I’m cooking a harvest-themed feast for a few friends this year and couldn’t be more thankful to avoid the madness of travel including, but not limited to: airport delays; someone else’s Aunt Tilda and her generous supply of lipstick and perfume; and the screaming baby in the seat across the aisle. I’m not a Bah Humbug for Christmas, but I’ve lived through too many challenging Thanksgiving trips to want to head elsewhere for the otherwise great event.  An entertaining parade that inspires nostalgia, football (no matter how bizarre the match-up), a feast chock full of friends and good humor and a great bottle of wine (or two or three) are all the ingredients I need for a lovely day of giving thanks.

If you haven’t made it to your wine shop to select a bottle of wine this year, today might be a good day to drop by. It will only get trickier to navigate the aisles as mid-week approaches. And if you don’t already have a favorite Pinot Gris, Riesling, Beaujolais Villages, or Pinot Noir picked out, remember to consult your shop’s wine buyer. There are some fun things on the market this year you won’t want to miss. (Two that come to mind are the Michlits Frizzante Pinot Noir (the winemaker made it for her wedding a few years ago and it was so amazing, her importer asked her to make it a regular in her repertoir) or the Clos de Rochers Pinot Gris, a very cool, slightly sweet Pinot Gris from Luxembourg – you don’t see that everyday!) No doubt having a little one-on-one help will certainly ease your pre-holiday stress.

But even if you wait to the last minute or the wine managers on duty are helping other customers, for heaven’s sake, don’t panic! There is too much parking lot drama at every grocery store and fine wines shop this time of year, you don’t need to add a little something I like to call “Bottle Stress” to your life. Even if you are meeting your boy/girlfriend’s family for the first time, here are two stress-reducing strategies for Thanksgiving Wine-Selecting Success:

Option A: Simply stick to one of the classic Turkey varietals I listed above. You’ll be A-OK on optimal food pairings.

Option B: If those varietals aren’t your bag, select a bottle or grape YOU like; it’s probably just the balm you need! (Eric Asimov and his eno-friends recently reiterated the point beautifully (and comically) at The Pour….)

For those of you ahead of the rest, won’t you help your friends with a little insight? What do you plan to pour this Thanksgiving?

I haven’t seen so much buzzing about a single event in wine since, well… since before I was blogging! For those of you who haven’t caught the headlines this week, Free the Grapes.org may have to shut it’s doors – or at least close the book on its efforts here in Massachusetts.

What’s all this hoopla and banter about? The Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ wine law that has prohibited 95% of wineries from across the country from shipping directly to the Baystate’s consumers has been struck down. I’d be surprised if you aren’t as pleased as punch (or a terrific, celebratory glass of bubbly) that this is true.

You may have not known the who, what, where, when and why of it, but if you attempted to buy wine directly from an out-of-state winery, no doubt you quickly learned that this was no easy task. Some wineries would just do it and look the other way. Others were allowed to do so under a little clause that said it was ok to do so if you produced less than 30,000 cases of wine and bought a direct shipping permit. But too many more simply said, “The heck with it! We’re a small guy and we’ve got many more states who are less prohibitive. We’re sorry to say, but you can’t have that bottle of wine you tasted at our winery – and loved – in the comfort of your own home; we don’t have representation in Massachusetts, so you’ll just have to remember us fondly.” Yep, wineries loved saying that – especially to consumers from a state that ranks 7th nationally for total wine consumption.

The idea behind the law, at least in theory, was to protect MA wineries. Great! Except the reality is you probably aren’t buying that much MA wine and I’m guessing you probably drink a decent amount of wine from around the globe, let alone across the country. At the end of the day – Nov. 19, 2008, in fact – such prohibition was ruled discriminatory and unconstitutional.

There are still a bunch more hoops to be jumped through, so if we’re enjoying our Wine Club shipments from CA, WA, OR and NY in the next 2 or 3 years, I’ll be shocked. But we are on the right path. This adds one more thing to my “To Be Thankful For” list this Thanksgiving!

Have you felt the repercussions of the current law? Do you agree with the latest ruling stating discrimination has been at play?

Before Harry Potter book signing parties, there were other parties, wine parties, that came more frequently than those of the Harry Potter variety. They came every 3rd Thursday in November to be precise. And the tradition lives on….

Just one week before Thanksgiving stacks of the colorful Georges Duboeuf’s famous Beaujolais Nouveau are sent out to wine shops from Beaujolais, France (think Southern Burgundy where Pinot Noir thrives). Wondered what it is? Beaujolais is a wine made from a grape called Gamay. The Nouveau style is made through a fermentation process called carbonic maceration and is released super-duper fresh, i.e. from harvest to bottle to market within mere weeks! It is intended consumers drink this wine young, and certainly no longer than 6 months. Why? Well, Gamay is a low-tannin varietal, which makes it optimal for those who prefer a light-styled, fruity, fruity wine. But even with it’s naturally high acidity (another “age-worthy” component for wine), the fact that the wine goes through carbonic maceration hurts the wine’s natural ability to age.

The hoopla of this catch-and-release process began in the late 1800s. Locals recognized this light-styled red wine was perfect for the transition between seasons and the unofficial ‘switch’ from white to red wine drinking – and they made a party of it (just imagine! pitchers of wine from the barrels were on offer!!) while the more grand Beaujolais wines were still working their mojo and evolving. The French government decided to reign in the revelry a little bit in 1938 and then in 1951 declared the “3rd Thursday in November” rule.

I don’t mean to mislead you, however. Georges Duboeuf isn’t the only producer of Beauojolais Nouveau; he’s just the most famous because he produces so much of the stuff. Regardless who’s Nouveau you select to sip, expect tooty-fruity red berry flavors. It’s not my bag, though I have come to appreciate Beaujolais/Gamay when on offer from one of the premiere villages where the wine hasn’t been quite as fast-tracked, e.g. Moulin-a-Vent, Morgon, Fleurie and Brouilly. Those wines tend to offer a bit more complexity – a touch of earth, a touch more depth, and a touch of tannin to offset all of that boisterous fruit! Their light style, much like Pinot Noir, is indeed a great complement to your turkey dinner.

So the question is… will you Nouveau?

I was raised in a family where asking someone about finances – or their buying power – might be considered a little too forward. But one of the most helpful questions I’ve learned to ask a customer searching for the “perfect” bottle is “how much do you want to spend?”. I’m sure I’ve said it before: there is a ton of great juice on the market. Knowing how much someone wants to spend helps me narrow the playing field and help them find a great bottle to suit the occasion.

Often I meet people who know they want to bring a bottle to dinner, but feel uncomfortable with wine and don’t feel they know what is an appropriate amount for a “good” bottle of wine for X occasion. A good salesperson will be able to steer you in the right direction – without making you feel uncomfortable. But failing that ideal experience, here are a few things to consider when shopping (particularly given the economic climate and the upcoming holidays).

1. You don’t have to spend a small fortune to select a solid offering. If you know what’s being served for dinner, or if you don’t, offer up that information to the salesperson, too. The right grape varietal/blend will more often “make or break” the gesture, not how much you spent.

2. Even as the Holidays approach and you are looking for a “nice” bottle of wine, remember a lot of great bottles can be found under $20. But whenever you are shopping, give your sales person a $5 price range to play with – e.g. $12 – $17, $15-20, $30 – $35. Whatever. Know how much you DON’T want to spend given your budget and be/get comfortable telling the salesperson that figure.

3. As the economy hits the crapper, I’ve met more and more people who are expanding their wine budgets and contracting their going out budgets. In the scheme of things, your entire evening is more cost-efficient. (Remember: you spend much more for an average bottle of wine when out at a restaurant than retail.) It can be just as fun (and perhaps more rewarding?) to explore a new bottle of wine at a slightly higher price as it is to go out on the town.

In the end, embrace your buying power. Explore wines on offer at a variety of price points as you see fit! You will likely find some “treats” at a higher price, but just as likely stumble on some good old fashioned comfort-sipping, too.

What’s your wine buying rationale these days? Have your habits changed with the economy?

Ever since I can remember, the women in my life abstained from alcohol during pregnancy for fear of fetal alcohol syndrome. Everyone I interacted with knew a simple fact: too much is too much. As my female friends and colleagues have started to have kids more recently though, the question of whether a glass of wine “on occasion” would cause irreparable damage has generated debate. Heck, at nearly every baby shower I’ve been to in the last five years, the topic of what to eat/drink and what to avoid altogether comes up. Even the men I know struggle with these issues as, in solidarity with their pregnant wives, they too are impacted by the question of what behaviors will harm or benefit their unborn children. What’s tricky is everyone’s doctor seems to have a different take – and socially it is/has been unequivocally TABOO to do so.

This week Wine Spectator took additional care to publicize an interesting study on this very topic of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Researchers in Britain found some alcohol was OK during pregnancy – and (through what I think is fairly inconclusive evidence) stated “their children performed better three years after birth when compared to children of women who did not drink at all”. I invite you to read the full article here and then let us know what you think.

It seems to me if some alcohol is fine, it could be a dangerous conclusion for folks who may not know when “some” becomes just too much. (And, come on… I do not think that alcohol consumption during pregnancy is the reason these kids performed better. It’s called other environmental factors, people!)

What’s your take? Do you believe women can safely drink during pregnancy?