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With Thanksgiving approaching, it’s time for my annual recommendations: Don’t sweat the white wines. Whatever you open is likely to match well with one or more meals on your table. And if you’re hosting family, you have more important things to worry about than the wine.
If you’re picking red wines or asking your visitors to bring some, you might state a style. Your heritage or household history, for instance. Regional red wines to commemorate the local harvest. Or all American for the standard American holiday (with a nod to our Canadian next-door neighbors who celebrate Thanksgiving in October).
This week’s suggestions feature three California wines that will work well on any Thanksgiving table. We begin with a sauvignon blanc from a member of California’s class of 1972, commemorating their 50th anniversary this year. We add 2 zinfandels, a red wine that has a special location in California history and shows an affinity for the gamey, fruity hodgepodge of tastes in a Thanksgiving banquet.
Dry Creek Vineyard Fumé Blanc 2021( 2.5 stars) Sonoma County, Calif., $ 17 Dry Creek Vineyard, commemorating its 50th anniversary this year, was a leader winery in the Dry Creek Valley northwest of Healdsburg. It has actually consistently been one of California’s leading producers of sauvignon blanc. This fumé blanc(utilizing the name created by Robert Mondavi in the 1960s )represents the winery’s emphasis on worth, and the current bottling notes the anniversary with a retro label visible through the bottle. The estate sauvignon blanc white wines are also not to be missed out on. To honor the anniversary, the winery has released a shimmering chenin blanc, another variety it consistently excels with. Sustainable. Alcohol by volume: 13.5 percent. Bottle weight: 650 grams (Typical).
Distributed in your area by Eminence Ledroit.
Hierogram Zinfandel Vineyard Block N. 8( 3 stars)
Lodi may be California’s the majority of ignored red wine area. There are pockets of old-vine zinfandel vineyards producing impressive white wines that integrate rusticity– wild sagebrush and a dusty character that suggests warmth– with great acidity and soft tannins. The cranberry and raspberry flavors with herbal accents make this a versatile food-friendly white wine. ABV: 15 percent. BW: 550 grams (Typical).
Dispersed locally by DMV Distributing and Select White Wines. (3.5 stars)
Paso Robles is another region to search for worth in California, specifically with cabernet sauvignon. This first-class zinfandel has blackberry, raspberry and cranberry notes with a gently tannic finish. Organic. ABV: 14.8 percent. BW: 550 grams (Average).
Distributed nationally by ViniMundi Wines, dispersed locally by Craft Wine & Spirits.Costs are approximate. For accessibility, check Wine.com, Wine-searcher. com and the sites of the wineries, importers or distributors.