November 2013

This is wine cruise month for me and a number of New Mexico winemakers. We will be cruising the Caribbean and sampling good food and wine. I imagine I'll have lots to talk about after that one-week cruise, so expect to see a number of articles by Thanksgiving. Some of them will even be about wine!

We will be home for Thanksgiving, however, and tips for wines to pair with traditional turkey day foods will be prevalent and this month's wine question will be on that very topic. We also held our first ever Halloween Wine and the Movies night. We invited friends to bring a spooky dish and wine optionally. The movie was Mel Brook's Young Frankenstein; a Halloween classic and one of funniest movies of all time.

Ken Abbott came alone, but actually not alone because he brought a magnum of Delectus 2000 Napa Merlot, which was our wine highlight. I opened a bottle of Michael David Winery 6th Sense Syrah, which I had previously sampled at the wine dinner at the Bull Ring in Santa Fe and it was also a hit. It is indecently priced at Total Wines and I'll have to go back for more.

The night before I had served lamp chops for our guests and opened a bottle of Soul Sister Pinot Noir from Save Me San Francisco Wine Company, which was September's Winery of the Month. It went perfectly with the lamb and is now near the top of my under $15 must have Pinots.

I also attended a wine dinner at Prairie Star and Milagro wines that included two new releases-always eagerly anticipated-and once again the wines were astonishing. These included the 2010 Syrah, which may end up being better than the 2009 Syrah that earned the Jefferson Memorial medal of Excellence.

The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, which was bottle-aged for three years, was another eye-opener. As usual, wine sommelier, Samuel McFall, made it all the more entertaining with his comments and anecdotes. He may be even more passionate than me about Milagro wines.

So this month, make sure you add some of our good New Mexico wines to your Thanksgiving table and celebrate and give thanks for all the hard work our state's winemakers and grape growers expend to bring us Wines of Enchantment. (Hey, was that a plug?)

Winery of the Month:

Ponderosa Valley Vineyards

Henry Street is the venerable winemaker at Ponderosa Valley Vineyards and one of the pioneers of New Mexico wines. The winery and vineyards he and his wife, Mary manage are a destination, but seldom would logically be considered part of a wine tour unless you are equipped with a helicopter and private pilot.

The Jemez Mountains that one traverses to get to Ponderosa are absolutely breathtaking in the fall, but that window of opportunity is swiftly closing as cold weather once more descends on New Mexico. The tasting room is family-friendly with picnic tables, quiet shaded areas and farm animals to keep the children entertained while the parents enjoy the wine.

Henry has experimented with many types of grapes before selecting the ones he focuses his attention on now, but that is still a formidable selection of wines. Too many to take in in one tasting unless one has been judiciously spitting out the sampled wines. Yeah, I've seen lots of people do that, but only by wine judges who know how impactful to the palate drinking several wines can be.

There are a number of red and white wines in sweeter and drier styles to choose from, twenty three at my last count, but if sweeter wines are your thing there are still ten wines to sample. Mary is very solicitous of those tasting the wines so don't expect to get through the whole list. I remember having her cautionary finger waggled in my face when I tried to indulge too enthusiastically.

Henry has three Riesling wines that go from dry to dessert that handles all palates. I prefer the Dry Riesling which is often one of the state's best. Summer Sage is a perennial favorite and a very good aperitif wine. The Tempranillo and Sangiovese red wines are good choices for turkey day. The Syrah would work better with chocolate, which is also on this wine's palate, but not infused, it comes naturally from the grape. The Jemez Red is a crowd-pleaser with Nebbiolo and hybrid grapes. The late harvest Riesling will make your pumpkin pie taste even better.

Some of the white and red blends use hybrid grapes, which were created to handle harsher growing conditions. New Mexico is known for having intimidating weather and no one knows that better than Henry who lost his entire crop of Riesling to hail not too long ago. That does not stop him, however, as he stoically goes about repairing and replenishing his beloved vines. OK, he may swear under his breath a time or two, but he's back at it again and again.

Ponderosa Valley also gets a number of visitors who think this is where Bonanza was filmed, but end up staying for the wine and the warm welcome of Henry and Mary Street. This is a great place to set for a while, gaze over the vineyards, smell the mountain air and indulge in their wines. You'll find you won't want to leave.

Wine Question of the Month:

What kind of wine goes best with turkey?

There is never a dearth of wine recommendations for Thanksgiving. Since this is typically the one dinner with a defined entr�e and sides, it often comes down to what wines go with the bird. Things are seldom that easy, however, as there are still many ways to prepare the turkey and many different sides, which usually are part of each family's tradition. Those differences are also what determine the best wines to pair.

Generally, one wants to have both red and wines available and I'd also suggest at least one ros�. Food-friendly wines, as the name suggests, are best for pairing. That means lower alcohol wines with good acidity and balance will be easiest to pair. Not too dry, nor too sweet is also a good idea, but everyone's threshold for which wines are sweet varies quite a bit.

Riesling, Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc all qualify and can work well with vegetables and white meat. Riesling comes in a wide variety of sweetness levels. Many of the German Rieslings I've tried of late are stunning, which means they are letting out some of their better wines. I've written extensively about these wines in past newsletters. Dry Chenin Blanc wines, such as the French Vouvray are also wonderful and currently; underappreciated.

Chilean and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc wines offer some of the best value and are quiet versatile. French-style Chardonnay also works well with poultry. My personal yardstick is Milagro Chardonnay, done sur lie with excellent acidity and crisp flavors.

Ros� wines, not blush wines, handle a wide palate range. Traditional ros� wines are drier in style than blush wines like White Zinfandel, which should not be mentioned in the same breath. Ros� wines from Provence, France are some of my favorites and will astonish anyone who has not had the experience of a well-crafted, dry ros� .

Many red wines go with turkey, certainly with the dark meat and stuffing, but best if not too tannic or alcoholic. Many Central Coast California wineries do produce some powerhouse reds that match up with steaks and chops but can overpower the turkey. On the other hand, I would not hesitate to serve a Milagro Zinfandel with my turkey. In fact, I plan to have it on hand for my feast, because it has great balance, well-integrated tannins and under 14% alcohol.

One of the more popular choices for a red wine is Beaujolais, but more particularly, Nouveau Beaujolais. In part this is because the release date for the next year's wine is the third Thursday of November, which this year in November 21st. There is a countdown one can view online if this is your kind of thing. I prefer regular Beaujolais, Grand Cru if I can find it, or even Beaujolais Village, but Nouveau is very popular so having a bottle or two on hand is always a good idea. Just remember to drink it before next year's release.

Pinot Noir or Burgundy is another popular choice, but done in the French style pairs best. The basic Mark West Pinot Noir is a great economical choice at under ten bills and I always keep some in stock. I'd also recommend the Vivac 2009 Nebbiolo, which is very Pinot-like and a great interpretation of the Italian Piedmont grape.

Sangiovese and Tempranillo are also good choices of medium-bodied wines with lower tannins and good spicy flavors. Casa Abril Winery in north central New Mexico does great interpretations of both grapes crafted by a venerable Spanish family. Black Mesa Montepulciano wines are another good choice from yet another Italian grape. Makes one wonder why Thanksgiving wasn't invented there.

And, of course, we can't forget sparkling wines and champagne. At least, I don't. What would a celebration be like without it? Locally, it is hard to pass up Gruet and with several non-vintage sparklers to choose from, including Brut, Blanc de Noirs, Blanc de Blanc extra dry, Ros� and Sauvage there is one for most any palate. For a real treat, however, I'm serving the Gruet Grand Ros� which is as good as it gets.

In New Mexico we have much to be thankful for and our wines should be part of the celebration.

Jim's Picks of the Month

Since this is Thanksgiving month, I'm focusing on wine appropriate for that feast. Gruet I should not even have to list and it will be served at my house. Please refer to my September newsletter for non-champagne French sparklers for a little change of pace.

Mark West Pinot Noir: Mark West makes a number of highly-regarded Pinots. Most come from California coastal areas, but the base Pinot is a great wine value and would pair very well with turkey.

Casa Abril Vineyards: The 2009 Sol de Abril and 2012 Sangiovese are high on my list for Thanksgiving, or have it any other time and give thanks to Casa Abril. The recently expanded wine list means a visit to the winery would also be a good idea.

2011 Drops of Jupiter Red Blend: I gave this wine another test. I had a bottle in the fridge at my mountain retreat for nearly a week before returning. It was still going strong, suggesting a well-made wine. Now that I've also enjoyed the Soul Sister Pinot Noir it is time to stock up on Save Me San Francisco wines. Check out my September newsletter for all the details.

Redtree Pinot Noir $8.99: This is another good turkey day wine, or any day for that matter. This one comes from the Ceccetti Wine Company which has five labels. I recently served this Pinot to my wine friends and they were impressed with the good value this wine possesses. Strawberry and cherry elements with a bit of spice from oak, this lighter-bodied wine will go well with turkey and trimmings. Stay tuned next month for more on this wine company and their Austerity and Line 39 families of wines.

The 2013 Winemakers Cruise of the Caribbean!

This November my wife and I will join Martha and Keith Powell, New Mexico and out-of-state winemakers and fellow wine lovers on a wine cruise of the Caribbean. My last cruise was in 1966 aboard the USS Hancock aircraft carrier. I'm hoping for somewhat better accommodations this time around and liberty will be every day. No duty watches maintaining the radar and Tacan systems; it's got to be a better cruise, right?

I'll have a full report when we return, probably several, as we island hop and bottle pop our way across the sea. My thanks to all who are joining us and for those left behind at the dock; try us again next year.

November Events

November 7: HRMA wine auction with Michael David wines. I'll be presenting the wines and answering questions about them.

November 16 to 23: Winemaker's Wine Cruise with several ports of call and several wines to sample. I will do a special presentation for those who signed up specifically to join my wife and me.

November 28: Thanksgiving

More November Wine Events

Click here for winery and wine news and events.

Raise a glass for loved ones and fond memories and enjoy the season. In the meantime, my website and blog remain a great source for all things wine. Check them out when your neck needs a break from staring up at all the balloons.

Happy Trails!

Your Southwestern Wine Guy
Jim Hammond

In This Issue

Spotlight on a Winery

Reader's Mail Bag

Jim's Pick of the Month

The 2013 Winemakers Cruise

Around NM with the Southwestern Wine Guy

November Wine Events

Wine Trivia

Artilcles, Blog and other Writings

Jim Hammond has been exploring wines in North America, Europe and Australia for more than 20 years. A published author, he includes information about wine
in every book.

"Wines of Enchantment the Centennial Edition"

Wines of Enchantment, 2nd Ed

ISBN # 978-1466453432

$12.95

Available through Amazon.com

Please do me the favor to go to Amazon and rate my book.

Good News

Beginning in September I'll be writing for New Mexico Magazine. I will be adding wine commentary to the recipes created by the magazine's contributing culinary editor Cheryl Alters Jamison.

A Unique Party Idea

Spend an entire evening with Jim, the Wine Maestro, and learn fun facts, such as the difference between a Bordeaux and a Burgundy, or what the ritual of tilting, swirling and sniffing a wine before taking the first sip is all about.

You and your guests will delight in Jim's light humorous and information-packed style when you include a Wine Maestro presentation in your

party plans.

Wine Trivia

Do You Know the Answer?

How was the Great French Wine Blight (1858 - 1863) in France solved?