[UPDATE: We realized that our “Curious Turkey” tags tended to get lost in the mix of all the shelf talkers, so we switched to a bright red ornament to make them easier to spot. So we figured while we were at it, we may as well select more great wines to feature! See below. ] Your Thanksgiving menu may change from year to year, but there’s one thing you can count on with holiday dinners. And that is that when the full spread is a melange of dishes comprised of everything from a classic holiday turkey or ham to Aunt Gertrude’s famous suspended marshmallow bundt-pan jello or Campbell’s-soup-based green bean casserole, there is no single wine that is up to the task. That’s why we’ve once again selected some value-minded versatile wines that have a lighter, simpler, or sweeter touch to better embrace the riot of flavors that are likely to be on the table. As we pointed out last year, that “Bacon Turducken” trend is probably over, so we can at least eliminate the terror of the “Russian egg” birds-within-birds-within-birds hurdle. But holiday dinners remain an impossible challenge when it comes to selecting a “perfect” wine. The solution then becomes almost simple — just stick to certain styles and varietals and it is a fairly easy task. Rieslings, Chenin Blanc, and Pinot Grigios are a no-brainer for the whites, and Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and a smattering of other reds can cover you for the reds. Below is a short selection from the 3,000+ wines we have on hand. Just look for the “Curious Turkey” tags. If the specific wine we’ve chosen to highlight doesn’t suit your fancy, you’ll at least be looking at the right section to help you make a selection! Our last-minute picks are below.
Tag: wine specials
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Holiday Specials & Fiscal Cliff Gifts
Although many fear that the world will end this year in the Aporkalypse or Carmageddon, or that we’ll all be driving off a fiscal cliff, we’re pretty sure that all that will happen on December 21st is that the days will start getting longer like they do every year, and a few days later Christmas will be here once again. And a few days after that, those fussbudgets in Washington will work out a deal to keep the economy chugging along. That’s why we’ve gone ahead and selected some wine specials and Christmas beers to help you round out your holiday shopping without breaking the bank. This year’s Christmas beer selection has some of the same beers featured last year and the year before, a few of which are no longer in production. Like Mikkeller Santa’s Little Helper, Serafijn Christmas Angel, Ølfabrikken Winter Porter, Nøgne Ø Jolly Pumpkin Special Holiday Ale. Wow. That’s a lot of Ø’s. By the way, have you ever wondered what that “Ø” character is called? Believe it or not, it’s called an “Ø” .
If that someone special on your list is more partial to distilled spirits than beer or wine, and if money is no object, or if you want to drive off your OWN fiscal cliff, we’re here to help*. A couple of years ago, we pointed out that right above your head at Main Party is a treasure trove of exotic premium spirits, from the Dewar’s Signature Boxed set for a mere $241.53, to the Remy Martin Louis XIII Cognac for just under two thousand. This year’s pricey collector’s items top out with the amazing Macallan Masters of Photography collector’s edition. The 30 Year Rankin Edition is priced at $2158.39. We also have the 20 Year Albert Watson Edition for $1215.24. But you don’t have to spend THAT much for a unique bottle of fine spirits; many of the hundreds of items on the shelves near the ceiling are less than fifty dollars, and make for a fine holiday gift. Holiday shopping got you down? Chin up, and you may find the perfect gift!
This Thanksgiving, let’s all give thanks for the fact that the whole Bacon Turducken thing seems to have faded from the limelight. If you were lucky enough to miss it, it started with roasting a duck inside a turkey, which – in the internet age of bacon fascination – inevitably led to a version wrapped in bacon, and probably reached an unchallengeable apex with the Turgoodukfowmalsinquaparquabantenuck. That is the likely name of the result of roasting a turkey – stuffed Russian nested doll-style – with a goose, a Barbary duck, a Guinea fowl, a Mallard, a Poussin, a Quail, a Partridge, a Pigeon squab, a Pheasant, a Chicken, and an Aylesbury duck. Who knows why they stopped there; there are smaller birds, if we’re not mistaken.
As we pointed out last year, selecting wine for Thanksgiving dinner can be enough of a challenge with the riot of flavors on the typical table, a challenge compounded by the unpredictable contributions by our guests, which may include time-honored American traditions like Jell-O with things floating in it, or sweet potatoes baked with marshmallows. Or that other classic “recipe” that is basically a can of green beans and a can of cream of mushroom soup sprinkled with dried onions. Sorry to give your secret ingredients away, Auntie Emma.
So once again this year, we’ve selected some wines that are versatile and reasonably priced to get things rolling. These are just some starters based on versatility and price; with over 3,000 wines in stock, if you already know what you’re looking for, we probably have something to suit your needs! But if you DON’T know what you’re looking for, look for the little turkeys amongst the shelf talkers. Even if the featured wine isn’t
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April Can Be Taxing…
Whether tax season is a tiresome period when you do a lot of extra work only to figure out how much you won’t get paid for doing it, or the time when you grab an EZ form and figure out your “magic money” refund for the year, we can all probably agree that we deserve a reward for our agony leading up to tax day. That’s why we’ve picked our Spring specials on wine and craft beer to coincide with tax day. As well as the usual types of specials we feature on our standard shelf items, David (the manager) has gone through the premium cellar and picked about a half-dozen additional items. One of the more interesting ones – if you happen to have hit the tax lotto big this year – is a 1997 Opus One Imperial (six liter) bottle. This has been carefully cellared and rotated appropriately. We had a rare opportunity to photograph it in a vertical position as the cellar was being reorganized. Usually $2249.95, for a limited time we’ll let it go for $1999.99! But of course most of us would buy a used car before spending two grand on a bottle of wine, so we have plenty of other deals, starting as low as $7.99 for a bottle of Concha y Toro Moscato, or $4.99 for a six pack of Schell’s! Spring has sprung! See the regular specials here, the premium choices here.