Just because the Great Recession has you cutting back on expenses doesn’t mean your holiday festivities must degrade to a bag of corn nuts and a box of wine. In fact, according to David Derby of Oakland, California, getting good wine at rock bottom prices is all about thinking outside the box.
Wine Bargains Abound
As the wine buyer for J. J. Buckley Fine Wines, a web-based wine retailer, he has watched wine prices fall dramatically this year as the recession continues to curb consumer spending. According to Derby, there are lots of bargains in the wine world these days with winemakers slashing prices to drive sales. “For any given price, you can buy a much higher quality bottle of wine this year than you could for that same price last year,” he notes.
While some of the best bargains will come from overseas, due to lower costs of land, labor, distribution, and branding, there are also deals to be found in domestic wines. However, according to Derby, “The best values are almost always going to be wines that you’re not familiar with.” Of course, that poses the question: if you’ve never heard of it, how will you know to buy it?
Skip the Grocery Store
For help finding high quality wines at bargain prices, find a retailer that specializes in fine wines. Specialty wine retailers can be either traditional bricks-and-mortar wine shops or on-line wine purveyors like J. J. Buckley. Regardless of format, specialty wine sellers are staffed with knowledgeable associates who have studied wine, have a passion for it, and will thus be able to recommend lesser known varietals or vintners in your price range.
When asking a wine purveyor for assistance selecting wine, Derby advises being as specific as possible about your needs. Let them know the occasion for which you will serve the wine, what food you intend to serve with it, and most importantly, your budget. Recession or not, you should never be embarrassed about your personal budget constraints. Finding wine to fit your needs is what wine specialty stores do.
Thanksgiving Wines Are Value Wines
Believe it or not, when it comes to wine Thanksgiving happens to be a very budget friendly occasion. This is because the typical Thanksgiving Day feast of turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, and yams just so happens to pair better with wines that are relatively less expensive.
The key to pairing wine with food is balance. That is, the food and wine should complement rather than compete with each other’s flavors and essences. Therefore, you should not serve a mildly flavored dish with a big, bold overpowering wine; otherwise all you will taste is the wine and not the food. And vice versa. In these recessionary times, every dollar counts; therefore, your wine should enable you to both taste and enjoy the food you spent your hard earned dollars to buy.
White Wines
Clearly, Thanksgiving is all about the turkey, so pick a wine that will enable this mild, lean meat to really stand out. A pinot gris from Oregon, for instance, with its light, lush, round characteristics, will help bring forth the subtler flavors of the bird. Alternatively, the green apple and pear essences of most Rieslings will echo the flavors typically found in Thanksgiving dressing.
By contrast, a heavier white wine like a chardonnay will most likely overpower the meat. And the oaky quality that typifies California chardonnays may make turkey seem dry and flavorless.
Red Wines
While most people associate turkey with white wines, it is perfectly acceptable to serve it with red wine, if that is your preference. The secret, again, is to select a wine that will complement the meal, not overpower it. Look for wines that are less tannic, such as a pinot noir or Grenache.
Derby recommends pinot noirs from the Carneros region of Napa Valley. Pinot noirs from this area are characterized by cranberry or cran-apple flavors that match flavors found in typical Thanksgiving dinners. Also, aromatic and fruity Grenache based wines with rustic flavors of black currants can round out an autumn meal quite nicely. According to Derby, the Paso Robles region of California offers quality Grenaches at very reasonable prices.
