Tahoe House on the West Shore offers “everything but the
turkey” for Thanksgiving on an advance-order/take-out basis, and their wine
selection to go with Thanksgiving foods is as well thought out and varied as
their Thanksgiving menu.
I’d opt right away for a bottle of the Seaglass 2011 Monterey County Riesling. This is a great wine as an aperitif, light
and refreshing. Flavor of peach and
pear, with aroma of honey and fragrant flowers are what greet you in the glass,
with a sweet fruitiness. The vibrant
blue bottle in which it is packaged also sets a festive mood for the feast to
come. 13 percent alcohol. $16.99 the bottle.
The 2011 California Pinot
Noir from Mark West is a tasty and affordable wine for those who like red
wine with turkey. This is a delicate and juicy red wine with medium
body. Flavor and aroma of raspberry, sweet cherry, and nutmeg spice
makes this Pinot Noir a great pairing with turkey. It is complex, fruity and silky. 13.8 percent alcohol. $9.99 the bottle.
If some of your guests will want a white wine with your
turkey, that’s a good choice too. Reach
for the 2012 Hanna Sauvignon Blanc
from Russian River Valley. Turkey,
specially the basted and infused preparations so popular at Thanksgiving, will
pair well with the minerality of a Sauvignon Blanc. The color is a straw yellow, and aroma is grapefruit, tangelo, quince, mint, basil and pear. The winemaker notes a taste of kiwi and lime
zest, and, on the mid palate, more flavor of lemon, peach, honey and a touch of
grassiness. The finish is bright and
clean. 13.2 percent alcohol.
$17.99 the bottle.
To end the meal with the classic pies and other goodies, I
recommend two choices: a rose or a
dessert wine. The Stags’ Leap 2011 Napa Amparo Rose, Napa Valley, is a vibrant pink that
leads you to expect its aroma of raspberry and then melon. Flavor is of wild strawberry and a touch of
pomegranate, with some creaminess and a hint of caramel. It is refreshing with a nice finish. 14.1 percent alcohol. $23.99 the bottle.
A classic dessert wine, one of my favorites is the Cline
Ancient Vine Zinfandel 2006. It has a
wonderful mouth-coating flavor of dark berries, strawberry, coffee and
chocolate, with a vanilla smoothness, soft tannins and a long lingering finish. 14.5 percent alcohol. $10.99 for a 375 ml bottle.
Oh, by the way, Tahoe
House does offer the turkey too – free range Diestel turkeys have to be ordered
well in advance and cooked at home.
Tahoe House Bakery & Gourmet is located at 625 W. Lake Blvd., Tahoe
City. 530-583-1377.
And, if you have turkey leftovers, making a salad
with cooked turkey chunks, celery, grapes and walnuts, with mayo or sour cream,
is a great treat. I suggest you pair it with
an Italian Chardonnay. Pomino Bianco 2012, from the Marchesa
de’ Frescobaldi estate near Florence, is a recently-promoted Italian white wine
It will, of course, accompany a Thanksgiving feast magnificently! A few notes from the winery: “Pomino
Bianco comes from one of Tuscany’s most renowned areas for the production of
high-quality wine; it is made from Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco grapes that have
been at home in Pomino for many years.” l liked its intense yellow color, and the aroma of white
flowers like lily of the valley and jasmine, with apple and pear. It is a balanced and fresh wine, with
delicate minerality, and a long and lovely finish. It was fermented primarily in stainless
steel, with the riper grapes fermented in French oak. The winemaker tells an interesting story
about the exciting harvest of the Chardonnay in this wine: “without precedent … gathered during
an extremely prolonged stormy period of weather that gave us a thousand and one
inflections.” 12..5 percent alcohol. $17.99 suggested retail price. Available at GetWineOnline.com
