Layne’s Wine Gig Presents
BYOB THANKSGIVING
By Layne V. Witherell
Turkey is hovering around $480 a drumstick this year, so we are just asking the relatives and besties to bring the beverage of their choice to share… or not. In retrospect, after reviewing a dozen or so Thanksgiving articles that I have written over the past several decades, I have concluded that the real meaning of the holiday get together is communal, as it were, yakking it up, and telling the same old stories, much to our delight once more. The following articles are a critique and review of those prior pieces of holiday merriment, together with some BYOB Thanksgiving suggestions.
Nov. 2020 Virtual Thanksgiving
There is nothing worse than a Zoom meeting with the family each in their individual lairs. The highlight, of course, is that of enjoying the main dish of Tofurky (just celebrating its 35th birthday as a food type) while witnessing Cousin Ned trying out his newly perfected porron (the greatest of Spanish alcohol delivery devices) technique. A Tik Tok classic.
2020’s pandemic lockdown was time for perfecting all kinds of techniques, for sure. I have done my share of Zoom “gig wine tastings” and couldn’t wait to flail around live onstage again. Wine of choice: a Hondarrabi Zuri Txakolina at $17 per bottle. A semi fizzy, refreshing white.
Nov. 2019 Happy Taxgiving
This article neatly fits into the How Quickly We Forget category. It was the na,na,na na,na 25% tariff placed on all French wines coming in at below 14% alcohol. Suddenly, poof, as if by magic French wines started showing up with 14.5% alcohol on their back labels. And we thought that was because of global warming.
When in doubt, you can always substitute a California Zinfandel (Cline, Scotto, Segesio, or Gnarly Head with the Grateful Dead label for those, you know who they are, people). Zinfandel is an all-time crowd pleaser.
Or you can choose a Berger Gruner Veltliner grape from Austria for a one size fits all (who doesn’t like a bit of apple and almond character), a wine that has both a perky yet subdued flavor. They are both reasonable, usually hovering around ten to twelve bucks a bottle.
Nov. 2018 Swanksgiving
Any piece that begins with “I am sitting out here by the fire pit roasting turkey gizzards and throwing crumpled articles that I have written on wines to have for this predictable of holidays,” is going to be pure satire. And this is no exception. It is fun to update stuff with the idea of this fitting perfectly into late 2022.
I enjoy taking a romp through the science known as demographics. It teaches us so much. You can drink some terrific wine as part of your BYOB get together by reading a classic New York Times piece from September 25, 2022, “LePage, Hoping to Lead Maine Again, Received Florida Tax Breaks.”
Let’s hope he toasts us with a 2010 Chateau Lafite Rothschild at $1,359.99 to honor a sizeable percentage of our population skedaddling down to the southern climes when it gets chilly here – and graciously leaving us with the Maine tax bill. Make sure this isn’t a bottle of one of the most counterfeited wines in the world. Maybe it would be some form of justice if it were. Happy BYOB, Guv.
BYOB Thanksgiving for Millennials
Charles K. Smith Merlot, Washington State, $12, is the perfect Millennial to Gen Z BYOB Thanksgiving beverage. It goes well with that $480 turkey leg, works with Tofurkey, or can be consumed straight out of the bottle with the label acting as a fashion statement. There is still enough of a generational hatred (read Boomers) toward merlot that it works. Also, this wine tastes good. It has fruit, flavor, and character. The problem is that the old rock ’n roll producer sold his rebellious company, label, and all, for 200 million bucks and is probably living the life in a southern clime next door to our Paul. Fortunately, the wine is still good.
Diving into Thanksgivings in the Nineties
The originals of the above articles are still on my website winemaniacs.wordpress.com and can be viewed in their entirety. However, I had an earlier weekly wine column gig (including Thanksgiving) as a freelance columnist for a daily paper: The Richmond Times Dispatch in Richmond, Virginia. These exist in paper copy form as my computer imploded and I managed to pull them from the fire like so many turkey gizzards.
The difference between writing for a daily paper that is owned by an invisible conglomerate and a monthly paper, locally owned, can be summed up in one word: FREEDOM! If you look at the dailies, you can smell the odor of the cookie coming straight out of the oven. Cookie cutter pieces are just that. Wine and food writing is better when you shake it up and add a cup of adventure. Where is the foie gras pizza when we need it?
“Holiday Food and Wine Pairing,” Nov. 12,1997
Some things don’t change, like the Red Zinfandel, pretty much $12.00-15.00. Pinot Blanc from Alsace was a nice touch. What has changed is half of the article was devoted to Beaujolais Nouveau and their anticipated November 20th arrival. The words “The Nouveau is Coming. The Nouveau is Coming,” rings a bit hollow today. It will be here, but more “not with a bang, but a whimper.”
“When The Main Dish Isn’t Turkey,” Nov. 18, 1997
The ABC people were out in force in 1997. ABC refers to the movement, “Anything But Chardonnay.” They were serious and intimidating, but their crusade was short lived. In looking for alternatives, I chanced on that little region in the Loire Valley called Sancerre. Domaine Reverdy was running $15.00-$20.00 a bottle. Today that same wine is forty bucks. Ah, fame, together with an importer’s mortgage payment for their house in Provence.
Looking at the old piece, the best is finding three winemakers from the same family that would have brought BYOB’s: Bernard Portet of Clos du Val, Napa; Dominique, an Australian winemaker at the famed Taltarni; and the third brother from Chateau Lafite. To be a fly on the wall at that Thanksgiving. Talking about stories and yakking it up.
“Find The Right Wine,” Nov. 18,1998
And there were more… So many more. Some tips: Just go out and find a bottle of Dolcetto “from its perch in Northwest Italy.” It is perfect for red BYOB and for every dish at Thanksgiving. It is juicy, luscious, silky, and soft. What more can you ask for?
If someone else is bringing, ask for wines by Anjelo Gaja ($40/bottle), Giacosa ($26/bottle), and Mascarello ($48/bottle) for those people who received the big tax breaks. If you are buying, try Vajra (at $18/bottle).
“Light, Fruity, Acidic Wines,” Nov. 10,1999
This is the “gone but not forgotten department.” German Riesling hasn’t fallen off the planet, but frankly, I don’t think that anyone will bring one this year. In honor of the grape, I bought Terry Theise’s classic book, “Reading Between the Wines.” It’s a philosophical, propagandistic wine importers’ love letter to his brands. After a half dozen pages, I put it in the “drop off at Goodwill” pile.
Totally gone from wine columns is White Zinfandel. It was never front and center, but it did occupy a place at the table from 1997 – 1999.
Be happy with your guest’s BYOB choices (even if is White Zinfandel). Laugh a lot, don’t turn on the news, or talk politics. And enjoy their old stories as much as they do. Happy BYOB Thanksgiving!
Layne’s Wine Gig: Third Thursday at Blue
Be sure to check out Layne’s Wine Gig every third Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. at Blue, 650 Congress Street, Portland. $12 gets you four 3-oz pours, some #mendoblendo and a rollicking good time with Portland’s foremost wine storyteller. FMI check out portcityblue.com.
Layne has been a professional in the wine business for many decades as a teacher, importer, writer, competition judge, and winery CEO. He was awarded the Master Knight of the Vine for his pioneering work in the Oregon wine industry. He can be reached at lvwitherell@gmail.com.
