Thanksgiving is a time to gather with friends and family and celebrate the little things in life. Some folks are inclined to do so by picking out one very special bottle of wine to share with friends; for others it is a time to uncork several celebratory bottles (and keeping the average price a bit lower doesn’t hurt). Pinot Noir and Gamay (Beaujolais Nuveau) are the darlings of Thanksgiving reds, offering a delicious pairing with turkey and cranberry sauce, brussel sprouts and other earthy, root vegetables. But with the Pour Favor mini-series on Pinot Noir about to hit full stride Monday’s this month, it seems only fair to give a few whites (and one incredible rosé) a fair shot at gracing your dining room table!

Head over to Wicked Local to find out where the fun begins this Thanksgiving!

Which one of these selections most catches your attention? Will it contribute to your festivities this Thanksgiving?

Westport Rivers Winery in Westport, MA first captured my heart 3 years ago with their 2001 Imperial Sec sparkling wine, which is made from the more exotic or a-typical varietals of Riesling and Rkatsiteli.  Tasting others from their line up, I was pleased to discover their winery was the exception to the “rule” as far as local Massachusetts wine goes….

Other folks in and around Massachusetts haven’t been able to do what Westport Rivers has achieved even since then because of two reasons, as far as I can tell. First, they have a truly coastal,  cool climate location.  Second, their wines have a sense of place; each wine represents a unique terroir, (so much so that universities have trekked down yonder to take soil sample after soil sample, run tests, and discovered which myriad soils are present on their 140 or so acres. This research has helped the proprietors plant different varietals in specific soil types). Westport Rivers wines exhibit a uniquely satisfying old-world sensibility, with new world panache.

Maybe one day Westport Rivers will be able to solely produce their exceptional sparkling wines. In the meantime, interested sippers can also bring home their well-balanced Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, or Rkatsiteli among the whites, as well as Pinot Noir rose for the reds or Pineau de Pinot as a dessert wine/aperitif.

The one to catch my particular fancy this season is their rose of Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is one of my absolute favorite varietals – and I hold out every year waiting for the best possible expression of it as a rose. This year Westport Rivers delivered the goods. The nose is quiet, exhibiting just a hint of baby roses, smoke and cherry fruit. The palate delivers a crisply satisfying, dry, light package of cherry and strawberry fruit; a unique, almost saline minerality quenches your thirst – and soon enough you’ve put quite a dent in the bottle!

In next few and last (sadly) weeks of summer, seek out rose with great gusto. You’ll probably find a few deals on the market – and if you’re lucky, you’ll be revived with a splash of ocean air and memories of cold-box red and berry fruits. Yum.

Which Westport Rivers wines are your favorites?

Rose is one of my all time favorite wine genres. Seriously. I met a woman over the weekend who had just discovered it for the first time – and she was absolutely exhilarated by the find. She and a group had been out to eat at Dante in Cambridge. The wine guru there who I’ve mentioned before, Chas Boyton, recommended a Californian take on rose: the Sutton Cellars Rose.

She couldn’t get enough and had popped into the shop to see if we stocked it. We don’t, as it turns out, but I happily chatted with her about the wonderful world of rose and helped her choose another. I was pleased she had already learned a lot from her one jaunt with the stuff (and no doubt at the tutelage of Mr. Boyton):  no matter if everyone at your table is enjoying different cuisine, it pairs wonderfully; it is lively and refreshing on a hot day; it is NOT sweet; and it is a terrific way to spice up an otherwise non-celebratory night out.

Tra-la! Pop on over to Wicked Local today to learn a bit more about this DRY wine and how to find one to suit your palate. I focus on my favorite style (French) providing but a general overview of one is likely to encounter, but there really is something for everyone on the market. That’s part of its magic.

Which rose is your favorite this summer?

I have now been to the beach a total of 4 days this summer – all of which have been during the month of August. So yes. It’s official! Summer weather has finally arrived here in New England. And I just can’t help myself! I am happily sipping from all categories of wine: red, white and… rosé!

It’s time to make hay while the sun shines, and try something uniquely delicious and satisfying at the end of a sticky, summer day. Head over to Wicked Local to check out which Wicked August Wines you might just want to give a s-whirl!

Have you had the pleasure of tasting any of these offerings? What are your tasting notes?

Last weekend my “Supper Swap” group met again for the first time in a while. (We try to meet at least quarterly, picking a theme to inspire our respective culinary adventures for the night and otherwise help us break out of any cooking ruts we may have fallen into.) As we sat around the table discussing our “Summer-is-coming” dishes and what changes we would make to the recipes, I realized I have gotten away from discussing food more specifically in relation to wine on the Pour Favor blog.  I’ve been talking wine first, then food. But most of the time we work the other way around, right? You pick your meal or what you are going to chef, and then select a bottle to accompany it.

Food is important.

I mean, yeah, there is the whole sustenance factor, lol. But in seriousness, wine is meant to be enjoyed with food. There are certainly some that excel on their own; but for the most part winemakers hope their wares grace your table and, ideally, take on a whole new meaning when matched with a wonderful meal.

This isn’t to say we should always strive for the perfect pairing. Nonsense! Rather, we should be mindful that the components which make a wine a wine – fruit, acidity and tannin – are elements that, by nature, are designed for food. On that note, let’s start talking about the union of food and wine over the next few weeks, shall we?

Supper Swap dish #1:  Watermelon, mint salad.

Apparently this dish was inspired by the Mustard Seed restaurant out in Davis, CA. Now their (online) recipe calls for cucumber, watermelon, mint and feta – but my friend recalled it with red onion, watermelon, mint and feta. Either which way you slice it, this salad was terrific. A true summer crowd pleaser. Fresh, healthy and delicious. And there is literally nothing more to it than dicing up the ingredients and tossing them together.

What wine would pair? This dish is incredibly versatile. But my instinct is to go for a terrific, DRY, rose – still OR sparkling! Rose tends to have terrific strawberry, raspberry or watermelon characteristics. One with more minerality (typically French offerings from areas such as Provence) or a more spice-nuanced flavor profile would be best because of the mint, bite of onion and slight richness to the feta.  You can certainly try one with more fruit-forward flavors.  But the watermelon on its own is so delicious, I’d want something nuanced in other ways to draw out it’s more subtle, secondary (et. al.) flavors.

White varietals to consider would be Spanish Albarino or Txakoli or lesser known/sought French offerings like Muscadet, Gros Manseng and Picpoul.  Sauvignon Blanc might be an easier grab-and-go choice that would certainly work.  Simply think crisp, refreshing, minerality.

Prefer red? Try a fruity, ligher-styled, dry summer red. You don’t want to upstage the juicy watermelon on your plate!

What wine(s) would you pick for this dish?