Girls n Grapes Talk Turkey

Girls & Grapes Gear up for the Wines that will Grace our Thanksgiving Tables in just a few short weeks!

My fabulous group of girls that love grapes does it yet again.  With a slew of fabulous foods to snack upon and a whole gaggle of grapes to indulge – my small tasting group of chikitas rock the palate with these fun wines for the holiday table. 

With the assignment of ‘Wines that make you think of Fall’ – the girls set out this month to find more than one wine to pair to your turkey.  As it turned out, we loved almost ALL of them.  Only a couple of stinkers in the bunch, almost everything we brought seemed to match our fall moods.  Some earthy, some with pumpkin pie scents, and some with meaty notes of pepper – below are the ‘unsensored’ notes for each one.

 A lovely array of gorgeous gorgeous wines, with tasting notes, tasting suggestions, recipes that we brought to pair, price-points and retail locations to boot – to make YOUR holiday wine shopping that much easier this holiday season!

Wine 1:
Yeasty, golden in color, nutty, toasty, creamy, soapy
1998 Duval Leroy Blanc de Chardonnay Champagne
Lindsay splurged! $50 @ Pairings – Super fresh for vintaged bubbly
A perfect pairing w Allison’s pumpkin ravioli!!  (See below for Allison’s Shitake/Pumpkin Ravioli Recipe)
Wine 2:
Very goldeny in color- Petrol, shoe polish, apricot, orange, honey blossom
Guessing Old World – German Riesling ~ Great with Lindsay’s Chicken Curry Dip (See below for Lindsay’s Recipe)
Martin Schatzel Alsace Grand Cru Riesling 2001 $30 @ Kowalskis Wine Shops
Wine 3:
Huge nose- Freesia Flowers- Fresh squeezed orange- Clementine
Domaine Zind Humbrecht Gewürztraminer – “Holy Ball$, this is good!” says Allison.
Amazing w sweet potatoes!
Wine 4:
Brite white in color- lemon rind rolled in sugar.  We think it’s intriguing. 
Ginger snaps… Spiced cookies?
Swallow Gewürztraminer, Oregon – $9 @ Kowalskis Wine Shops  ~ Good Buck for Buck!
Wine 5:
Really poopy – barnyard- peppery finish.  Sour cherry on the palate. 
Is that meat we smell?  Maybe just the end of a horse blanket.  Pepper!
Qupe Syrah, CA – $15.99 from Pairings
This is Brettanomyces to the max!   We are not a fan.  The bacteria mutes the fruit too much.
Wine 6:
Creamy raspberries and sweet blueberry pie. Fried sage would be good with this.  Tinny, like metallic.  Pepppery. 
La Vendimia Rioja – Tempranillo & Grenache $16 @ Solo Vino ~ Allison says “Frontal French Massage, yes!”  (Ummm…Don’t ask!)
We loved this one with Katie’s Mexicorn Chip Dip (See below for Katie’s recipe)
Wine 7:
Acetone, phenolics. Dried cranberry, dried fruit.  Raisiny, high acid.  Gripping.
2004 Cruor Priorat (Garnache) – $40 – Good, but we say NOT worth the dolla dolla bill, y’all.
Wine 8:
Food coloring red in color.  Stinky.  Wet ground.  Not balanced.
Really peppery and kind of green.
Steele Rosé of Cabernet Franc, CA – we’re not fans!  $15- can be found at Byerlys/Pairings. 

Jed Steele, if you’re reading this…we really love YOU, just not a fan of this particular wine!

Wine 9:
Strawberry preserves.  White pepper.  We think absolutely Gamay.
What?!!!!  It’s Carignan & Cinsault.  Corbieres (France) is our region- a total stinker.
Too expensive for the price point.  – Not even going to list the producer, just not worth it. 
Wine 10:
Cinnamon – raisin- poopy but weirdly,  fresh.  Red pepper. Cocoa powder. Savory. Thyme & fresh- meat.  One hot mess.  Disconnected.  Green.
Nothing screams fall like a 2001 Spanish Mencía!  What?
No likey- 2001 Villa de Corullón Mencía – $35 @ Kowalskis- a no go. 
Note:  Mencía as a grape, not necessarily an ager.  Much better when drunk young.
Wine 11:
Peppery cherry- raspberry- strawberry.
Cinnamon.  Great wine- Great story!!  (We love you, Leigh & Patrick!)
Dominio IV ‘Of Poetry & Roses’ Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon  $35 – wine winner of the nite so far!!! 
 This wine soon to be at Pairings!  Ask for it by name.
 Wine 12:
“Leopard frog slime” -(I think Lindsay’s had too much too drink tonite with that comment!)  Dirty earthy but clean.  Cherry & cinnamon.
Smells like Syrah.  We think we like from a price standpoint.
It is Quattro Mani Barbera d’Alba – Italy!  $12 @ Pairings – we like it!
Wine 13:
Cherry cough syrup.  Alcoholic.  Green cherry.
GD Vajra ‘Langhe’ Rosso – young Nebbiolo from Piedmont.  
We guessed Italian…but we weren’t necessarily down with it.
Wine 14:
Smells like banana bread draped over a pot of chocolate.  Deep dark blk blk cherry.  Blueberry.  Dusted cocoa and chocolate.  Mountain fruit. Everyone loves!!  Chewy.  Rich.  But Ripe. 
Peterson Agraria ‘Big Barn Red’, Dry Creek, CA – we love.   This wine can be purchased direct from Peterson Winery!

Recipes…

PUMPKIN & SHITAKE RAVIOLI WITH SAGE BUTTER

RAVIOLI:

• 3 tbls unsalted butter
• 1 tbl EV olive oil
• 16 shitake mushrooms, stemmed and finely diced
• 2 shallots, finely diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
• 1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tsp finely minced sage leaves
• 1 ½ cups canned pumpkin puree
• ¾ cup grated Parmesean cheese
• ½ cup fine dried bread crumbs
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 sheets fresh lasagna dough (16×24”) or 24 wonton wrappers

 SAGE BUTTER:

• 8 tbls (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 16 fresh sage elaves, julienned

 Melt butter and oil. Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic and sautee for 10 minutes. Stir in tamari and sage, raise heat and stir constantly for 3-5 min. Transfer into a mixing bowl. Let cool slightly, then stir in pumpkin, cheese and bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper.
 Cut the pasta dough into 24 4” squares, or lay out wonton wrappers. Spoon a tablespoon of filling slight off center of each square. Brush the edges with egg white, fold over to form a triangle and press together tightly to seal. Wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for at least one hour before cooking.
 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Gently cook ravioli until al dente, about 3-4 minutes. They are done when they float to the surface. Remove ravioli gently with a slotted spoon, drain, and arrange on a serving platter.
 To make the sage butter, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the sage and cook for 2-3 minutes to infuse the butter. Drizzle the sage butter over the ravioli. Serve with additional cheese and black pepper. Serves 4-6.
 
CHICKEN CURRY DIP
8 oz of cooked chicken

One 8 oz package of cream cheese

2 tbls Major Grey Chutney

1 tsp curry powder

2 tbls chopped onion

1/4 cup mayo

Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350

Combine in food processor and process until it becomes a smooth dip consistency. Transfer to oven safe baking dish and bake until edges become golden brown and dip is warmed through. Serve with crackers or baguette slices.

 

MEXICORN CHIP DIP

2 (11 oz) cans of Mexican-Style corn with red and green peppers, drained
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers

1 Cup Mayonnaise
1 Cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Combine the corn, tomatoes (well drained), mayo, and cheese in a bowl until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
 
Bon appetite!