Wine Talk by Robert Whitley

Someday soon I will opine on the upcoming Thanksgiving feast and the accompanying wines that I remember fondly from holidays past. I will no doubt load you down with bottles of Beaujolais, pinot noir, chardonnay and possibly a pinot gris or pinot blanc or two. But not today.

Today I have eclectic, or perhaps I should say nontraditional, Thanksgiving wines on my mind, inspired perhaps by an e-mail from the great southern California winemaker, Jon McPherson, whose South Coast Winery in Temecula has captured the trophy for best winery in California two years running at the California State Fair.

When I recently posted a musing on the social networking site, Linked-In, to the affect that I was beginning to consider wines for the holidays, McPherson was quick to respond. He tossed out the South Coast Winery "Ruby Cuvee" as a potential option. "Liquid cranberry juice!" was how he described this sparkling syrah that's a paean to the popular Aussie sparkling shiraz.

I use the term popular with caution. I'm quite certain sparkling shiraz is truly popular only in Australia. Despite attempts to market this product in the United States, sparkling shiraz has yet to be embraced by your average American wine enthusiast.

Nevertheless, McPherson has a point. The typical Thanksgiving table is a banquet of sweet and savory aromas, with aromatic spices in abundant supply. Wines that are insanely fruity and perhaps slightly sweet would be, in fact, a nice match with much of what is served on Thanksgiving Day.

So, while I intend to honor Thanksgiving with the traditional wines I have come to enjoy with my turkey and stuffing, today I recommend to you a number of appealing alternatives.

Sparkling red wine: These wines typically offer gorgeous aromas of fresh raspberry and strawberry, though a number of the sparkling shiraz I've tasted hit darker notes such as blackberry. South Coast Winery Ruby Cuvee ($24) tends more toward red fruit and can be purchased from the winery's website (www.southcoastwinery.com). An alternative that is more readily available at fine retail wine shops is the Rosa Regale Brachetto d'Aqui ($22) from northern Italy's Piedmont region. This delicious sparkling red offers vibrant aromas of wild red raspberry and strawberry, and has the added benefit of being extremely low in alcohol at about 7 percent.

Gewurztraminer: The conundrum for wine lovers is the question of sugar. Without tasting a gewurz, you have no idea how sweet it is. Some can be very sweet, and those would only serve for dessert, though with pumpkin pie and whipped cream that wouldn't be a bad option. But as an aperitif or with the main course, either a dry or slightly off-dry gewurztraminer could be quite nice.

The Dutton-Goldfield "Dutton Ranch" Gewurztraminer ($25) from the Russian River Valley is the finest domestically produced gewurztraminer in the land, in my humble opinion. Several wineries in California's Anderson Valley also produce fine dry gewurz, including Navarro Vineyards, Handley Cellars and Husch.

On the slightly off-dry side, you can't go wrong with Monterey County's Ventana Vineyards Gewurztraminer, New York's Dr. Konstantin Frank nor New Zealand's Kathy Lynskey. Most of these can be had for less than $20 per bottle, and most for quite a bit less. European gewurz is more likely to be off-dry than dry, but the better ones will balance their residual sugar with fine acid backbone.

Barbera: This is a red wine that is prominent in northern Italy but less so with domestic producers, although there are a number of successes. Two of my favorite domestic barberas are the Eberle Barbera ($25) from Paso Robles and the Renwood ($23) from Amador County in California's Sierra Foothills. Surprisingly, two of my favorite Italian barberas are less expensive: Michele Chiarlo Barbera d'Asti 'Le Orme' ($12) and Vietti Barbera d'Asti 'Tre Vigne' ($17).

Cabernet franc: Typically lighter than either cabernet sauvignon or merlot, cousins in the Bordeaux grape variety family, cab franc is an easier match with turkey or other poultry or fowl. Yet the good ones don't lack for flavor, and there is generally a spicy note that will work well with the savory elements of the Thanksgiving feast. Domestic cab franc isn't produced in abundance, but those wineries that work with this particular grape tend to be successful. The two most stellar cab franc producers, to my palate, are Sonoma's Raymond Burr Vineyards and Napa Valley's Jarvis Winery. Truchard, Hahn Estates and Alexander Valley Vineyards make exceptional cab franc as well, and Washington's Three Rivers Winery and Virginia's Jefferson Vineyards also have made notable cab franc in recent vintages. Of the aforementioned wines, only the Jarvis would be considered expensive (some Jarvis cab franc fetches $100-plus per bottle), while all the rest can be purchased for $25 or less.

BEST BUY

Wines are rated on a 100-point scale. Wines are chosen for review because they represent outstanding quality or value.

Li Veli 2007 'Passamante' Negroamaro, Salento, Italy ($12) — This sturdy, somewhat rustic red from southern Italy (Puglia's Salento district) is one of today's great value wines for anyone who needs a robust red to deal with hearty dishes such as slow-roasted cuts of beef and pork. It displays an attractive floral perfume on the nose, while on the palate it exhibits impressive weight for the price and blackberry jam fruit. Rating: 88.

TASTING NOTES

Clos Poggiale 2007 Vin de Corse blanc, Corsica, France ($24) — Don't let the name fool you. This is a French white — 100 percent Vermentino — from the isle of Corsica in the Mediterranean. Vermentino thrives in the Mediterranean climate, particularly when planted in the rocky soils of this mountainous island. Floral and aromatic, Clos Poggiale exhibits lovely yellow fruit and tangerine/citrus aromas, flinty minerality and exceptional balance and mouth-feel. Exceptional as an aperitif, but not too shabby as an accompaniment to grilled fish with a squeeze of fresh lemon, either. Rating: 92.

Guado al Tasso 2008 Vermentino, Bolgheri, Italy ($25) — Guado al Tasso's Vermentino is a crisp, zesty expression of this white grape that seems to prosper only in the Mediterranean. The '08 shows fresh lime character with hints of white flower and honey, a slightly tart citric aspect on the palate and a nuance of stony minerality. Perfect for those Mediterranean tapas or al dente pasta tossed with olive oil and barely cooked fresh vegetables. Rating: 91.

To find out more about Robert Whitley and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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