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Howard W. Hewitt

~ … The "W" stands for wine!

Howard W. Hewitt

Tag Archives: Chablis

Hard to believe: 10 years of Grape Sense

04 Wednesday Oct 2017

Posted by Howard in Newspaper Column 2017, Uncategorized

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Bordeaux, Burgundy, Chablis, Grape Sense column, Languedoc, Mendocino, Napa/Sonoma, Paso Robles

We all know time goes fast from time we’re aware of the calendar on the wall until we’re discussing retirement and beyond. Who could have guessed this little wine column would enjoy the success it has when it began in October 2007?

grape-sense-logoFrom five newspapers, mostly close to home base Crawfordsville, to more than 20 newspapers and websites across the state. At one point the column’s reach, based on print circulation numbers reached more than 300,000 Hoosier, Michigan, and Illinois homes. I only had one small paper in each of the two neighboring states but they’re worth including.

Today the number reached is harder to determine because several newspaper companies run the column as exclusive to their website instead of print. That’s okay because it still expands reach. If I had to figure out the number of homes I’d safely guess 200,000-250,000 homes.

That was always the goal to reach as many people as possible with some wine education. Arguably, the column has done that. It has also afforded me numerous opportunities to learn more about wine. The most impactful result was several press trips I participated in, and reported on here, to some of the great wine regions of the world. In 2010, I visited Paso Robles and it was back to California in January 2011 to Mendocino.

DrinkingWDon

Talking Oregon Pinot with Don Lange

But the big year for me was 2012. I took a press trip to Montpelier, France, in the Languedoc wine region for the world’s biggest organic wine trade show. That summer was another trip to the beautiful city of Bordeaux. In the fall, it was a quick trip to Chablis and its delicious whites in northern-most Burgundy.

 

I have led a couple of wine tourism trips in that time. The first trip to Oregon, which I’m thinking of repeating in 2018, really had an impact on my guests. I took four couples to Burgundy, France, in 2016 and it was my first as well. It takes a lot of time to comprehend the complexities of great Burgundy so I’m sure I’ll be going back.

The important thing about all those trips is I always tried to take you along here and on my blog.

GroupAlexana

2014 travel group having fun tasting the wines of Alexana Winery in a beautiful outdoor setting.

More important than what Grapes Sense has done for the author is what I hope it has done for you. The most consistent message through 231 500-700 word columns has been to try new things, new grapes, and new price points. Visit winemakers and ask lots of questions about what they do. And always remember you learn more about wine in the vineyard than the winery.

For the future, I’m not sure. I still enjoy writing the column and seldom have much trouble with finding topics. Perhaps a bit more focus on food in coming months and a narrower look at some wines and wineries.

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White Wine Diversity in Chablis

15 Wednesday Jun 2016

Posted by Howard in Burgundy 2016, Food & Travel, Uncategorized

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Billaud-Simon, Chablis, Didier Seguier, white wine, William Fevre

CHABLIS, France – Who makes the world’s greatest white wine? Is it California’s buttery Chards, the complex white Burgundys, or perhaps the mineral-driven Chardonnay from Chablis?

Chablisiens are rather unabashed saying they make the greatest white wine in the world. While that’s debatable, most would argue they deserve to be in the discussion after tasting the delightful Premier and Grand Cru wines.

Our tour group took a two-hour ride from Beaune north to Chablis Tuesday to learn more about the iconic wine. Our trip has had a great mixture of terroir, large and small producers, and a few in between. In Chablis, we saw one of the biggest in Domaine William Fevre and one of the best known, Billaud-Simon.

Didier

Didier Seguier, Fevre winemaker.

Our visit to Fevre included a winery and cellar tour, tasting, and delightful lunch at the winery’s on-site restaurant. One of the nice surprises was during our tasting with intern Adrian, I spotted winemaker Didier Seguier and asked him if he’d speak briefly to the group.

Seguier was more than gracious and talked about the importance of terroir, not the winemaker. He said his primary goal, as often stated in Chablis and other regions, was to reflect the terroir.

After our lunch, where I had a great hamburger, we were off to Billaud-Simon where I had tasted on a 2012 press tour. I thought those wines were the best I tasted during that visit and they were excellent again yesterday.

billaud

Faviely, the new owner of Billaud-Simon, will renovate the old Chateaux to accommodate guests.

Catherine Leseur led us through a tasting of 4 Grand Cru, 3 Premier Cru, and the lesser Chablis wines.  The Billaud-Simon were again my favorite of the day but much of the group made split evaluations of the two winery stops.

The story about these two wineries isn’t complete without noting they’ve been sold by their namesakes to bigger wineries or corporations in recent years. Selling the family business in France is difficult but happening more and more. Often times there is no next generation interested in the difficult work of farminga nd ups and down of the wine business. Additionally, there is the lure of a huge financial windfall in selling these iconic properties.

Here is a photo album from Tuesday’s Chablis visit.

Today is really filled up. We being our day by touring and tasting at the iconic Maison Joseph Drouhin cellars in the heart of Beaune. Then it’s off to the countryside this afternoon to taste at two small, quirky, and interesting wineries.

I’m hoping to have a more detailed post for tomorrow.

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Chablis is Long Way from California

10 Monday Feb 2014

Posted by Howard in Food & Travel, France

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Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru, Chablis Premier Cru, Domaine Fevre, Domaine Joseph Drouhin, Jean Marc Brocard, Simon-Billaud

Chablis Rock

Social media is a powerful and interesting tool. We worship it, belittle it, ignore it and fuss over it. And that’s just Monday through Thursday!

For the most part social media is a wonderful way to stay in contact with friends near and far. It’s also a great tool to talk about common interests – like wine.

After a posting last night about enjoying a couple glasses of Chablis, I had a lot considerable chatter. Here’s the post:

“If you’re one of those people that just don’t care much for Chardonnay, you should try Chablis before writing it off. I am NOT a fan of California, oaked Chard – but really enjoy the minerality and crispness of the same grape grown in Chablis. Tonight’s Chablis is a simple one but quite tasty: Drouhin’s 2010 Vaudon Chablis. You can find it around $20 everywhere!”

Chablis, France

Chablis, France

It was rather surprising that many had not really tried real Chablis – grown at the north end of Burgundy. Several asked about the difference and why Chablis is special.

Not to start too much with French geeky wine talk, but it’s all about the terroir. Let’s start by mentioning the photo at the top of the post. I took that shot atop a cold Chablis hill in October 2012. Look closely at the floor of the vineyard and you will see beautiful fall leaves and stones – LOTS of stones.

Chablis’ Chardonnay is planted on the hillsides surround the beautiful tiny hamlet of Chablis with soil atop limestone. Those rocks seen above are seen in every vineyard in Chablis. The limestone gives Chablis its “flinty” or mineral flavor.

Additionally, Chablis is a cool climate area where Chardonnay grapes do not ripen like California. In the hot California sun Chardonnay becomes very ripe with higher alcohol levels from all that sun and hot air. Chablis’ Chardonnays are grown in cooler temperatures and produces lighter fruit and more acidity.

Chablis is largely fermented and aged in stainless steel. A new generation of Chablis winemakers are experimenting with oak but far less than you will find in a white Burgundy. From a visit with winemakers over three days, we heard often that only a portion of the final blend would be aged in oak. And often the oak is older wood without the impact of new oak – often reserved for red wines elsewhere in France.

Understanding really good wine is more often than not a lesson in geography, climate and soils. I’ve been lucky to visit wine regions around the world and the one consistent message from winemakers about great wine? Great wine is made in the vineyard.

A friend commented on the Facebook post that Chablis can be expensive – and he’s right. Those $15 bottles, are frankly, not going to give you a true representation of great Chablis. I do believe the Drouhin Vaudon Chabis is a good entry level bottle of wine. It can be found in the $18-$23 range in good wine shops.

Chablis has four levels – Petit Chablis, Chablis, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru. I’d strongly recommend trying at least the Premier Cru Chablis to get a great taste of French terroir.

Averages are always a so-so barometer but you can count on spending $35-$50 for a Premier Cru Chablis. The Grand Cru Chablis are most often those which will see some oak in the aging process and be the most pricey. But these are wines that are age-worthy! There are only 230 acres of Grand Cru vineyards so it’s truly a special wine. Grand Cru wines tend to start around $50 a bottle and go up!

Top end Chablis is delightful and as far from California’s oaky, buttery Chardonnay as a big red wine. Here are some names easy to find and great producers: Joseph Drouhin, Domaine Fevre, Jean-Marc Brocard, and my personal favorite Simon-Billaud. These four are all based on personal tastings.

I’m a bit prejudiced toward Simon-Billaud wines because we met in the old chateau with Bernard Billaud. Through a young translator he talked about his family’s years of winemaking. In my nearly seven years of wine-writing, he gave one of the great quotes you’ll ever hear. It’s not arrogance, it’s pride.

From a March blog post/newspaper column about the trip:

Bernard Billaud of Billaud-Simon

Bernard Billaud of Billaud-Simon

How does a little minerality and acid change a wine that everyone knows and everyone has probably tasted? It’s the magic of terrior. I remember the aggravated words of Bernard Billaud who said (and I paraphrase) …’if you are talking Chablis it has to be about the minerality and acidity, and if not …. you are just making Chardonnay.’

And you had to hear the derision in “just making Chardonnay” to appreciate the Frenchman’s dignity and pride. It was quite a moment.

If you visit that blog post you’ll find links to all my posts from Chablis and lots of photos.

I was joined on that Chablis trip by other U.S.-based wine writers. One of the writers I most enjoyed was Michael Apstein. Here is a very thorough piece he penned after the trip.

As promised on Facebook, the one region in the U.S. making great – and largely unoaked – Chardonnay is Oregon. Many Oregon Chards are the closest I’ve tasted to Chablis on this side of the big pond!

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#Chardonnay Day Reason for Chablis

23 Thursday May 2013

Posted by Howard in France

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Chablis, Chardonnay, Jean-Pierre Alexandre Ellevin

“ABC” – Anything But Chardonnay has almost worn out its cleverness for those of us who aren’t fans.

Most people in the U.S. have tasted Chardonnay, wine drinker or not. Chardonnay is the U.S.’s default white wine. Most Chard served in such circumstances is largely California wine with oak or very heavy oak which profoundly colors the taste of this widely planted grape.

Chablis-2010-768x1024 (1)All that oak produces a vanilla, woodsy, or buttery flavor many love and some (like me) can’t stand. But for wine drinkers who like something a little lighter Chablis, and unoaked Chardonnay – from many different countries – is a very nice dinner wine with lots of different dishes.

I had a piece of fresh-frozen salmon I bought from an Alaska distributor defrosting in the fridge when I saw online activity reminding me it’s #Chardonnay Day. I’ve written about the #Day concept before which is essentially a marketing gimmick to bring attention to a particular varietal – or – a reason for wine geeks to get the ruler out!

I opened a bottle of Jean-Pierre Alexandre Ellevin Chablis that was very satisfying. Chablis is the second of four classifications from the northern Burgundy region. There is Petit Chablis, Chablis, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru. Wines at each designation are easy to find in the Midwest but “Chablis” is probably the most widely available and affordable.

The Ellevin estate is just outside the town boundries of Chablis with its 13 hectare of white wine grapes. The family estate has been in the hands of Jean-Pierre since 1975 with brother Alexander joining the business in 2004. I pulled that information directly from their website but I’ve always believed great wine has a great back story.

The wine was delightful – not as minerally characteristic as many – still had the tart and crisp acidity which has characterized Chablis for decades and beyond.

The wine was okay with the salmon, needed a bit more acid or minerality. I would think the wine would absolutely rock with most any chicken or poultry dish!

Jean-Pierre & Alexandre Ellevin 2010 Chablis, $19.95 on some online websites, Recommended.

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Seguinot-Bordet Chablis a Classic

06 Saturday Apr 2013

Posted by Howard in France

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Chablis, Chicken Lyon, Domaine Seguinot-Bordet, Food & Wine, Jean Francois Bordet

photo (4)I’ve written a lot about Chablis since visiting in October 2012. Having never been a big Chardonnay fan, I’m now taken by Chablis and its minerally, acidic whites.

Chablis also shines when perfectly paired with food. I prepared a Chicken Lyon recipe Saturday night I found on Food & Wine’s website several months ago. The recipe has a prominent splash of red wine vinegar that just works beautifully.

The recipe requires several steps but is quite simple to make and takes just an hour start to finish. It’s also a flexible dish good for a weeknight dinner or dress it up a bit and serve for guests. The real kicker is most of the ingredients are probably in your kitchen already.

I like doing it in an iron skillet which is perfect for the oven as well. It also adds that wonderful rustic feel to the dish when served from the skillet on the table.

Here is a link to the full recipe and cooking directions.

Bordet

Bordet

I opened a bottle of Domaine Seguinot-Bordet Chablis. The basic Chablis can be found $18-$20 at better wine shops. I had dinner with Jean-Francois Bordet in Chablis and recently had a phone chat that I turned into a newspaper column.

This is great white wine and just perfect with the chicken. It’s try with a bit of tart citrus, great acid and wonderful minerality. It’s exactly what comes to mind with Chablis.

Check out the recipe. It’s become one of my real favorites.

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More From Chablis Winemakers

22 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by Howard in France, Newspaper Column 2013

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Chablis, Christian Moreau, Domaine Sequinot-Bordet, Jean Francois Bordet

While the effects of that California jug ‘Chablis’ had its negative impact, Chablis winemakers believe those days are largely behind them now.

Grape Sense LogoThe last Grape Sense column focused on the differences between Chablis and all other Chardonnay. Recently Chablis winemakers Jean-François  Bordet and Christian Moreau visited New York and took the time for a brief phone chat.

“I don’t think that’s still a problem,” Moreau said. “There used to be some confusion, of course, 15, 20 or 30 years ago. But in last six, seven or 10 years, people in the U.S. are more educated. They are more educated about wine because the journalists are talking about Chablis and they are talking about Chablis being made in France.

Moreau

Moreau

“Also when the younger generation sees a price of $18-$20 for Chablis, or higher for Grand Cru, they know it doesn’t come from California.  Winemakers have come to the U.S. and not just the importers. We’ve had quite a few French delegations coming and doing tastings. People are really starting to know what Chablis is and where it comes from.”

But the effort to promote Chablis isn’t necessarily a new one. Moreau said his father visited the U.S. in 1937 and 1939 to talk about Chablis. But he admitted the really effective Chablis marketing and education effort started 10 to 15 years ago. “Before that the knowledge of Chablis came from people who were wine lovers or who traveled to Europe.”

Bordet said the message never changes through generations. “Chablis is made in France and is in Burgundy,” he said. “There is no oak and we have special soil that gives the wine a freshness.”

Wine tourism remains relatively new in France and has been very slow developing in the premier region of Bordeaux. Chablis winemakers are a different breed who may not have fancy tasting rooms but they’re ready to welcome any visitor.

Bordet

Bordet

“Chablis is not far from Paris, two hours by car and less by train,” Bordet said. “You have more and more bed and breakfasts; you can have tours of the vineyard and tasting in cellar. Tourism has grown in Chablis and the winemakers will welcome you. We want to receive more tourists.”

Most people are surprised to learn that Chablis is a village of just 2,500 people. It’s very old world and welcoming. The valley around it is covered in vineyard for an idyllic setting. For tourism, the small city of Auxerre, about 40,000 inhabitants, offers a wide range of hotels and transportation companies and is less than 30 minutes away.

Moreau has an old family domaine in Chablis. He turned winemaking duties over to his son Fabien, who is also a chef, in 2001. The family name has been a part of Chablis since 1814. “We do a tour of the winery and free tasting,” he said. “We are not really organized like some wineries but if somebody wants to visit and taste we are very open to everyone.”

The more you learn about wine, and the great family stories behind wineries, the more enjoyable wine becomes. A pretty label often sells a bottle but a great story – especially when you meet the people – keeps you coming back for more.

Moreau wines and Bordet’s Domaine Sequinot-Bordet wines are available in the Midwest at better wine shops.

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Conant Pairing Italian/Chablis

14 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by Howard in Food & Travel, France

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Chablis, Christian Moreau, Jean-Jacques Bordet, Scott Conant

Not often do you get food and wine pairing advice from the likes of New York Chef, and Food Network regular, Scott Conant along with two important Chablis winemakers.

Wednesday afternoon I conducted a short phone interview with Christian Moreau and Jean-Jacques Bordet for a future newspaper column. Last night the two were guests of honor for a Chablis dinner with Italian Chef Scott Conant.

The marketing folks at Sopexa, NY., were kind enough to share this video talking about Chablis and food pairing.

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Most Chardonnay is Not Chablis

11 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by Howard in France, Newspaper Column 2013

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Bernard Billaud, Billaud-Simon, Chablis, Jean Marc Brocard, Pascal Brouchard, William Ferve

The vineyards overlooking the small village of Chablis, France

The vineyards overlooking the small village of Chablis, France

That white wine in a jug from California, labeled Chablis, is anything but Chablis.

Chablis has long suffered from bad white wines from regions outside Burgundy calling their Chardonnay the French classic. Arguably, Chablis is the world’s greatest white wine. Chablis is Chardonnay but not all Chardonnay is Chablis.

Grape Sense LogoNow that’s not wine geek double-talk. It only takes one taste of French Chablis to realize Chardonnay can be so much more than the big buttery, oak-infused wines coming from many wine regions. And those wine lovers who like oaked Chardonnay have to admit Chablis is something totally different.

Chablis is about two hours southeast of Paris in the northernmost region of Burgundy.

Winemakers grow Chardonnay almost exclusively. Chablis sets in a small valley with steep hills on each side covered with vineyard. There are four main appellations of Chablis: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Premier Cru and Grand Cru. The Petit Chablis and Chablis represent the largest plantings and also the wines that are least expensive. These wines can be found in any decent wine shop at $15-$25. The quality is superb at that price point.

The hillsides have plenty of limestone beneath the soils. A walk through the vineyard illustrates the wine’s minerality by the amount of rock scattered across the vineyard floor.

The truly great Chablis wines are the Premier and Grand Cru wines. There are approximately 2,000 acres of Premier Cru vineyard and a mere 250 acres of Grand Cru grapes.

Chablis at the lower price point is often, though not always, fermented and aged without oak. The Premier and Grand Cru wines often are aged partially with oak and stainless steel.

Many wine drinkers think of white wine as a consumable product different from big reds. The great Chablis wines only improve with age and offer complexity and a soft richness on the palate only aging can deliver.

Bernard Billaud of Billaud-Simon

Bernard Billaud of Billaud-Simon

Chablis is a region of rich tradition, pride, and stubborn adherence to its heritage. A new generation of Chablis winemakers are experimenting with technology, wine-making techniques, and embracing the marketing of their unique region.

But to understand the French passion for wine there is nothing better than a visit with one of the region’s biggest names. Bernard Billaud of Billaud-Simon is an icon. Visiting with him in October was an unforgettable experience.

“Chablis wine is about minerality and acidity,” he said, raising his voice, when asked a second or third time about the increasing use of oak. “If it’s not about minerality, you’re just making Chardonnay.”

While the comment by itself is not terribly profound, you had to hear the derision and the way he strung out the word C-h-a-r-d-on-n-a-y to know he is a man of passion.

“The more minerally the soil, the more iodine it has and then the more it needs wood,” Billaud said. He added that oak will neutralizes the iodine taste. “Chablis wines are acidic wines and a dry white wine from a singular vineyard.”

JeanFWhat is so wonderful about Chablis? It’s the apple, pear and dry mineral taste that goes so perfectly with food — particularly seafood or poultry.

Howard’s Picks: Billaud-Simon, William Ferve, Domaine Séguinot-Bordet, Jean Marc Brocard, Pascal Bouchard, Domaine des Marronniers and Alain Geoffroy. There are plenty of other labels to try but these were some of my favorites during an October 2012 visit.

Howard W. Hewitt, Crawfordsville, IN., writes every other week about wine for 22 Midwestern newspapers. Read his wine blog at its new home:  www.howardhewitt.net

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Chablis Changes Chardonnay Bias

02 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by Howard in France

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Bernaud Billaud, Chablis, Chardonnay, Drouhin, Pure Chablis, Vaudon

An ABC wine drinker often wears the badge proudly while earning the derision of others. Woe is the wino who shuns Chardonnay in others eyes!Anything But Chardonnay – according to our good friends, often accurate occasionaly way out there, Wikipedia: Acronym for “Anything but Chardonnay” or “Anything but Cabernet“. A term conceived by Bonny Doon‘s Randall Grahm to denote wine drinkers’ interest in grape varieties.

Guilty as charged! Unoaked Chardonnay can be palatable for my taste but I can hardly choke down the oaky California version of one of the world’s most widely planted grapes. I’ve tried, I’ve failed.

Until …… I visited Chablis. Many will argue Chablis is the greatest white wine in the world! And yes, for the dearly uninformed – you guessed it, Chablis is Chardonnay! But you would hardly recognize her, particularly if your a novice, and no one tipped you off to the cross-dressing vinifera.

Chardonnay becomes an entirely different wine when grown at the very top of Burgundy. The soils, slopes and limestone create a refreshing white wine of depth with crisp acidity and beautiful minerality.

urlI learned such magic during a fall press trip to Chablis and was reminded again this week with a simple $18 bottle of Joseph Drouhin 2011 Vaudon.

For you real geeks here is all you could ever want to know from the good people at Pure Chablis. That’s also one of the best sites you find for all things Chablis.

How does a little minerality and acid change a wine that everyone knows and everyone has probably tasted? It’s the magic of terrior. I remember the aggravated words of Bernard Billaud who said (and I paraphrase) …’if you are talking Chablis it has to be about the minerality and acidity, and if not …. you are just making Chardonnay.’

Chabis icon Bernard Billaud

Chablis icon Bernard Billaud

He spit out the last five words as though he had swallowed some bitter, over-oaked Chard from some far corner of the world.

Now, why the riff on all this. Aaaa, back to the Drouhin, my $18 bottle of France I enjoyed with Chicken Lyon. The dish is essentially braised then baked chicken with lots of garlic in a cream and red wine vinegar sauce.

Drouhin’s Vaudon is aged in old oak barrells and comes from Valley of Vauvillien, nestled between the Mont de Milieu and Montée de Tonnerre Premier Cru vineyards. The name “Moulin de Vaudon” comes from the watermill nearby, owned by the Drouhin family and straddling the Serein River. (from Drouhin website).

For you geeky folks there is lemon and lime and restrained minerality and acid. I love it because it’s a finessed wine with a full mouth feel. It is one of the mostly wonderfully round and balanced white wines I’ve enjoyed in a long, long time.

Wine critics and other popular sites consistently rate this wine around 88-90 points. It doesn’t have the two traditional characteristics of mineral and acid to please a purist. But for wine newbies and people looking for great wine under $20, I’d give Drouhin Vaudon a 91-92. I paid $17.99 for the bottle at Kahns, Indianapolis. On the net, I found a price range of $18-$25.

For more on my October 2012 visit to Chablis click here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4.

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Something New, Old for Holiday Turkey Pairing

18 Sunday Nov 2012

Posted by Howard in Holidays, Newspaper Column 2012, Uncategorized

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Chablis, Thanksgiving

The Golden Rule of wine and food pairing is a simple one – if you like it, drink it!
But when the family gathers for the turkey feast or at Christmas time something more is often expected. How about something different? Or maybe it’s time to serve up something a bit more extravagant!

An occupational hazard for wine writers is the expected column of wine recommendations for the holidays so who am I to disappoint?

The first rule of picking wines for a big meal is do not overly focus on the main protein. Think about all of those side dishes and the different flavors. That makes almost any wine a good pick. But with the Turkey and main course there are some certain winners and perhaps a few you’ve never tried worth picking up.
A good domestic Chardonnay will work every time. You can buy palatable bottles at the grocery or most liquor stores. I recommend value labels Robert Mondavi, Mirrasou, and flip flop as very drinkable wines if you want to keep you’re price point under $10 a bottle.

Dry Riesling is another outstanding choice. Frankly, there is so much good Riesling made in the U.S., you don’t need to think foreign to find a great bottle. New York and Michigan are areas really emerging with their Riesling wines. Washington state winemakers are producing great Riesling. Several Midwestern wineries are doing Riesling as well.

If there is a decent wine shop nearby there are several other great choices.
If you like drier wines but want a big nose of autumn in your glass try a Gewurztraminer or Viognier.  Gewurzt is one of the most aromatic wines in the world. It can be fairly sweet to off-dry. Viognier, my choice of the two, is a drier white wine with hints of apple, pear, and spice. For an even better pairing go drier with a Pinot Gris or Chenin Blanc.

For the extravagant dinner gathering, splurge for the world’s best white wine – Chablis. Better wine shops will have a few labels to choose from. Chablis is Chardonnay made in a dry, crisp style with tremendous minerality and acidity. Real Chablis comes from Chablis, France and nowhere else.

Frankly, don’t buy the other stuff. Chablis would be awesome with any poultry. You can find great bottles starting in the $20 price range and up. Domaine William Fevre, Billaud-Simon, and Drouhin are just three labels which consistently make outstanding French white wine.
Here is an option many people just won’t think about or consider, but Rose’ wines make a great pairing with poultry. Rose is that nice middle point between white and red wines and the quality continues to skyrocket vintage to vintage. Find a French Provence Rose or an Oregon Pinot Noir Rose for your Turkey.  Midwestern wineries make pretty good to outstanding Rose’ wines. Just go for the dry Rose wines regardless of region to match well with your dinner.

The red of choice has long been Pinot Noir for Thanksgiving. And again, if you are sticking with value look for the labels mentioned above.  But if it’s off to the wine shop, consider a French Beaujolais – and not that Nouveau stuff. Find a Beaujolais Cru wine from Julienas, Morgon, or Fleurie. The Gamay-based wines are very affordable at $12-$18 and great with food.

If you want to impress pick up any bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir above the $30 price point. It is sure to be a huge hit with your guests. (Lange is a personal favorite.)
Next Column: Gadgets for the wine lover on your Christmas list!
Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

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To Bordeaux and burgundy for this weeks Saturday Sipps at the Wine Shop, 11-4 pm. Taste these great wines and you can buy them Saturday only for 20% off.
Panko, breaded, shrimp and Michigan, Leelanau, peninsula, Shady Lane cellars” Chardonnay. Pretty great small dinner after a night at the Wine Shop. #shadylanecellars

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My Summer With Lymphoma: Lymphoma, My Stem Cell Transplant

Good news on cancer and eyes

I have failed miserably at keeping ‘the cancer blog’ updated – and that’s a good thing, I suppose. I have now been “clean” since my April autologous stem cell transplant. I had a PET scan in June and a CT scan this week (Sept. 11) and both showed negative results. My oncologist was very pleased […]

Decisions, Decisions – Job & Health issues

  It’s been two weeks since my last update, one week-plus since I dropped one of my three antibiotics, and 97 days since my stem cell transplant for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.   So there are a few things to update and a few thoughts to share. Let’s start with the cancer. My team of oncologists at […]

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