11/19/08 Ethnic Inspired

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. I love Thanksgiving and I want to share some of my favorite wines for this very special American holiday. When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of friends and family all warm and smiling around a great big table with a feast that is half tradition and half whatever new things or favorites someone has brought to broaden our horizons on the culinary front. I enjoy planning Thanksgiving. Part of the planning includes determining what wines I want to open. For many years I was a big fan of lighter styles of reds and primarily Beaujolais. I also liked and still do enjoy dry Riesling at the Thanksgiving feast. But as new recipes have taken hold and the usually sage dressing stuffed turkey has been replaced with focaccia, sundried tomato and basil dressing my choice of wine is changing too. The year I did the Italian theme of everything was delicious. So even though it was all centered around the turkey as it should be the stuffing and the side dishes were inspired by my favorite Italian dishes. Thus we drank Pinot Grigio, Verdicchio and lots of Barolo and Super Tuscans, finishing of with a crazy version of tiramisu pie and Asti Spumante! I encourage you to use your favorite cuisine as the inspiration for your Thanksgiving dinner and enjoy the wines of the region right along with it! Remember to send your wine questions to linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.