With Thanksgiving happening the weekend after next, it’s time to start thinking about what wines you want to celebrate with. So this week is all about Thanksgiving and featuring a few cases of the best Thanksgiving dinner pairings. A variety of rich whites, lighter reds, and even some curve balls with Pet Nat, Godello, Orange Wine, and old vine Chenin Blanc to maybe challenge the supremacy of Chardonnay as the perfect Turkey pairing!

NEW AT THE BYWARD WINE MARKET:

If you’re in the Ottawa area, we now have a few custom mixed cases available for curbside pickup or delivery and we’ve put together these two perfect Thanksgiving mixer packs…

DRINK GOOD WINE FOR THANKSGIVING - CLASSIC

For the family who loves classics because they’ve put in the miles and stood the test of time. Some things you don’t want to mess with, like Turkey’s most favourite pairings: Chardonnay, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Rose….it even includes a bigger red for the uncle who won’t drink anything but full-bodied reds wines. From the pre-dinner drinks to the seconds, we’ve got you covered with these classics! Click here for the line up.

DRINK GOOD WINE FOR THANKSGIVING - ADVENTUROUS

For those who feel like 2020 Thanksgiving pairings that are as unconventional as this year has been. These wines will all sing with your turkey dinner, but maybe in a different key. Don’t worry, it’s still in harmony, just a bit different. From Pet Nat and orange wine, to Cote du Jura Red and Côt from Loire Valley. This box is full of strange beauties. Like Spanish the Spanish Godello or South African Chenin that may cause some to re-think Chardonnay as the go-to Turkey pairing. Click here for the line up.

For local delivery within Ottawa or cubside pickup from the shop, please follow the link to the website!

THIS WEEK’S CAPITAL WINE FEATURES:

THOMAS BACHELDER, ‘LES VILLAGES’ CHARDONNAY, 2017 $34.99 x6
GRAPES: 100% Chardonnay
REGION: Niagara, Ontario
PRODUCTION: Wild yeast ferments, low intervention, neutral oak for 18 months
TASTING NOTES: Apples, grass, slate, minerals, brioche – very Burgundian
THE STORY:

Thomas in his barrel chamber, lugging some Chardonnay barrels.

Thomas Bachelder grew up in Montreal and went to school in Burgundy. That’s also where he started working in wine. After a few years of working there, he moved to Oregon to work for a few years, then back to France, then back to Oregon, then back home to Canada to start Le Clos Jordanne in Niagara in the early 2000’s. He’s the winemaker that made that brand so famous. When they were bought out by Vincor, Thomas left to start his own label that focused on making exclusively Chardonnay (and later Pinot Noir and Gamay) organically in the exact same way in Burgundy, Oregon, and Niagara. His have been some of the most famous wines in Canada, impressing all of the biggest international critics, helping put Ontario on the map as one of the best Chardonnay producers outside of its homeland of Burgundy. Fast forward a decade or so and he and his wife Mary are focusing in on their Niagara production and this Chardonnay is a blend of several vineyards he works with across Niagara for a true Villages-style blend.

One of the most classic pairings with Turkey of all time is a nice Chardonnay. From an elegant, lightly oaked White Burgundy to a bigger, buttery California Chardonnay, they hit the mark with their oak-aged texture, minerality, and fresh acidity. This one very much leans to the elegant Burgundian style and is a great sipper on its own and an outstanding match to turkey.

TELMO RODRIGUEZ, ‘GABO DO XIL’ BRANCO 2019 $24.99 x12
GRAPES: 100% Godello
REGION: Valdeorras, Spain
PRODUCTION: Organically grown, wild yeast ferments, 4 months on lees, stainless steel tanks
TASTING NOTES: floral, honey, preserved lemon – fresh acidity, dry
THE STORY:

A hillside of Godello terraces along the river Xil in Valdeorras.

Telmo Rodriguez is one of the pioneers of biodynamic winemaking in Spain. He was blazing a trail for natural winemaking and a return to tradition since the early 90’s, long before it was cool. And as much as his M.O. has been on organics and biodynamics, his broader philosophy has been about bringing back traditional Spanish viticulture before it got colonized by French winemaking styles. This means reviving the reputation of indigenous varietals that are often forgotten, from lesser known regions around the country, grown organically on bush vines, on crazy mountain terroirs and hillsides, with aging in cement vats that were popular prior to oak barrels. Telmo’s motto is that he wants to make the best bottle of wine from 1890.

So here is the most traditional grape from the Valdeorras region in Galicia, northwestern Spain. It’s grown on the steep terraced hillsides of the river Xil. For someone who’s never heard of Godello (pronounced Go-day-oh — as the 2 L’s together make a Y sound), its almost as if Viognier and Chenin Blanc had a baby. It’s somewhere in that richer, but floral and mineral style of wine. It has really nice acidity that keeps it balanced and will play nicely with the fattier dark meat of the turkey. A nice Chardonnay alternative. Click here for more technical details.

TAWSE WINERY, PINOT NOIR 2018 $21.99 x6
GRAPES: 100% Pinot Noir
REGION: Niagara, Ontario
PRODUCTION: Low intervention, wild yeast ferments, 12 months French oak
TASTING NOTES: field berries, cola, underbrush, wet earth
THE STORY:

A Tawse Pinot Noir against a Pinot Noir vine.

Tawse is housed in a beautiful gravity flow winery outside of Beamsville in Niagara, and they were Canada’s second certified organic and biodynamic winery back in the mid 2000’s. They make a range of outstanding wines in Niagara as naturally as possible. But winemaker Paul Pender is not a big fan of rough, funky wines. Even as one of Canada’s biodynamic pioneers, he strives for clean, precise wines so much so that even his zero-sulphate unfiltered wines remain clean cut and super refined. This is something Tawse does really well: making natural/biodynamic wines that are clean, precise, and pretty.

And this Pinot Noir is a great example. Very much looking to Bugundy for its stylistic inspiration, and Niagara has the very similar combination of limestone and clay soils in a cool climate. AND owner Moray Tawse also owns some Grand Cru vineyards in Burgundy as well as part of Marchand-Tawse winery in Nuits-St-Georges. So they’ve got the cred, pedigree, and know-how to deliver some amazing Pinot Noir. And this bottle doesn’t disappoint, especially for $21.95. Along the same Turkey-pairing magic as Beaujolais, this is a great sipper on its own or a perfect light red to match the turkey, stuffing and any earthier fixings.

Some other quick Thanksgiving ideas:

SEVEN PEAKS, CHARDONNAY 2017 $18.99 x12
GRAPES: 100% Chardonnay
REGION: California
PRODUCTION: Sustainably grown, barrel aged 12 months
TASTING NOTES: Baked green apple, vanilla bean, touch of toast and oak

TAWSE WINERY, ‘SKIN FERMENTED’ PINOT GRIS 2019 (Orange Wine) $24.95 x6
GRAPES: 100% Pinot Gris
REGION: Niagara, Ontario
PRODUCTION: Wild yeast fermentation, 14 day skin contact
TASTING NOTES: Orange blossoms, earth, raisins

GIRO RIBOT, CAVA BRUT ROSÉ NV $24.99 x6
GRAPES: 85% Trepat, 15% Pinot Noir
REGION: Penedes, Spain
PRODUCTION: Organically grown, traditional method production, 20 months on lees
TASTING NOTES: Strawberries, cherries, crisp acid, creamy mouth feel – dry

MAP MAKER, PINOT NOIR 2016 $24.99 x12
GRAPES: 100% Pinot Noir
REGION: Marlborough, New Zealand
PRODUCTION: Organically grown, wild yeast ferments, 12 months French oak
TASTING NOTES: Cherry fruit, fresh thyme, minerals, flowers, touch of fresh earth

And as always, feel free to reach out directly for other options or recommendations if you’re looking for something beyond what you see here!

Just a reminder that the order deadline for Friday delivery is Wednesday at noon. Reach out if you have any questions, and check out the archive of past FEATURES if you’re interested in other recommendations. Lastly, please feel free to forward this to anyone in Ontario who may be interested in home wine delivery and follow us on instagram for daily wine content at @capitalwine.ottawa!