Complimenting turkey

Wine with Hillary: Wine a hot topic on big, little screens

I've noticed that wine drinking has become a hot topic of late. All of a sudden, all over the place, the media is full of wine drinkers. Now, I'm not saying that this is a bad thing, in fact, far from it. But what is causing this huge interest in something so ancient? I don't know, but I'm giving you a heads up about some of the wine-related stuff out for consumption (pun intended).

Wine with Hillary: Leftover Thanksgiving wine tips

Welcome to part two of the Thanksgiving wine extravaganza. This week we cover some more wines that should be good for Thanksgiving dinner. I would like to point out that these wines cost less than the average bake-shop pie and that it takes less time to uncork a bottle of wine than it does to make even the simplest of side dishes. So, for the student with three papers to write over the break (and I think that's almost everyone I know) this is the most minimal way to be a part of creating a fabulous Thanksgiving.

Wine with Hillary

This piece represents the opinion of the author:

November 12, 2004

So, this week, I would like to remind you (just like your professors, the CPC, and everyone else who likes to nag) that we are just two weeks out from Thanksgiving. Wahoo! Three extra days of weekend?and you get to spend it with your family, who will hopefully fork over some money along with the leftovers.

I know that your family probably has a system for how Thanksgiving is done, but lest you be trapped during your two days of freedom basting and stuffing, I suggest that next week you call home and say that this year, you'll be in charge of the wine. Obviously, it's very difficult to pick out wines that are good for everyone, but at least we'll try to give you some good ideas.

This also seems to be a good moment to discuss cooking with wine. It's is a great way to infuse your food with flavor. Remind your family if they think you're going to get your little cousins drunk that all the alcohol will burn off during the cooking process. There are some who say that you should never cook with something you wouldn't drink. I think that if the wine will be the predominant flavor in a sauce or dish then you should cook with something drinkable, but if it's not, you can skimp on a little.

If you intend to serve multiple wines throughout the meal, keep in mind that people generally drink whites before reds and go from sweet to dry with the exception of dessert wines which are sweet.

1. Clos du Bois 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon

Although most people associate the Cab wine (easier and more "sophisticated" nickname) with an oak flavor, we found this particular wine to be extremely fruity, almost sweet. It did have a slight tang to it and after I finished my portion, I didn't really feel the need to have another glass. However, I feel that this could be a good wine to cook with for your side dishes. For example, I think it could go really well in a winter vegetable mix or in fruit compote. However, it's probably not one to serve. $20.00 or less at the NH State Liquor Store.

2. ZonneBloem 2002 Shiraz

This is a really tasty wine from South Africa. My tasters and I found it to be a somewhat heavy wine, with a smooth taste. It has a dark smoky flavor which one of my tasters described as "cigar-ish." We felt that it had an almost imperceptible bitter aftertaste; it's so subtle that we really had to stop to think about it in order to taste it. It was a really rich wine which that would go well with savory nibbles such as celery and olives, cheese and crackers, or pickles. We were split as to whether it would be a good wine for the turkey, half saying yes because it was a good thick flavor and half concerned that the heaviness would intensify the soporific flavor of the turkey. This was a gift from a friend so I do not know how much it costs; I would guess under $15.

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