“Party
Pleasin’ Wines
(Wichita
Eagle, November 1998)
The
holidays are upon us and that means home entertaining and those long anticipated
dinner extravaganza’s with family and friends.
If you are like me you are always looking for the perfect wine at a great
price that well go well with the array of holiday cuisine.
A wine that well leave your guests impressed with your thoughtfulness and
send them to the wine store to replicate your entertaining style.
Wine is such an individual and subjective topic that I thought it might
be fun to get the “favorites” of some of Wichita’s food & wine
enthusiasts. I’ll finish with
some recommendations of my own and give you some great value wines to spread
your holiday cheer money through the new year.
All the wines mentioned are available locally and generally are under $25.
Because we all tend to go for the best this time of year some of my
friends have suggested some wines that are a little more expensive.
Cost doesn’t always equate to better wine...but often it does represent
a wine that has been specially selected from a certain vineyard or has received
special care during the vinification process.
You can decide what your palate and your pocketbook will agree on.
Larry
Evers of Evers Wine & Spirits: “I
like a simple wine that will hold up to the many diverse flavors associated with
holiday dinning. A Riesling is a
good choice, a hint of sweetness with great fruit that makes for great
entertaining. Two of my favorites
are the Hogue Riesling from Washington State and from California the Riesling
from Trefethen. Two great bottles
of wine that are great value. Another
white to consider - Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viongnier.
New for 1997, this unique blend has great fruit and balanced acidity that
is food friendly as well as a great party wine. A real bargain at under $10.”
For
Reds Larry likes the simple yet stylish Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare or the
more refined Grenache Rose Rhone style red from Joseph Phelps.
If your looking for a bigger red to go with roast beef, try the Rosenblum
Napa Zinfandel.
Scott
Redler of Timberline Steak House: “I
enjoy a Beaujolais this time of year. A
simple red with lots of fruit that goes with anything. I especially like the
Nouveau Beaujolais that is available the 3rd Thursday of November.”
Scott doesn’t hold out for just Nouveau, he often likes the
Beaujolais-Villages wines that are available year round.
A great example is the Beaujolais-Village “Morgon” or “Fleurie” (Morgon
and Fleurie are the names of the actual village that produces the grapes).
Look for either of these wines from Louis Jadot.
Another
favorite of Scott’s is California Pinot Noir from La Crema.
“A big Pinot with the backbone to hold up well with prime rib”.
Joe
Gaudet, General Manager of the Wichita Marriott: Joe likes a big California Zinfandel with his holiday turkey.
“I really like DeLoach OFS Zin, pepper,
spice and forward fruit that goes well with turkey”.
With prime rib - “I really like Stonestreet Pinot Noir, this is a
beautiful wine. I also like a big
blended red like Rubicon or the soft and supple Cabernet from Pine Ridge”.
Tanya
Tandoc of Tanya’s Soup Kitchen: “This
time of year entertaining means sparkling wine - two of my favorites are Iron
Horse Brut and Gloria Ferrer, both from California. I also like the Spanish sparklers from Freixenet”.
If beef tenderloin is on the menu you may find a bottle of Ravenswood
Cabernet or a spicy Syrah from Fess Parker.
“I really like the value and flavor of Bonny Doon Big House Red too”.
For Chardonnay “You can’t beat Mitsuko’s vineyard From Clos Pegase”.
Jim
Gillette of Maryott Wine & Spirits: “One
of my favorites for holiday celebrations is a fruity Italian sparkling wine -
Prosecco Sansimone, light and easy to drink with a hint of sweetness, a real
fun, off the wall wine”. Jim also
has one of the finest selections of German wines in town.
A great selection of Rieslings imported by the Valkenberg Group, with an
array of Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenaulsese and Trockenbeerenauslese
estate bottled wines to choose from. “I
even have a late harvest Ice Wine Chardonnay from Germany”.
As
I mentioned in the beginning wine is very subjective, seems like everybody has a
favorite that helps to usher in the holiday spirit. Here are a few that you will find on my holiday shopping
list. Great to entertain with but
you may want to consider some of these as gifts for your wine loving friends.
St
Francis Sonoma County Chardonnay
$11
King
Estate Pinot Gris
$11
Pine
Ridge Chenin Blanc - Viognier
$10
Hogue
Riesling
$8
Korbel
“Natural” Sparkling Wine
$14
Beringer
White Zinfandel
$6
For a
traditional Prime Rib Roast:
Chateau
Souverain Zinfandel
$13
Benziger
Sonoma County Merlot
$16
Lockwood
Sangiovese
$14
William
Hill Napa Cabernet
$13
Clos
Du Bois Pinot Noir
$14
For a tasty
Herb Crusted Pork Roast:
Gallerie
Cave Du Mistral Pinot Noir
$9
Mirassou
Pinot Blanc
$9
J.
Lohr South Ridge Syrah
$12
Hardys
Shiraz (Australian)
$9
Chandon
Blanc de Noir
$18