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EP 128 Thanksgiving Wines: What to serve with Turkey

Wines tasted in this episode:

Today Gary tastes through four wines he thinks (hopes) are perfect for Thanksgiving. Watch as Gary drinks a great Zinfandel and three other wines that rock him during this wonderful holiday that we all are able to share with family. Please look (visual) for the special offer!

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corkscrew

Is that real food or plastic..have had The Other, enjoyable. QOTD-Thanksgiving is not my fav Holiday, not a turkey and all the trimmings fan so no great memories. http://www.winelx.com

Tags: chianti, red wines, review, Video, white wines, wine, wines, zinfandel

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  • vonroach

    Most memorable Thanksgiving:

    After eating the turkey and drinking a case of Beaujolais Nouveau between four people (yes, in one afternoon) I asked my wife for a divorce.

    Everyone lived happily ever after…

  • vonroach

    Most memorable Thanksgiving:

    After eating the turkey and drinking a case of Beaujolais Nouveau between four people (yes, in one afternoon) I asked my wife for a divorce.

    Everyone lived happily ever after…

  • Sydney Australia

    OK, there were 24 comments before mine as I wrote this; 7 of which had anything at all to do with the show. Amazing.

    QOD: My best Thanksgiving Day memory is the year I was MVP of the football game I’ve been involved in for some 20+ odd years.

    Gary. you used a flavor example of “white clove”. WTF is white clove? Where at all does one find white clove? I’ve had both the Zin and the Auslese you recommend and I concur. Both very nice choices.

    Also, off-topic, can I have the BEARS this week against your Jets for a bottle?

    Clove

    Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum, syn. Eugenia aromaticum or Eugenia caryophyllata) are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae. It is native to Indonesia and used as a spice in cuisine all over the world. The name derives from French clou, a nail, as the buds vaguely resemble small irregular nails in shape. Cloves are harvested primarily in Indonesia and Madagascar; it is also grown in Zanzibar, India, and Sri Lanka.
    The clove tree is an evergreen which grows to a height ranging from 10-20 m, having large oval leaves and crimson flowers in numerous groups of terminal clusters. The flower buds are at first of a pale color and gradually become green, after which they develop into a bright red, when they are ready for collecting. Cloves are harvested when 1.5-2 cm long, and consist of a long calyx, terminating in four spreading sepals, and four unopened petals which form a small ball in the centre.

    Uses

    Cloves can be used in cooking either whole or in a ground form, but as they are extremely strong they are used sparingly. The spice is used throughout Europe and Asia and is smoked in a type of cigarettes locally known as kretek in Indonesia and in occasional coffee bars in the West, mixed with marijuana to create marijuana spliffs. Cloves are also an important incense material in Chinese and Japanese culture. Clove essential oil is used in aromatherapy and oil of cloves is widely used to treat toothache in dental emergencies.
    Cloves have historically been used in Indian cuisine (both North Indian and South Indian). In the north indian cuisine, it is used in almost every sauce or side dish made, mostly ground up along with other spices. In the south indian cuisine, it finds extensive use in the biryani dish (similar to the pilaf, but with the addition of local spice taste), and is normally added whole to enhance the presentation and flavor of the rice.
    Along with the recreational uses of cloves, they are also said to be a natural anthelmintic.

    History

    Until modern times, cloves grew only on a few islands in the Maluku Islands (historically called the Spice Islands), including Bacan, Makian, Moti, Ternate, and Tidore.[1] Nevertheless, they found their way west to the Middle East and Europe well before the time of Christ. Archeologists found cloves within a ceramic vessel in Syria along with evidence dating the find to within a few years of 1721 BC.
    In the 4th century BC, Chinese leaders in the Han Dynasty required those who addressed them to chew cloves so as to freshen their breath. Cloves, along with nutmeg and pepper, were highly prized in Roman times, and Pliny the Elder once famously complained that “there is no year in which India does not drain the Roman Empire of fifty million sesterces”. Cloves were traded by Arabs during the Middle Ages in the profitable Indian Ocean trade. In the late fifteenth century, Portugal took over the Indian Ocean trade, including cloves, due to the Treaty of Tordesillas with Spain and a separate treaty with the sultan of Ternate. The Portuguese brought large quantities of cloves to Europe, mainly from the Maluku Islands. Clove was then one of the most valuable spices, a kg costing around 7 g of gold.
    The trade later became dominated by the Dutch in the seventeenth century. With great difficulty the French succeeded in introducing the clove tree into Mauritius in the year 1770; subsequently their cultivation was introduced into Guiana, Brazil, most of the West Indies, and Zanzibar, where the majority of cloves are grown today.
    In Britain in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, cloves were worth at least their weight in gold, due to the high price of importing them.
    The clove has become a commercial ‘success’, with products including clove drops being released and enjoyed by die-hard clove fans.

    Active compounds

    The compound responsible for the cloves’ aroma is eugenol. It is the main component in the essential oil extracted from cloves, comprising 72-90%. Eugenol has pronounced antiseptic and anaesthetic properties.

  • Sydney Australia

    OK, there were 24 comments before mine as I wrote this; 7 of which had anything at all to do with the show. Amazing.

    QOD: My best Thanksgiving Day memory is the year I was MVP of the football game I’ve been involved in for some 20+ odd years.

    Gary. you used a flavor example of “white clove”. WTF is white clove? Where at all does one find white clove? I’ve had both the Zin and the Auslese you recommend and I concur. Both very nice choices.

    Also, off-topic, can I have the BEARS this week against your Jets for a bottle?

    Clove

    Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum, syn. Eugenia aromaticum or Eugenia caryophyllata) are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae. It is native to Indonesia and used as a spice in cuisine all over the world. The name derives from French clou, a nail, as the buds vaguely resemble small irregular nails in shape. Cloves are harvested primarily in Indonesia and Madagascar; it is also grown in Zanzibar, India, and Sri Lanka.
    The clove tree is an evergreen which grows to a height ranging from 10-20 m, having large oval leaves and crimson flowers in numerous groups of terminal clusters. The flower buds are at first of a pale color and gradually become green, after which they develop into a bright red, when they are ready for collecting. Cloves are harvested when 1.5-2 cm long, and consist of a long calyx, terminating in four spreading sepals, and four unopened petals which form a small ball in the centre.

    Uses

    Cloves can be used in cooking either whole or in a ground form, but as they are extremely strong they are used sparingly. The spice is used throughout Europe and Asia and is smoked in a type of cigarettes locally known as kretek in Indonesia and in occasional coffee bars in the West, mixed with marijuana to create marijuana spliffs. Cloves are also an important incense material in Chinese and Japanese culture. Clove essential oil is used in aromatherapy and oil of cloves is widely used to treat toothache in dental emergencies.
    Cloves have historically been used in Indian cuisine (both North Indian and South Indian). In the north indian cuisine, it is used in almost every sauce or side dish made, mostly ground up along with other spices. In the south indian cuisine, it finds extensive use in the biryani dish (similar to the pilaf, but with the addition of local spice taste), and is normally added whole to enhance the presentation and flavor of the rice.
    Along with the recreational uses of cloves, they are also said to be a natural anthelmintic.

    History

    Until modern times, cloves grew only on a few islands in the Maluku Islands (historically called the Spice Islands), including Bacan, Makian, Moti, Ternate, and Tidore.[1] Nevertheless, they found their way west to the Middle East and Europe well before the time of Christ. Archeologists found cloves within a ceramic vessel in Syria along with evidence dating the find to within a few years of 1721 BC.
    In the 4th century BC, Chinese leaders in the Han Dynasty required those who addressed them to chew cloves so as to freshen their breath. Cloves, along with nutmeg and pepper, were highly prized in Roman times, and Pliny the Elder once famously complained that “there is no year in which India does not drain the Roman Empire of fifty million sesterces”. Cloves were traded by Arabs during the Middle Ages in the profitable Indian Ocean trade. In the late fifteenth century, Portugal took over the Indian Ocean trade, including cloves, due to the Treaty of Tordesillas with Spain and a separate treaty with the sultan of Ternate. The Portuguese brought large quantities of cloves to Europe, mainly from the Maluku Islands. Clove was then one of the most valuable spices, a kg costing around 7 g of gold.
    The trade later became dominated by the Dutch in the seventeenth century. With great difficulty the French succeeded in introducing the clove tree into Mauritius in the year 1770; subsequently their cultivation was introduced into Guiana, Brazil, most of the West Indies, and Zanzibar, where the majority of cloves are grown today.
    In Britain in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, cloves were worth at least their weight in gold, due to the high price of importing them.
    The clove has become a commercial ‘success’, with products including clove drops being released and enjoyed by die-hard clove fans.

    Active compounds

    The compound responsible for the cloves’ aroma is eugenol. It is the main component in the essential oil extracted from cloves, comprising 72-90%. Eugenol has pronounced antiseptic and anaesthetic properties.

  • Dan

    Great episode.

    If I keep buying wine that is shipped freely I will overflow my house!

    T’giving is a great holiday. No expectations of gifts. Just eating and drinking.

    Once, though, I was in Scotland for the holiday. One of my buddies cooked me a haggis.

    THAT was memorable.

  • Dan

    Great episode.

    If I keep buying wine that is shipped freely I will overflow my house!

    T’giving is a great holiday. No expectations of gifts. Just eating and drinking.

    Once, though, I was in Scotland for the holiday. One of my buddies cooked me a haggis.

    THAT was memorable.

  • Paul

    Yes, Dan, but was the haggis good? Personally, I can’t imagine a BAD haggis (as long as one doesn’t contemplate what went into it or what it went into). You were lucky!

  • Paul

    Hope you feel better, BrandonM.

  • Paul

    Yes, Dan, but was the haggis good? Personally, I can’t imagine a BAD haggis (as long as one doesn’t contemplate what went into it or what it went into). You were lucky!

  • Paul

    Hope you feel better, BrandonM.

  • K Spengler

    Love the home-spun location. It had to be either Liz or your mom that created such a beauty of a bird…now we know it’s MOM! These are great recommendations, I say we put one bottle of each on the table and enjoy them all.

  • K Spengler

    Love the home-spun location. It had to be either Liz or your mom that created such a beauty of a bird…now we know it’s MOM! These are great recommendations, I say we put one bottle of each on the table and enjoy them all.

  • KAHUNA

    QOD- Once I got to eat 3 thanksgiving dinners at three seperate houses that was the best- Gee can’t imagine why I have to buy new pants every year!

  • KAHUNA

    QOD- Once I got to eat 3 thanksgiving dinners at three seperate houses that was the best- Gee can’t imagine why I have to buy new pants every year!

  • Rick “The Model” M

    Fantastic episode. Analogies were flowing like wter from a bubbling brook. My family is ordering all of these right now for thanksgiving dinner. Very Very informative show today V-man.

  • Rick “The Model” M

    Fantastic episode. Analogies were flowing like wter from a bubbling brook. My family is ordering all of these right now for thanksgiving dinner. Very Very informative show today V-man.

  • Russ J

    Toto, I don’t think the Vaynerchuk’s are in Edison anymore!
    Great episode, GV, and props to your mom for the awesome spread. I already purchased my T-day white but I am liking your idea more than mine….next time.

    QOTD: During college, the swim teams were not allowed to go home for T-day as we had practice right through the whole week so we stayed on campus feeling bad about missing a home cooked meal. One of the assistant coaches, a graduate student, had his parents up to visit in the tiny house he rented off campus. His parents did a T-day feast for the whole team, guys and girls. We all stuffed into his house and stuffed our faces. No wine back then, but I think I had about 15 beers along with my six plates of food. I was, after all, a growing boy. My mouth still waters when I think about it!

  • Russ J

    Toto, I don’t think the Vaynerchuk’s are in Edison anymore!
    Great episode, GV, and props to your mom for the awesome spread. I already purchased my T-day white but I am liking your idea more than mine….next time.

    QOTD: During college, the swim teams were not allowed to go home for T-day as we had practice right through the whole week so we stayed on campus feeling bad about missing a home cooked meal. One of the assistant coaches, a graduate student, had his parents up to visit in the tiny house he rented off campus. His parents did a T-day feast for the whole team, guys and girls. We all stuffed into his house and stuffed our faces. No wine back then, but I think I had about 15 beers along with my six plates of food. I was, after all, a growing boy. My mouth still waters when I think about it!

  • PeteB

    Thanks for the episode, now I’m ready for the Turkey!!!!

    QOD: 1999 – when I spent Thanksgiving on vacation with my bride to be celebrating our recent engagement that happened on the trip.

  • Dan G.

    Very nice layout. Brandon; 10 days, thats gotta suck. Finally ordered my first case 2 day arrival. Guess I’ll have to try the Farm Tractor and Haybalers Zin. Nothing too memorable for thanksgiving and Im sure no ones going to beat Vonroach. Damn that takes the cake. Well off to the order screen.

  • PeteB

    Thanks for the episode, now I’m ready for the Turkey!!!!

    QOD: 1999 – when I spent Thanksgiving on vacation with my bride to be celebrating our recent engagement that happened on the trip.

  • Dan G.

    Very nice layout. Brandon; 10 days, thats gotta suck. Finally ordered my first case 2 day arrival. Guess I’ll have to try the Farm Tractor and Haybalers Zin. Nothing too memorable for thanksgiving and Im sure no ones going to beat Vonroach. Damn that takes the cake. Well off to the order screen.

  • johnm

    Gary, you, with a little bit of us in the Vaynernation are changing the wine world. True that. Great episode.

  • johnm

    Gary, you, with a little bit of us in the Vaynernation are changing the wine world. True that. Great episode.

  • Rick E

    Great episode. Put some thought into it next time.

    No one commented on the NY Times ad. Being in Providence, I had to go to the bookstore to pick it up (who knew there’s a store that just sells things to read??) Of course very nicely done, but I’ve been shut out of the quote section once again. So Gary, I just wanted to tell you off the cuff

    “WLTV is the best! Informative and educational, with a splash of fun! I never miss an episode.” Oh, and “Whether you’re a beginner or expert, there’s no better way to learn about wine than WLTV. I schedule my meetings around it every day.” And before I sign off I wanted to mention “Bacchus. Perignon. Rothschild. And now, Vaynerchuk.”

    If none of those get me some ink, I give up. Keep up the good work.

  • Rick E

    Great episode. Put some thought into it next time.

    No one commented on the NY Times ad. Being in Providence, I had to go to the bookstore to pick it up (who knew there’s a store that just sells things to read??) Of course very nicely done, but I’ve been shut out of the quote section once again. So Gary, I just wanted to tell you off the cuff

    “WLTV is the best! Informative and educational, with a splash of fun! I never miss an episode.” Oh, and “Whether you’re a beginner or expert, there’s no better way to learn about wine than WLTV. I schedule my meetings around it every day.” And before I sign off I wanted to mention “Bacchus. Perignon. Rothschild. And now, Vaynerchuk.”

    If none of those get me some ink, I give up. Keep up the good work.

  • PattyO

    Thanks for Giving, Gary! Looking forward to drinking that Gravity Hills Zin with the visiting family next week –

    Great show, fun to see you at the table (mom’s house?), blustery wind out the glass door – nice element.

  • PattyO

    Thanks for Giving, Gary! Looking forward to drinking that Gravity Hills Zin with the visiting family next week –

    Great show, fun to see you at the table (mom’s house?), blustery wind out the glass door – nice element.

  • Darlene O.

    Ah, Gary…beautiful! Ok…most memorable Thanksgiving. Several years ago we sat to dinner 21 of my family members. Under each plate we taped the birth date of a family member. Each person had to look under their plate and guess whose birth date they had, and then share a memory of that person. What a hoot!!! We had a frickin’ blast, kids included. Family is everything, and we truly celebrated family that day. :}

  • Darlene O.

    Ah, Gary…beautiful! Ok…most memorable Thanksgiving. Several years ago we sat to dinner 21 of my family members. Under each plate we taped the birth date of a family member. Each person had to look under their plate and guess whose birth date they had, and then share a memory of that person. What a hoot!!! We had a frickin’ blast, kids included. Family is everything, and we truly celebrated family that day. :}

  • SeanM

    Thanks for the T-day episode.

  • SeanM

    Thanks for the T-day episode.

  • Jaye

    Beautifully staged episode Gary, kudos! I think I may have to try that Zinfandel!

    QOD: I have been cooking since I was 12 and I cooked up all our family Thanksgiving dinners from the time I was 13 or so. The most memorable one was probably about 15 years ago. I had 14 people coming over for Dinner, and as usual was cooking up a storm all night. I never bothered to have the TV or radio on, or open the door for that matter, so I never realized the whole time I was cooking it was snowing outside. There was so much snow that our company never came. We had enough food for 20 people, and only 4 of us there to eat it. Yowsa. We ate leftovers for 2 weeks.

  • Jaye

    Beautifully staged episode Gary, kudos! I think I may have to try that Zinfandel!

    QOD: I have been cooking since I was 12 and I cooked up all our family Thanksgiving dinners from the time I was 13 or so. The most memorable one was probably about 15 years ago. I had 14 people coming over for Dinner, and as usual was cooking up a storm all night. I never bothered to have the TV or radio on, or open the door for that matter, so I never realized the whole time I was cooking it was snowing outside. There was so much snow that our company never came. We had enough food for 20 people, and only 4 of us there to eat it. Yowsa. We ate leftovers for 2 weeks.

  • Roberto

    Damn GAy Bravo Bravo Bravo Bravo for this episode !!
    YOu have centered the Score for the Felsina Chianti classico rancia 95 i love it.. it is exsactly rthe way you descrive it and taste absolutely a Pure Class in a Glass !!!

    I am wondering if we should talk about the 97 when I get bakc from the UK…..

    Be good and keep up the great job !

  • Roberto

    Damn GAy Bravo Bravo Bravo Bravo for this episode !!
    YOu have centered the Score for the Felsina Chianti classico rancia 95 i love it.. it is exsactly rthe way you descrive it and taste absolutely a Pure Class in a Glass !!!

    I am wondering if we should talk about the 97 when I get bakc from the UK…..

    Be good and keep up the great job !

  • Roberto

    Sorry I mean GARY no Gay !
    Shut cancel that message it looks Horrible !

    Sorry !

  • Roberto

    Sorry I mean GARY no Gay !
    Shut cancel that message it looks Horrible !

    Sorry !

  • Seth – MacGeek

    I was going to use the ad as toilet paper as a joke to send it in to gary, but it was to nice to use for that. Instead I printed it and mounted it on the wall 😀

    seth

  • Seth – MacGeek

    I was going to use the ad as toilet paper as a joke to send it in to gary, but it was to nice to use for that. Instead I printed it and mounted it on the wall 😀

    seth

  • Love the table of food. Gary you did good. Ad looks great.
    http://www.thewineglass.net

  • Love the table of food. Gary you did good. Ad looks great.
    http://www.thewineglass.net

  • Lynne

    Wow!! What a beautiful feast!
    Thanks, Gary, for always providing us with incentives to try and buy different wines.

    QOD: We always have great family Thanksgivings, but a particular one stands out. We were traveling over the rivers and through the woods to Grandma’s house, when a deer runs out in front of us. It happened too quickly to avoid the 14 pointer. All the food spilled, the kids were at first, afraid, then when they saw the road-kill, it was “wow…cool…how are we gonna get to Grandma’s with a busted radiator?” We had to park the vehicle in some farmer’s driveway, call for a backup vehicle, stop at a local grocery for some not-so-homemade side dishes, and on to Grandma’s.

    BUT not before we hit the deer on the road, let the deer fall down, we threw a bunch of cherries on it, took out our knife, cut it, tasted it and that’s what our Thanksgiving wine tasted like! 🙂

  • Lynne

    Wow!! What a beautiful feast!
    Thanks, Gary, for always providing us with incentives to try and buy different wines.

    QOD: We always have great family Thanksgivings, but a particular one stands out. We were traveling over the rivers and through the woods to Grandma’s house, when a deer runs out in front of us. It happened too quickly to avoid the 14 pointer. All the food spilled, the kids were at first, afraid, then when they saw the road-kill, it was “wow…cool…how are we gonna get to Grandma’s with a busted radiator?” We had to park the vehicle in some farmer’s driveway, call for a backup vehicle, stop at a local grocery for some not-so-homemade side dishes, and on to Grandma’s.

    BUT not before we hit the deer on the road, let the deer fall down, we threw a bunch of cherries on it, took out our knife, cut it, tasted it and that’s what our Thanksgiving wine tasted like! 🙂

  • Sam Zen

    G- like you, I immigrated to the United States as a young boy. So Thanksgiving has a very special place in my heart for so many reasons. In my mind, each new Thanksgiving is the most memorable… and this year will lilkely hold true in light that I’m hosting 15 people for a sit down feast! My first Thanksgiving… wish me luck! BTW- in light of the season, thank you for all th eeffort you make with WLTV. This has really been a revelation to be thenakful for. So thanks G.

  • Grasshopper

    Sensei,

    Great episode and thanks for the recommendations and the free shipping. I just placed my mixed case order of three bottles each of all four wines!!

    Do we have the friendly wager on this weeks game with me getting another shot at Free shipping for the Bears beating your beloved Jets? I am not that big of a Bears fan and I hate to see you upset after a loss, but I love your wine picks and the free shipping gives me justification for buying more wine than I need…I know guys, need is a relative term because you can never have too much wine!!…:)

    Grasshopper

  • Sam Zen

    G- like you, I immigrated to the United States as a young boy. So Thanksgiving has a very special place in my heart for so many reasons. In my mind, each new Thanksgiving is the most memorable… and this year will lilkely hold true in light that I’m hosting 15 people for a sit down feast! My first Thanksgiving… wish me luck! BTW- in light of the season, thank you for all th eeffort you make with WLTV. This has really been a revelation to be thenakful for. So thanks G.

  • Grasshopper

    Sensei,

    Great episode and thanks for the recommendations and the free shipping. I just placed my mixed case order of three bottles each of all four wines!!

    Do we have the friendly wager on this weeks game with me getting another shot at Free shipping for the Bears beating your beloved Jets? I am not that big of a Bears fan and I hate to see you upset after a loss, but I love your wine picks and the free shipping gives me justification for buying more wine than I need…I know guys, need is a relative term because you can never have too much wine!!…:)

    Grasshopper

  • Thanks for the tasting ideas. I have two bottles of the Gravity Hill and may just put one out for the table. Will be drinking Prosecco and the Saints and Sinners Viognier that I bought half a case of after the show with that one. I look forward to any Thanksgiving that my kids and their wives and significant others are present. The party just gets bigger every year and more fun.

  • Thanks for the tasting ideas. I have two bottles of the Gravity Hill and may just put one out for the table. Will be drinking Prosecco and the Saints and Sinners Viognier that I bought half a case of after the show with that one. I look forward to any Thanksgiving that my kids and their wives and significant others are present. The party just gets bigger every year and more fun.

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