HALLO-THANKS-MAS!

HalloThanksMas

Here we are again. Diving back into the holidays. As a kid I always started saying the holidays around Thanksgiving but since having a child it all starts with Halloween now for me. The parties and the preparation for costumes have all become a part of the chaos that doesn’t seem to stop until January. I know most people understand this and deal with the same thing. With Halloween behind us, I have gone into full Thanksgiving/Christmas crunch time mode. I am determined to make this year or what is left of it better. With everything that everyone has had to deal with for the past two years, we deserve fun and light and to enjoy life again and the holidays are a great time for that. That’s what the holidays are about, be with your friends and family and the people you love. As hectic and chaotic as the holidays can be, especially in retail, one of the beautiful parts of our job is that we get to be a part of all of your celebrations. You welcome us into your home to be a part of your dinner every time you ask us to help you with a pairing or to pick wines for whatever celebration you are having. We love it, and we appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to join us here at the store in turn supporting a small family business. 

The holidays we focus the most on are Thanksgiving and Christmas when it comes to pairings.For now we can just focus on one holiday at a time and thanksgiving is where we shall start. The thing about Thanksgiving is it can be tricky to get a perfect pairing. Not every table is exactly the same so we don’t have one universal wine that we suggest for everyone, but about 75% of the time we will probably suggest Beaujolais, Gamay from France, light body red, fruit forward and easy drinking with a fair amount of acid that balances it out, and goes with a nice array of foods. So with that in mind, for the New world section of our store I try to find a few reds similar in style but I have something for everyone’s palate. We really just want you to drink what you like and enjoy the time with your family and friends. We love to do the pairings but at the end of the day we want you to enjoy yourself. For our white wine drinkers wines such as Riesling, Pinot blanc, Pinot Gris are amazing options. I found a decadent aged Gruner Veltliner from Vocal. For the reds on the table, I stand by the Gamay pairing  and have a few from California to choose from the likes of Ann Albert, Stolpman, Arnot-Roberts, Liu Diet, and Russell Joyce, as well as a killer wine from Te Mata out of New Zealand. Pinot Noirs that are light and easy drinking for the table that won't break the bank are also great additions to your Thanksgiving table. 

Gamay

Joyce 2018 Submarine Canyon Monterey 

Ann Albert 2019 Presquile Santa Maria 

Anna Alber 2019 Martian Los Alamos 

Stolpman 2020 GDG Santa Barbara County
Lieu Dit 2016 Santa Maria Valley 

Arrnot-Roberts  2019 El Dorado

Te Mata 2020 Gamay Noir Hawke’s Bay New Zealand 

Riesling 

Trefethen 2020 Napa Valley, 

Elk Cove 2019 Willamette Valley, Oregon

Ravines 2017, Finger Lakes, New York 

Savage Grace 2019 Underwood Mt. Vineyards, Columbia Gorge Washington 

Ovum 2018, rouge Valley Oregon

Pinot Gris 

Elk Cove 2016 Willamette Valley Oregon 

Cooper Mountain 2019 Old Vine, Willamette Valley, Oregon 

Illahe 2018, Willamette Valley Oregon 

Vocal 2015 Gruner Veltliner, Santa Cruz Mountains 

Pinot Noir 

Joyce 2019 Submarine Canyon 

Scar of the Sea 2020 Bassi Vineyard, San Louis Obispo 

Lady of Sunshine 2020 Chene Vineyard, Edna Valley 

Enfield 2019 Heron Lake Vineyard Wild Horse Valley, 

Le Machine 2020 Sta. Rita Hills

Tyler 2019 Sta. Rita Hills 

Eden Rift 2018 Valliant Vineyards, Central Coast 

Trailmarker 2018 Manchester Ridge Vineyard, Santa Cruz