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Thankful for Wine: Thanksgiving Wine Pairings

11/22/2019

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As the holiday season is rapidly approaching, one of my favorite things about the holidays is the food! And what goes with food? If you guessed wine, you're right! Wine and food pairings can be a lot of fun, but also intimidating at the same time. So how do you pick a wine or a variety of wines to pair with turkey and all the fixin's? I’m glad you asked! This is one blog you don’t want to miss, because it has all kinds of options for you to choose from for your Thanksgiving meal(s)! Yes, I said meals because if any of you have large families like I do, there are going to be multiple Thanksgiving meals over the next couple weeks.

Where to begin? Well, for starters, deciding whether you want a white, red or both. That’s right, you can pair red wine with white meat, popular to contrary belief that white wine only goes with white meat and red wine only goes with red meat. Let’s start with white wine options, then we’ll go from there. 
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For whites I’m going to give you three different options to choose from for different reasons. The first recommendation you have probably heard before, especially if you have visited Bluestone, or any other Virginia winery around Thanksgiving: Viognier. Viognier is a versatile wine that is very food friendly. Currently in the tasting room we are serving our 2016 Viognier, which was aged in acacia barrels. Since acacia gives a wine texture rather than flavor, it adds more body to the wine, which makes it a great pairing with turkey.

Not a fan of barrel aged wines? No problem, I’ve got a suggestion for that too: Traminette. We are currently serving the 2018 vintage in the tasting room. Similar to its parent grape, Gewurztraminer, Traminette has similar aromatics and spiciness that would also do nicely with turkey. This vintage is also completely dry which makes it another good option for those who prefer dry whites. 

If dry wines aren’t your thing, don’t worry, I’ve got my sweet wine folks covered too! A little bit of sweetness goes a long way and with that in mind, I recommend our semi-sweet white; Beau. The Vidal Blanc/Traminette blend is the closest wine at Bluestone that resembles a Reisling and would balance side dishes like sweet potatoes and herb stuffing and the main course, turkey.

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Now, if you’re feeling adventurous and want to try a red, or you just prefer reds in general, I’ve got red recommendations too. When pairing red wine with lighter meat such as turkey, you typically want wines that are light bodied and lower in tannins. There are two wines that come to mind: Cabernet Franc and Quartz Hill Red (60% Chambourcin/40% Cabernet Franc). Both wines are more fruit driven, but the Cabernet Franc has a tad more structure and was aged longer in oak barrels. Merlot might be another option if you are looking for something to pair with hearty, southern side dishes like thick and creamy mac and cheese. It is more of a medium-bodied wine but is also lower in tannins. It starts off with flavors of black cherry on the nose and finishes dry. You can even find recipes online of Merlot cranberry sauce.  

Now that we’ve covered some white wine options and some red, did you think I was going to forget about dessert? Can’t have a big feast without finishing with dessert! For me, I typically think of apple and pumpkin pie. I couldn’t decide between pairing with apple or pumpkin so I’m going to offer options for both! Because if we’re being perfectly honest, if both are available, I have a hard time choosing, so I usually end of getting a slice of each. Abundance mentality, amirite? Choosing dessert wine pairings is sometimes tricky because you don’t want to do sweet wine with sweet dessert because then you run into the possibility of everything just tasting sour. So with this section, I had a little help from our winemaker.

If you are “team white wine pairing”, our 2017 Estate Chardonnay (aged in French oak) would actually be a good option for both apple and pumpkin. Now, if you are “team red wine” from beginning to end (or you want to switch from white to red), our estate grown Chambourcin, Steep Face, would be an option for pumpkin. This wine doesn’t have nearly the tannins that the Bordeaux varietals do so it wouldn’t overpower the pumpkin spice.
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Thanks for tuning in to this week's edition of Out of the Barrel. I hope this information will be a useful guide to help you decide on wines for the upcoming Thanksgiving festivities! May you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving with family and friends! Cheers! ​​
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Unser Weihnachtsmarkt ist einen Monat entfernt!

11/7/2019

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Tis the season!  Das ist die Jahreszeit! The holidays are rapidly approaching as is our 8th annual Weihnachtsmarkt! Die Feiertage nähern sich rasant, ebenso wie unser achter Weihnachtsmarkt! What is a Weihnachtsmarkt anyway? Was ist eigentlich ein Weihnachtsmarkt? By the way, the title of this blog translates to "Our Weihnachtsmarkt is one month away!"

As the rather difficult pronunciation and the switching between two languages above might lead to, Weihnachtsmarkt is in the German language, which is where these events originated. It does literally mean Christmas Market in English. They are open air markets that have seasonal items, food and various types of drinks including the famous hot mulled wine or Glühwein in the German language.  
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As mentioned before, this is Bluestone’s eighth year hosting this annual event. Our winemaker, Lee Hartman, previously lived in Germany. While there the rest of the Hartman family visited him and experienced a true Christmas Market in Germany. This inspired them to bring the tradition to the Shenandoah Valley at the vineyard and these markets have gained more traction in the area to showcase local artisans and vendors. 
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The first annual market in the tank room.
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2nd Annual Christmas Market moved to the crush pad.
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The tanks were even decorated.
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Gluhwein being served in 2013 outside on the crush pad.
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The beginning of an annual tradition.
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In 2014 the event moved up the hill to outside of the Manor.
The first year of the Weihnachtsmarkt was held in our tank room and then out on the crush pad. From there it moved to what we now call The Manor as guests perused through the handcrafted items that were lined up outside. After that it included vendors set up our back patio, by the adirondack chairs, and wrapped around to where the entrance of the tasting room is now. Each year the event has grown in size with different offerings. Last year it was the first year that incorporated the inside of our new tasting room! Unfortunately there was inclement weather so vendors moved into The Meeting House Banquet Hall. This year we will cross our fingers for better weather so patrons can experience the atmosphere of an open air market with Glühwein warming their hands.
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Blue skies for the event in 2015.
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Vendors on the back patio in 2017.
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Vendors expanding in 2016.
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The sun setting on the event in 2017.
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Hot Mulled Wine. Yum!
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New tasting room was open in 2018.
What else does this year’s Weihnachtsmarkt have in store? There will be two food trucks: The Bavarian Chef and Mama’s Caboose with delicious German style food. Over 25 craft vendors from handmade jewelry, quilts, bottle lamps, home decor, even items for your four legged canine friends. Follow our social media this month leading up to the event for highlights of our scheduled vendors! 
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Bluestone’s version of Glühwein will be flowing and we will also have all the items to make your own Glühwein at home! Our Glühwein uses our Crooked and Weedy as the base for the mulled wine and add mulling spices to it. Just the thing one needs when walking around on a cool December day. 

The tasting room will be open as well from 11-6 p.m. and the vendors will be onsite from 11-5 p.m.

​Thanks for tuning into this week's edition of Out of the Barrel! Cheers! Danke fürs Lesen! Prost! ​
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    Photo of Ranee Bartley

    Author

    Raneé Bartley 
    Tasting Room Manager 

    ​Raneé started at Bluestone Vineyard in August 2015.  She thinks writing a blog about wine will be a fun and educational addition to Bluestone Vineyard. Her passion for wine has grown over the years and she is currently in pursuit to become a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers. While at Bluestone, she enjoys sharing about wine with guests in the tasting room. 

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