What wine would you bring?

[jasmurph]

I have to go to my sister's this weekend and have been struggling with what to bring. We'll probably be eating ham and turkey, but my issue is more with audience. Most of my family think wine over $10 is elitist or for special occasions. So, there's a lot of alcoholic fruit punch from Australia and California (e.g. Yellowtail, Jacob's Creek, Beringer, Bogle, etc.) being drunk, and I'm hoping to avoid that this weekend. So, the challenge is to come up with a red and a white that will go with ham and/or turkey and that will appeal to them and to me (I'm an old world kind of guy, like Loire wines probably more than anything else). Price range: $1-$30.

More broadly, what 2 wines do you bring into any situation, having no idea who will be there or what they're tastes will be?

[chris the bartender]

I would probably start with a great crisp monetou salon, as for the red I would actually follow up with a valipolicella. Santi is making a label called solane valipolicella ripasso, it is relatively inexpensive ($15 around abouts), but is very palatable across the board. It has bold enough flavors to please the beringer drinkers, but it also has enough complexity to please the avid wine drinker. Good luck with your hunt. Cheers!

[alexfoodie]

I realize this is past the event date but Mark West Pinot Noir is a 'staple' in my house, I can get it for around $10-12.00 and it is easy to drink. I would also bring what you like to drink and share it. Isn't that part of the experience? I love finding new wines that friends bring over.
I typically bring a white and a red to events. There are always folks who only drink one or the other.

[Bill Hunt]

Probably too late, but I'd opt for a Riesling (price be danged, I'd go for the stuff I like and remove all price stickers) and a Cru BJ (again, without the price sticker, most will think of Nouveau, and wonder where all the structure came from).

Hunt

[DCDOLL]

What about pinot noir? it's light enough body wise to go well w/turkey or ham and most people like it, even those who think they don't like reds. Riesling is a good white option, although i am not really big on fruity with meat. Maybe a good New Zealand sauv blanc?
Basically, i wouldn't worry about what really "goes" with what...bring what YOU really like and if they are smart they will figure out you are a wine person and will want to try it too! if not, let them drink Boone's Farm and you will at least have something yummy!

[Chicago Mike]

There's a range of wines that go with "turkey", and a range of wines that go with "ham"... but there are fewer wines that match both, and that's what you want to accomplish here...

Answer:

For Red: Zinfandel

For White: Riesling, preferably around kabinett ripeness.

[jasmurph]

Cool. That's exactly what I went for.

[FrankJBN]

"More broadly, what 2 wines do you bring into any situation, having no idea who will be there or what they're tastes will be?"

2 wines that I like. I don't understand your problem here. You like Loire wines, bring Loire wines. Why not?

"Most of my family think wine over $10 is elitist or for special occasions." Special occasions like Christmas time?

Alcoholic fruit punch like Beringers? I'm an 'old world' guy myself, but even I know that Beringers is reputed to make one of CA's finer Cabernets. Or even Bogle - I recently had a Bogle Cabernet S. that wasn't fruity in the least - it was in fact over-oaked and dried out.

[jasmurph]

Thanks for your response. I'm sure you didn't mean it, but the tone of this reply is off-putting.

[FrankJBN]

Could you explain how so?

[carswell]

A fine rosé, even a sparkling one, would probably make for the best compromise pairing with ham and turkey. If forced to choose a red and a white, I'd opt for blends from the Loire. A longtime favourite is Clos de la Briderie in Touraine-Mesland. The white's Chenin Blanc with a dash of Chardonnay; the red's Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Gamay. Everybody -- not just the Loire geeks like us -- seems to like them, they're food-friendly and they're some of the most affordable biodynamic wines around (about $15 a bottle).

[maria lorraine]

Yes, of course, bring what you like -- Loire wines -- since what you like
will serendipitously go with both the ham and turkey.

[ibstatguy]

a champalou vouvray might do very well with the ham. I'm more fully on board with the sparkling rose though or even a still rose. PN might do well with both so maybe make the rose one from PN.

[jasmurph]

THanks for the reply. I've tried Chenin Blanc in the past--"weird" was the reply.

[dinwiddie]

Go a little different. For the red, how about a rioja. The Bodegas Montecillo Rioja Gran Reserva would fit your price range and should be easy to find, but there are others that would also be good. (so would the Reserva and that would even be less expensive) If you want to go even cheaper, Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Rosado is really easy to find and is not at all bad for the price. On the other hand, a nice Cotes du Rhone would always work too.

For the white a nice fino sherry would be my choice, or a Gavi. If you want to stay French how about a Sancerre.

[perk]

I like the idea of Spanish wines. For the white, you could probably find an albarino.

[Pincho]

The Montecillo Gran Reserva is exactly what we brought to our family's Christmas gathering this year, and it was excellent... this producer is a great value at Crianza, Reserva _and_ Gran Reserva. I'm less a fan of Marqués de Cáceres but it does seem somewhat more ubiquitous than the Montecillo (at least in my location, San Francisco Bay Area).