Thanksgiving

Kramer was calling himself the idiot for bringing a cherished bottle to the family dinner and having Grannie May call his favorite Burgundy too sour and Uncle Joe scarfing down a Monfortino or something without the proper respect.
 
I don't think Thanksgiving is a good venue for bringing out one's cherished rarities. But I like to serve nice wine. Maybe I just have good luck with friends and family, but if I serve an Alsatian riesling or Gewurz and a nice grower Beaujolais (my SOP, though I sometimes serve a Rhone), people usually like the wine and are happy to have it, which is all I ask.
 
Just to take this thread in a slightly different direction, we decided for the first time in many years to stay home for Thanksgiving rather than visiting one set of grandparents or the other. That gives us the luxury of cooking our own Thanksgiving fare and opening our own wines with it! We're leaning toward a dinner of goose (no turkey fans in our household) and stuffing with some veggies and likely some homemade cranberry relish (much less sweet and more acidic than the usual stuff). That'll enable us to open something luscious with the dinner, though no discussion has yet occurred to decide what that should be.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
I was hoping for an exchange of ideas more than an answer....
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The topic is threadbare. You've already heard the summation of the food-matching analyses. The other point to be made is a social one: for many people, the central theme of the event is to get the family together; oohing and aahing about comestibles is just another activity to do together. Any attempt to make a splash by bringing good wine is sure to fall flat because it's off-topic: the day is about looking backward, not forward.
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Well, it may be threadbare analytically, but, personally, I like to hear the different ideas and combinations people come up with; it's always interesting.

As to making a splash, nobody at my wife's family's table will be much impressed my by fancy bottles, whatever I bring. My interest is in the extent to which the fancy contents contribute to their pleasure in the meal, and their enjoyment of each others' company.
 
originally posted by Marc D:
Kramer was calling himself the idiot for bringing a cherished bottle to the family dinner and having Grannie May call his favorite Burgundy too sour and Uncle Joe scarfing done a Monfortino or something without the proper respect.
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Living and dying by the word at the same time: efficient and elegant.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
As to precious, I've been sensibly reserved in the past, but thought it would be interesting this year to throw some good things at the rels and record reactions, in the interest of science. Also, I have this disorderly way of buying magnums with no clear plan of how to use them, and I should start drinking some or selling them, I guess. Finally, feasting is kind of a negative feedback link, in any event, so a touch of heedless excess is in the spirit of the thing.
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Ian,
Years ago, I took a mixed case of wine to a large Thanksgiving gathering of my family. As the dinner went on, I would open a bottle, pour for everyone and then get on with dinner. I repeated this ten times during the meal and each time I would ask my folks if they enjoyed the previous wine as I was pouring their next glass. Each time they'd say it was very nice.
I then poured them some 1989 Lynch Bages and when I went back with the last wine I asked if they'd enjoyed the previous wine. In unison they said, could we have some more please.
Maybe something a little special might surprise.
Best, Jim
 
Personally, I would've thought that this august group would know what to serve on Thanksgiving already and I'm all for keeping any newbie lurkers in the dark.

As for eagle preparation, with golden eagles, since they tend to eat mammals, I find they are best roasted. Bald eagles, with their largely fish diet, work well when added to seafood paella.
 
originally posted by MLipton:
Tradition? Tradition!What is traditional fare in your parts, Ian?
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Chitlins & grits?? Redeye gravy?

Riesling should be fine, but I think red Burgundy gets overwhelmed. How 'bout a nice cru Beaujolais? Alternatively, an Etna rosso should compliment well. White Rhone can be tricky in what it pairs well with. And Ian, I'm already seeing Christmas things in stores, so it doesn't seem too early. I'll know it's too late though when the farm I pass by everyday begins loading their turkeys for slaughter.
 
We always have a dinner with long time friends in St. Helena every year. Our host has a an extensive wine cellar of three or four thousand bottles and he likes to serve an eclectic group of white and red wines. So you takes your choice and have fun tasting what turns you on. What's really neat is the fact that all of his wines are of good quality.
 
originally posted by Brian C:
There's always this.
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OMG. The guy is not satisfied with his podcast, he has to be everywhere (but here!)!

But I suppose it is sufficient penance for him to have to do the gawdhelpus TG column. He carries it off well.

Talia Baiocchi/Levi Dalton cage match for wine columns? Who will feed on the corpse of the print media?
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by Brian C:
There's always this.
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OMG. The guy is not satisfied with his podcast, he has to be everywhere (but here!)!

But I suppose it is sufficient penance for him to have to do the gawdhelpus TG column. He carries it off well.

Talia Baiocchi/Levi Dalton cage match for wine columns? Who will feed on the corpse of the print media?
Click to expand...

Lurkers have written me to explain that what I have written here could easily be misinterpreted.

The first line was a jocular comment on Levi's media ubiquity. I am a loyal and satisfied listener to his excellent podcasts, and see that he is also getting a fair bit of writing work. This makes sense, because he writes well.

The second line was a jocular comment about how he doesn't post here much lately, and was therefore to be punished by having to do the ol' TG column. Plus a compliment on how he managed it.

The third line notes that Talia Baiocchi also gets a lot of wine writing work, and that there is little enough of it in the modern world that she and Levi may begin to compete.

Chris can mop up and explain anything that I've missed.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by Brian C:
There's always this.
Click to expand...
OMG. The guy is not satisfied with his podcast, he has to be everywhere (but here!)!

But I suppose it is sufficient penance for him to have to do the gawdhelpus TG column. He carries it off well.

Talia Baiocchi/Levi Dalton cage match for wine columns? Who will feed on the corpse of the print media?
Click to expand...

Lurkers have written me to explain that what I have written here could easily be misinterpreted.

The first line was a jocular comment on Levi's media ubiquity. I am a loyal and satisfied listener to his excellent podcasts, and see that he is also getting a fair bit of writing work. This makes sense, because he writes well.

The second line was a jocular comment about how he doesn't post here much lately, and was therefore to be punished by having to do the ol' TG column. Plus a compliment on how he managed it.

The third line notes that Talia Baiocchi also gets a lot of wine writing work, and that there is little enough of it in the modern world that she and Levi may begin to compete.

Chris can mop up and explain anything that I've missed.
Click to expand...

Fuck the lurkers and the newbies can suck it.

I want the cage match and blood in the streets. The town ain't big enough.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by Brian C:
There's always this.
Click to expand...
OMG. The guy is not satisfied with his podcast, he has to be everywhere (but here!)!

But I suppose it is sufficient penance for him to have to do the gawdhelpus TG column. He carries it off well.

Talia Baiocchi/Levi Dalton cage match for wine columns? Who will feed on the corpse of the print media?
Click to expand...

Lurkers have written me to explain that what I have written here could easily be misinterpreted.

The first line was a jocular comment on Levi's media ubiquity. I am a loyal and satisfied listener to his excellent podcasts, and see that he is also getting a fair bit of writing work. This makes sense, because he writes well.

The second line was a jocular comment about how he doesn't post here much lately, and was therefore to be punished by having to do the ol' TG column. Plus a compliment on how he managed it.

The third line notes that Talia Baiocchi also gets a lot of wine writing work, and that there is little enough of it in the modern world that she and Levi may begin to compete.

Chris can mop up and explain anything that I've missed.
Click to expand...

That explanation made it so much funnier.
 
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