Mark West Pinot Noir

Perfect pairs

November 2006 - as published in the Naperville Sun and Beacon News

By Bill Garlough

In my first column, I mentioned that I'll give you two sections in each monthly column, a section of general wine information entitled "Wine Speak" and the "Food & Wine pairings. Here goes:

Wine talk

I just returned from a trip to the West Coast 10 days with my family, and visited several key wine regions. In Oregon, we visited the Willamette Valley (known for Pinot Gris and Pinot Black) and in Northern California that we visited Anderson Valley in Mendocino and valleys of Napa and Sonoma. As it was during the annual harvest of grapes, called the crowd "(when the grapes are picked, sorted for quality and pressed grape juice), I was interested in the quality of the crop this year .

Almost every manufacturer has reported that the 2006 vintage will be above average, not only in quality but also quantity. Both the Willamette Valley and Anderson Valley reported ideal growing conditions with warm days and cool nights. However, Napa and Sonoma had record heat in July, which challenged the skills of cutting producers. The foil protects canopy of grapes. If you cut too much foliage, you may further expose the grapes to high temperatures, and they can actually get a sunburn. A dense canopy of leaves in a humid climate will promote mold and mildew on grapes.

To ensure an optimal harvest, what quality is the practice of growing wineries qualified throughout the growing season. This includes the size of the foliage, the size of grapes (to promote concentrated flavor in the remaining clusters), irrigation if necessary to harvest the grapes when they reached the desired level of sugar. Based on this report, we can all anticipate a lot of delicious white wines in about nine months and delicious red wines in about eighteen months, from the West Coast.

Food and Wine

To help you easily find my recommended wines, I developed a network of local shops to act as a resource for the column. I will discuss my ideas about food and wine with the owners of these neighborhoods wine shop, and find wines they stock that achieve the objective. The wines are included are generally available and the price will range around $ 10.00 and $ 25.00 and up range. Hopefully this is something to offer everyone.

It's November, and for many of us, this means that Thanksgiving. This meal is not only an American tradition, it is a moment where the whole family gathers around the table and reconnects. This puts a little stress on the meal planner and preparer, then some suggestions of wine can be enjoyed.

The center of the Thanksgiving dinner is, of course, turkey. Both Turkey and the meat tends to be neutral in taste, which may open the door for interesting wines. However, the balance of the meal can offer complex flavors, with tasty dressing, tart cranberries and pumpkin pie spice. In this spirit, I recommend:

Bill's Picks

White wines

A more complex style of wine with good acidity and balance is my choice. A wine with good fruit and acidity can help balance the meal wide range of flavors. Here are some suggestions:

Chateau Lamothe Haux (a blend of three grape varieties of Bordeaux), France, $ 11.

Chateau St. Michelle Columbia Valley Riesling Indian Wells - Washington, $ 15.

Sokol Blosser of "Evolution # 9" (a blend of nine varieties) - Anderson Valley, California, $ 17.

Thomas Fogarty GEWI ¼ rztraminer, Monterey, California, $ 18.

Caymus "Conundrum" (a blend of 5 varieties) - Napa Valley, California, $ 27.

Red wines

Pinot Black, my favorite variety is my choice here. This wine tends to be medium bodied with delicious fruit notes of red su.