Oloroso Sherry to get in the mood.

Trains, Planes and Automobiles (1987): Dir John Hughes with Steve Martin and John Candy

A Chicago advertising man must struggle to travel home from New York for Thanksgiving, with a lovable oaf of a shower curtain ring salesman as his only companion. With these two comics you know the laughs will be plentiful. So as long as the comedy is bubbly so should the wine. A Gruet Blanc de Noirs with rich notes of Pinot Noir is an easy choice in New Mexico.

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986): Dir Woody Allen with Mia Farrow, Michael Caine and Barbara Hershey

Robert Ebert rates this as Woody Allen’s best movie which frames the lives of its actors with Thanksgiving dinners at the beginning, middle and end of the comedy/drama. There is always drama in an Allen comedy, not to mention angst and kvetching. I’m thinking a Milagro Semillon with a sweet edge to counterbalance its crisp, lively pear, lemon and grapefruit.

Scent of a Woman (1992): Martin Brest with Al Pacino and Chris O’Donnell

A prep school student needing money agrees to “babysit” a blind man, but the job is not at all what he anticipated. Al Pacino took some risks with this role but it netted him a Best Actor Oscar for this coming of age movie with a classic NYC setting. I think a Corrales Winery Viognier will sweeten the pot on this one and add lemon and pear and good minerality rather than tropical flavors to add a touch of elegance.

The Ice Storm (1997): Dir Ang Lee with Kevin Kline, Joan Allen and Sigourney Weaver

In suburban New Canaan, Connecticut, 1973, middle-class families experimenting with casual sex and substance abuse find their lives beyond their control. Well, yeah, you just said drugs and casual sex; where is the surprise? A chilly winter in New England get chillier, but with good dialogue and salty humor. It’s time for a Big Jim’s Diamond Martini with vodka and premium sake.

Addams Family Values (1993): Dir Barry Sonnenfeld with Anjelica Huston and Raul Julia

The Addams Family try to rescue their beloved Uncle Fester from his gold-digging new love, a black widow named Debbie. Now could there be a more heartwarming family drama than this one? “Don’t torture yourself Gomez, that’s my job.” OK, it’d fit for a Halloween movie, too, but I like it here. Iced vodka paired with caviar on cream cheese lathered Belgian endive leaves.

Pieces of April (2003): Dir Peter Hedges with Katie Holmes, Oliver Platt, Patricia Clarkson

A wayward daughter invites her dying mother and the rest of her estranged family to her apartment for Thanksgiving dinner. April has never cooked a Thanksgiving dinner and a broken stove is not helping the situation. If you guessed dramedy you’d be close. Since I have not seen this movie yet, I’m betting on Wild Turkey; make that a double.

November Music:

Hmm, what do we have after over the river and through the woods? Well, let’s see what the top turkey day song list cranks out. Glamour magazine has the 45 Best Thanksgiving Songs You Never Knew You Needed.

1. We are Family: Sister Sledge: I used to roller skate to this one when I went to a local rink in Dallas, chasing after someone to sing along with.
2. The Thanksgiving Song Adam Sandler on SNL: I missed this one, but now that I’ve heard it I’m still not sure it will work on my hit parade.
3. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” by Vince Guaraldi Sextet: No way you leave out a Guaraldi tune. Tell me that soulful piano is not locked on your song list, too.
4. Stuffy Turkey” by Thelonious Monk: You can’t have Thanksgiving without some jazz; make that a lot at my house and Monk always delivers.
5. Mashed Potato Time” by Dee Dee Sharp: OK, we’re going far back for this one, but who doesn’t dig a big hole in their mashed potatoes to hold all that gravy?
6. Autumn in New York by Billie Holiday: Or any rendition of this song on piano. Yes I’ve done autumn in NY many times. Roller skating through Central Park; priceless.
7. Ode to My Family” by The Cranberries: I had to include an Irish group and I have two of their albums, even though they take some getting used to.
8. Harvest Moon by Neil Young: Neil has his own unique way with a song and this one is classic. Young’s “Harvest Moon” is for that special someone you want to spend the night dancing with; long after the family has gone to bed full and happy.
9. Tom Turkey by Bob Dylan: I had to get Bob in here for at least one song. This one was from Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, an unreleased single unless you see the movie. Not historically accurate, but what movie is, when it’s about Billy the Kid?

The Wine Report: Wines worth Having

For your consideration: 2018 Trader Joe’s reserve Shiraz, Barossa 14.5% ABV, $9.99

What, a Barossa Shiraz for ten bills? You know I wanted to try this one out. The blackberry, plum and spice related very well to other Barossa Shiraz wines, but with less jammy-ness. I’m OK with that. It has to be a well made wine as I’m drinking the second half of this bottle after a few days and was not expecting it to hold up so well. I guess the moral is; never give up on a good wine.

Jon Thorsen, the reverse wine snob stated: The wine tastes very similar to the nose with a touch of peppery spice thrown in. Again, it drinks a bit more like a Rhone Syrah than the typically ripe and jammy Barossa bottle at this price. It has a touch of earthiness and cigar box too that lead into the dry, long, savory finish. And it held up just fine on day 2.

Jon writes in detail on all Trader Joe’s and Costco wines and is a very reliable source for deciding which wine bargain at these stores really is a bargain. I wouldn’t hesitate to offer this for turkey day. Just pile on some dark meat and cranberry sauce and watch this wine disappear fast.

For your consideration: 2020 Vina Zorzal Garnacha 13% ABV $12 to 14 (Wines.com)

This was an elegant Grenache from Navarra, Spain, a wine region that shows great promise from all the wines I’ve tasted from there. San Gregorio is another producer from there making outstanding wines.

Winemaker Notes: Clear, medium intensity, ruby color wine. Clean, high-intensity aromas of red fruit such as raspberry, strawberry, red cherry, also black pepper and earthy notes. Dry and fresh, soft tannins and medium body. Red fruits flavors, mineral hints, and a long finish.

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate: 92 points. The incredibly young and juicy 2020 Garnacha was produced with grapes from different villages, hence a regional blend that for the first time contains grapes from the cooler Lerga that adds lower pH, more freshness and complexity to the blend. They do a soft extraction in stainless steel using 20% full clusters and indigenous yeasts, achieving a wine with moderate alcohol (13.47%) and good freshness (pH 3.47). I felt like the wine had gone one step up in complexity and depth from the previous vintage; it’s precise, harmonious, elegant and nuanced and keeps varietal purity. It’s medium-bodied and has very fine tannins with herbal freshness, reminiscent of acid berries and bay leaf.

For your consideration: Anthem 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Napa Valley, 15.5% ABV, $138

Last Wednesday we hosted Keith and Bobbi Johnstone of Corrales Winery and this is the wine they brought. The back of the bottle lists in detail everything from the vineyard location, soil composition, grape clone used, trellising method, harvest details, fermentation and type of barrels used; all done in elegant graphics.

The 2017 Beckstoffer Las Piedras Cabernet is a plush, powerful, fruit-layered 100% Cabernet from the acclaimed Las Piedras Vineyard. The 2017 vintage is exceptionally high quality with very limited quantities produced (185 cases).

The Wine Advocate – 94 points: Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard is a little youthfully mute to begin, soon unfurling to offer pronounced notes of baked black plums, Black Forest cake and crème de cassis with hints of incense, dusty soil and Indian spice with a waft of fruitcake. Big, rich and hedonic in the full-bodied mouth, it has velvety tannins and appealing freshness lifting the spicy black fruit preserves, finishing long and fragrant.