And the winners are...

2007 Thanksgiving Food & Wine Recap

So after averaging about 3500 miles a month traveling around Texas - I stayed put in Austin for Thanksgiving this year. A big thanks to Lauren and Courtney along with the Loeffler gang for such a wonderful time together. Here were the highlights…

Cheese pairing: Redhawk Triple Cream with 2003 Fort Ross Chardonnay: This Chard was perfect with the rich cheese since it’s not a crazy over the top California Chardonnay. It was extremely bright with flavors of lemon curd and a touch of honey on the finish.

With the 3 Turkeys (fried, smoked and roasted), sweet potatoes, corn casserole, stuffing, green been casserole, spinach soufflé and yeast rolls.

2005 Olivet Lane Chardonnay: The Wine Enthusiast recently rated this wine a 90. Ah, the guys loved this full-bodied Chardonnay. So many layers of apple and pears, a little holiday spice, slight flint and toastiness. Perfect complement to the smoked turkey!

2006 Lange Estate Willamette Valley Pinot Noir: Bright berry flavors with a hint of allspice – very smooth down the hatch! Loved this with the roasted turkey and cranberry sauce.

2004 Fort Ross Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir - There’s a big reason the Wine Spectator gave this bottle 91 POINTS! This pinot was filled with wild berry, a little earthiness and spice. A very elegant ending and silky finish. Super tasty with the green beans and the dark meat from the smoked turkey.

2006 Handley Cellars Gewürztraminer: It was hard not to break this puppy out with dinner, but glad I waited until after. This was a perfect compliment to the sour cream-apple crumb pie. Tiny bit of white flowers on the nose and sweet effervesce combined with lychee fruit and peaches made this bottle lush! The sweetness from the Pie made this dry Anderson Valley Gwerz an amazing pair!

2005 Pellegrini Old Vine Carignan: Last sip of the night, I’ve thought of the Pellegrini Carignan at Thanksgiving all year long. This bottle is so supple! Had half a glass to tie-off the night and it was singing with plums and dark berries, no harsh tannins, just ends with a smile. Oh – great with a bite of Pecan Pie too!

What’s on tap for the UT Game today? King Ranch Casserole with all the fixins’, Susana Balbo's Crios Rose of Malbec and some good cold beer! Cheers - Ali