Norman Rockwell

Miss our Thanksgiving Pairing class and still clueless about what to imbibe on Turkey Day? Well, we can forgive the whole “skipping class” thing (but don’t let it happen again!) and have recap to boot.

Now, we couldn’t just taste wine and try to imagine how great it would be with Thanksgiving fare–we at Just Grapes had to prove it! We served up a traditional Thanksgiving meal that included stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams with candied walnuts, grilled squash, adorable tiny pies and, of course, turkey with a selection of 8 delectable wines to sample along as we ate.

First up was the light-bodied, agile 2008 Banyan Gewurztraminer. This guy is our favorite go-to for sushi and Asian cuisines, but like some kind of dynamic ninja wine, he also is a welcome addition to the Thanksgiving table. With white peach, rose petal and lychee, this delicate, aromatic and crisp wine matches the texture of turkey as well as the smoky, savory citrus of the meat. Banyan would also go great with:

-Butternut Squash Risotto with Bacon and Sage

-Seared Pork Tenderloin with Dried Fig and Mushroom Sauce

-Fast-Track Baby Back Ribs

-Pan-Seared Pork Chops

Next was the coy 2007 Diva Riesling. This off-dry, peachy Riesling has racy acidity and matched the turkey in a very similar way to Banyan: both the turkey and the Riesling are delicate in texture. However, the sweetness in the Riesling contrasts the savory of the turkey, highlighting the best in each other. Also try Diva with:

-Cumin-crusted Lamb

-Plank-Cooked Salmon

-Sirloin Steak with Beurre-Naise sauce

Our 2008 Donausonne was third, and is one of only two sweet reds we carry at the store. Action-packed with fresh strawberries, cherries and allspice, this Blaufrankisch went fantastically with the savory turkey, much in the same way we love sweet cranberry sauce with turkey. Give him a go with:

-Oven-Charred Asparagus with Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar

-Lemon-Herb-Prosciutto Shrimp

-Spice-Pained Salmon

-BBQ Chicken

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to whip out Black Chook, our sparkling Shiraz. This medium-bodied, creamy-yet-acidity red is deceptively light (hint: it’s because of the bubbles!) and when eaten with food, turns into a whole new beast. The turkey brings out the peppery spiciness of the Shiraz, while the fruits of the wine compliment the turkey. Try Black Chook with:

-Roasted Chicken

-Seared Shrimp and Chorizo

-BBQ Chicken (again.)

Next up were two of our very limited quantity Beaujolais: 2007 Louis Jadot Chateau Lumieres Morgon, and 2007 Louis Jadot Cheateau des Jacques Moulin-A-Vent. It never ceases to surprise me how these villages can be so near each other and produce such different wines! Chateau Lumieres has bright cherries, raspberries and strawberries, a little violet, with supple tannins and nice acidity. Chateau des Jacques still has those detectable fruits (though a little less ripe and crisper) with smoky meatiness to it.  The Morgon contrasted the turkey with its fresh fruit, while the Moulin-A-Vent underscored the smoky gaminess. Try both of these Gamays with:

-Bean and Black Olive Bruschetta

-Seared Tuna and Lemon

-Flank Steak with Spicy Herb Oil

-Sherry-Glazed Pork Chop with Mushrooms

Finally, we came across our two big, bad Pinots: 2007 Lucia and 2006 Alma Rosa. The more subtle, nuanced Lucia–with its floral notes, sweet spice and earth–brought out the savory aspects of the turkey while bold Alma Rosa’s medium body contrasted the turkey’s delicate texture. Pair these up with:

-Grilled Pork Loin

-Salmon Fillets

-Crispy Chicken and Shallot Hash

-Rosemary and Sweet Garlic Roast Chicken

Just because the holidays are upon us doesn’t mean that pairing delicious food with delicious wine is just a special occasion kind of deal; the fact is that most wine works with most food, so go on and pick up a bottle of wine for a middle-of-the-week dinner–it’ll make it that much more enjoyable. Be adventurous with your food/wine pairings and throw convention out the window.

Don’t forget to check out our complimentary Thanksgiving Tasting on November 25 from 4-8pm, and our exciting upcoming classes, like our December 10th Holiday Sweets and Dessert Wine class and the Bubbly and Champagne Seminar on the 17th.

This week, lets start with Burgundy. If you can remember back to your childhood, you may have seen your parents drinking red wine out of a jug labeled Burgundy. Before there were laws protecting the names of these wine growing regions in France, producers such as Ernest and Julio Gallo created and marketed a cheap red wine and named it “Burgundy.” This has nothing to do with actual Burgundy region in France, and presented a negative connotation to actual French Burgundy wine. If you are in the Burgundy section of your local wine shop or on your restaurant wine list, the easiest thing to know about this region is that if it’s red Burgundy, it’s Pinot Noir, and if it’s white, then it’s Chardonnay. This is the only thing that is easy about Burgundy. It’s the most studied and difficult region to decipher so we’ll take a generalized look at this region to gain some understanding.

Pinot Noir is one of the most delicate, sexy, silky, mysterious wines in the world. It’s known for it’s subtly and its layers and layers of aromatics. Pinot Noir flavors truly whisper to you, and the varietal keeps you guessing, only revealing itself after you’ve courted it for a long while. It has been revered by wine connoisseurs since the beginning of time and has now come to the masses, thanks in large part to the movie Sideways. Burgundy, France is hands down the benchmark for Pinot Noir world wide. It’s where it shows itself off best and is what Pinot makers all over the world try and emulate.

The Chardonnays of Burgundy can bring out the same sensations (such as our Pouilly-Fuisse). It’s nothing like the oaky, buttery, tropical Chardonnay grown in California. It’s again a much more subtle style of Chardonnay with a core of stony minerality showing off more of a soft, creme fraiche-like texture. The aromas are reminiscent of baked apple pie, with toasted almonds sitting on your neighbor’s windowsill, and you can only catch glimpses of those aromas when the wind blows your way.

The entry-level Burgundy (known as Bourgogne in France) will say just this on the label. The place where the grapes are grown, not the producer, is the most prominent information on the label. When your wine says Bourgogne on the label, this means the wine producer is getting their grapes from the entire region–it’s equivalent to saying “I live in Cook County.” When you start going up in price and quality, the label will state a village (such as Gevrey-Chambertin or Pommard). This is specifying your grapes came from a certain village in Burgundy–now you’re narrowing down that you live in Chicago. Now each village has it’s own special “flavor,” and part of the fun of buying these wines is discovering how greatly grapes can differ from one another, even when grown just down the road from another village.

The next step up from village is Premier Cru or also known as “1er Cru” on the label. This means that it comes from a specific vineyard within the village name on the label–now you’ve narrowed down your place to a neighborhood in Chicago, such as Bucktown. These Premier Cru wines are recognized by the French government as being of superior quality and worthy of superior price. Narrowing down the place where your grapes are grown will give you a more focused, intense and complex wine worth its price.

The next step up is Grand Cru Burgundy, which are known as the best and most expensive Pinot and Chardonnay in the world and only needs to list the name of the Grand Cru vineyard it comes from, the vineyard name says it all! If you can afford to buy Grand Cru, put it away for at least 10-15 years to get the most out of your investment.

Hopefully this is has demystified your Burgundy label and region a bit. If you want to know more about the flavor profiles and structures of each village then let us know and we can break it down even more for you on another article–this is just a starter course!

Maya: You know, can I ask you a personal question, Miles?
Miles Raymond: Sure.
Maya: Why are you so in to Pinot? I mean, it’s like a thing with you.
Miles Raymond: Uh, I don’t know. Um, it’s a hard grape to grow, as you know. Right? It’s uh, it’s thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It’s, you know, it’s not a survivor like Cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and uh, thrive even when it’s neglected. No, Pinot needs constant care and attention. You know? And in fact it can only grow in these really specific, little, tucked away corners of the world. And, and only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only somebody who really takes the time to understand Pinot’s potential can then coax it into its fullest expression. Then, I mean, oh its flavors, they’re just the most haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle and… ancient on the planet.

This exchange from the film “Sideways” is in no small part responsible for an overwhelming increase of interest in the Pinot Noir varietal, and an increase in its demand everywhere from five-star restaurants to right here in our store. Miles isn’t alone with his effusive praise of this difficult, dark grape. Robert Parker once wrote, “When it’s great, Pinot noir produces the most complex, hedonistic, and remarkably thrilling red wine in the world.” One master sommelier even calls Pinot “sex in a glass.”

Miles may be a Pinot Snob, but he gets it right.

What is it about Pinot Noir? The often deceptive light hues, disguising surprising flavors and strength? The low tannins, which even white wine fanatics can appreciate? The smooth and silky texture?

Just Grapes’ managing partner Don Sritong often recalls his amazement in learning that Pinot Noir had become the most popular wine sold in the store. “If you told me that when we opened five years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you,” he said in a recent in-store class. Yet our customers flock to our Pinots, new world and old world (and both, in the unique Two Worlds collaboration between Dr. Loosen and J. Christopher, which features 90% German grapes and 10% Oregonian). In private events, Pinots are the wines that are requested to be tasted again and again and again. Whether watching the face of someone trying the varietal for the first time or a connoisseur surprised by a burst of something unexpected, you see the same range of emotions and pleasure and curiosity. It’s simply mesmerizing.

What about Pinot Noir attracts or surprises you?

Perhaps that was true, but what she went on to describe was more a function of tannins than dryness, which typically is used to describe the opposite of sweet in a wine. Tannins are tacky—and by this, I don’t mean they’re rockin’ some 70s polyester in a groovy orange pattern. I mean, as Merriam-Webster uses it, somewhat sticky to the touch.

Tannins in wine come from the grapes’ leaves, stems and skin and sometimes the oak in which it is aged. Tannins tend to be more bold, sometimes even harsh, when a wine is young. As it ages, they are known to mellow, though the exact chemical process still is being studied. Wines will have more or fewer tannins by virtue of their varietal and/or how they are made—whether they spend a lot of time in contact with their skins, for example (which is why darker reds are sometimes more tannic), or whether the winemaker removes the stems and seeds before crushing.

You can sense tannins by that tacky feeling in your mouth. It’s what makes your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth. Whether you like that or not is a matter of personal preference. Some tannins are necessary to provide structure, along with alcohol and acidity, as we’ve discussed. Too high a level of tannins will make you pucker. A wine that needs a bit of time for the tannins to mellow is said to have young tannins. A well-balanced wine is said to have smooth tannins, round tannins, balanced tannins, a good mouth-feel. Just Grapes has, among others, a pinot noir in its selection said to have plump, round tannins, if you’d like to sample such a thing.

Being tacky isn’t bad when it comes to wine. But please: Save the orange polyester for next Halloween!

Fall would be lovely if it weren’t followed by a word and a season much longer up North: winter. There are just a few things to look forward to: the holidays, turtleneck sweaters and black leather boots, fireplaces and red wine.

I’ve learned to appreciate a Rosé on a hot summer’s day, but I’m definitely a red-blooded girl. Merlot was my first true love. I’ve met many spicy, hot, rich, smooth and smoky passions since, only expanding the possibilities.

There really is a red for everyone, even those of us who prefer our Zinfandels to be white. (I love you, Mom!) If you’re not a fan of tannins that stick your tongue to the roof of your mouth or pepper that zings all the way down, try something with a silky mouth-feel. Some Cabernet Franc, especially if you can find it unoaked. Or a Carmenere or Pinot Noir. Or good old Merlot, slightly aged. 

Tomorrow is the first day of October, when I concede defeat to the changing seasons. It’s also Just Grapes’ First Wednesday tasting, when they’ll bring out more than 35 wines that will go great with those boots. Join them 5:30-7:30 when, for $35 (less than $1 a taste!) you can sample and select something to keep you warm from the inside, too.