Countdown to Thanksgiving
This is the month we wait for all year because we are crazy for Thanksgiving. It starts
with the arrival of the November food magazines and picks up in intensity from there.
Before you know it, the turkey is getting basted, the gravy is being made, the finishing
touches are being put on the side dishes, and the wine is being decanted.
To celebrate our love of Thanksgiving, we will be sharing our favorite family recipes and wine pairings on our blog all month. If you have any special Thanksgiving recipes please send them to me and we will feature them on our blog!
Speaking of our blog and website, after only five short months our website home
page has gotten a redesign! It's going live today, so please check it out and let us know
what you think.
Happy Thanksgiving!
TJ and Hadley Douglas, and the staff of The Urban Grape
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Urban Tastings
We have extended our tasting hours for the holiday season! Thursday and Friday tastings are now from 5-8, while Saturday tasting hours remain 2-5. These are free events, held for the sole purpose of allowing our customers to try new and exciting wines, beers and spirits at no risk to their wallet.
Additionally, we have a full line-up of unique tastings and events happening all month. Make sure to check the event page on our website, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter, for the most up-to-date information about these events. Here's a sneak peek!
Wednesday, November 3: The first Wednesday of each month is now Cheese night at UG! From 5-8 pm, sample four cheeses from our neighbors at Star Market and see which wines we've paired with them.
Thursday, November 4: Join Matt, a real live Keeper of the Quaich, for an in-depth Scotch seminar and tasting at the store. It's not too early to think about those holiday gifts!
Saturday, November 6: There is a man among us who has sworn to drink a glass of Champagne every day for a year. Come hear about Dale Cruse's journey, and taste some of the unique Champagnes he's discovered during his Champagne Campaign.
Saturday, November 13: We are thrilled and honored to welcome Giorgio Rivetti, the famed winemaker from La Spinetta, to UG. Giorgio will be tasting us on six La Spinetta wines at every price point. This is one of our favorite producers, and sure to become one of yours as well!
Sunday, November 14: Time to order your Thanksgiving pies! We make it easy with a pie and after-dinner drink tasting from 2-5, featuring pies from Rosie's Bakery!
Sunday, November 21: Join George Levkoff of George Wine Company as he pours his exclusive and highly allocated Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs from 7:30 to 9:00. This is an exclusive tasting, and RSVP is necessary for admittance. Space is limited!
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2007 Dunn Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
We have been waiting with baited breath for this wine to arrive. Only 1500 cases of Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon are made annually and the 2007 vintage only arrived at UG last week. We bought our shipment on pre-sale from the winemaker Randy Dunn when he visited the store this past summer. We are one of the first stores in the area to have received the wine!
With every vintage, this wine displays all the winning characteristics of a vibrant, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2007 is one of their best vintages, and can be laid down for years - even decades - to come. A perfect gift for yourself or the wine lovers in your life!
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Hadley's Mom's Legendary, So-Good-It-Doesn't-Even-Need-
Turkey, Gravy
This picture is how it all starts. This is the base of my mother's crazy insane, so good
you dream about it all year, gravy. If making gravy intimidates you or if your gravy is
never quite right, then print this recipe and make it this Thanksgiving. But first, open
a bottle of 2008 PlumpJack Reserve Chardonnay from Napa Valley. Drink it while you
make your stock (and in your stock!), while you cook your turkey and even with
dinner. This white wine was made for Thanksgiving!
A couple of days before Thanksgiving, make a vegetable stock by piling all of the
following into a big roasting pan:
- 1 Spanish Onion, cut in 1/8ths, skin on, root off
- 1 Bermuda Onion, cut in 1/8ths, skin on, root off
- 2 Leeks, cut in large pieces
- A few shallots, peeled and halved
- A couple of heads of Garlic, cut in half
- 1 Sweet Potato, peeled and cut in large chunks
- Large handful of Cranberries
- 1 Orange, quartered
- 2 Bananas, cut in large chunks
- 2 Apples, quartered (One sweet like a Gala, one tart like a Granny Smith)
- 2 Ripe Pears, quartered
- A few Carrots in big chunks
- A few Celery stalks in big chunks
- A few Parsnips in big chunks
- Fresh Sage
- Fresh Thyme
- Fresh Parsley
Sprinkle some EVOO all over the pan and toss to coat. Roast in preheated 400 oven
for 1.5 hours, stirring veggies a couple of times.
Remove from oven and add:
- A few bay leaves
- One bottle of white wine
- As many quarts of water as your pan will hold ("6-8-10 whatever")
- A few Knorr Vegetable Bouillon cubes
- A few Knorr Chicken Bouillon cubes
Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour. Cool. Strain through a metal sieve. Cool and store.
To make the gravy: Add as much stock as you need (make too much gravy, you
will thank yourself later) to the turkey drippings. Taste for seasoning, then add
pepper anyway. Add some more white wine ("why not!"). Thicken with a roux (my
mom does not care to elaborate here, so look up a roux recipe on line). Let it simmer
and come together. Done! Drown everything on your plate in gravy and enjoy!
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Urban Buzz
In the October newsletter, we shared a video that perfectly summed up The Urban Grape's use of the Progressive Scale. This month, we share with you a recent Boldfacers profile that perfectly sums up our entire marriage and business relationship. We love it, and if you haven't seen it yet, you can now by clicking on
the link here.
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What action, if any, do you want your members to take? Add a "Find out more" link to additional information that you may have hosted on your website.
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