Pinot Gris A Nice Turkey Day Change

Been there. Done that.

After looking back on seven years worth of Thanksgiving wine suggestions, I’m convinced I’ve covered just about all the bases from the ridiculous (serve red and white and let guests make their own custom blend) to the sublime (German rieslings and Washington state merlots).

One topic I’ve neglected to address, however, is what works with turkey alternatives. After all, not everyone worships at the altar of that big dumb bird.

This year at my house, we’re going to do a Northwest Thanksgiving with Dungeness crab cakes, St. Maries wild rice and alder-grilled salmon. Cooking up that menu got me thinking about pinot gris, a delicious dry white wine that is sometimes referred to as poor man’s chardonnay. (Although, at $12 to $15 a bottle, I’m not sure it would qualify for any poor man’s budget I know.)

Pinot gris (pronounced gree) is a French grape that flourishes in the Alsace region, where the wine is bone dry. It’s also grown in Northern Italy, where it’s called pinot grigio.

Typically, pinot gris shares the citrus and green apple flavors of a chardonnay. But it has a sharper edge than chardonnay, a snappy crispness that makes it a natural with foods such as shellfish, creamy pasta dishes and, yes, even turkey. Some claim that it’s the ultimate match for salmon.

This country’s best pinot gris comes from the cool climes of Oregon, though one Washington producer has recently entered the gris game.

Innovative vintner David Lake from Columbia Winery recently released a pinot gris made from grapes grown in the Otis vineyard in the heart of the Yakima wine country, one of the cooler spots there.

I liked this wine a lot. It had a lean, bright quality and was loaded with hints of hazelnuts and baked apples. It sells for around $12, and will be on my Thanksgiving table.

Other pinot gris I would recommend include a tart Adelsheim, a slightly fruity Willamette Valley and a well-balanced version from King’s Estate. All are from the 1994 vintage.

King’s Estate, by the way, has just come out with a cookbook filled with recipes from the nation’s hottest chefs. The dishes are designed to accompany the winery’s pinot gris - a clever marketing gimmick. It’s available at The Spokane Wine Company.

The only (surprising) klunker in the bunch I sampled comes from the widely revered Ponzi winery. I found that wine flat and slightly fizzy, tasting like it was unfinished.

All of the Oregon pinot gris mentioned sell for under $15.

Shopping list

Here are a few additional selections for more of a traditional turkey dinner:

In the spirit of celebration, why not start with a glass of bubbly? Go local with Mountain Dome’s new affordable (under $10) non-vintage brut. Look for the cute label featuring a family of gnomes.

A juicy riesling helps accentuate the savory flavors of fowl. It’s also one of the best bargains around. A friend swears by the Cellarmaster Reserve riesling from Columbia and frequently finds it for under $4.

Other names to remember when it comes to Northwest riesling include the current releases from Bookwalter, Seven Hills, Barnard Griffin and Paul Thomas’ dry riesling.

If you’re open to drinking red with white meat (gasp!), try a fruity pinot noir. My favorite splurge is the lush, elegantly smooth pinot from Sanford Winery, at about $16. I also recently enjoyed a non-vintage pinot from Pepperwood in California at an affordable $8 and the pinot bottled under Adelsheim’s second label, Wallace Brook. It’s under $10.

For a gutsier red, try the Latah Creek merlot ($14) or L’Ecole No. 41’s memorable merlot ($20).

Tasting marathon

Sip the latest stuff from nearly 40 wineries at the second Cork and Keg Festival on Friday, Nov. 10, at the Ridpath Hotel. Samples from several microbreweries, including Airway Heights’ rising star, Northern Lights, will also be served.

Among the big-name wineries represented will be Hogue Cellars, Fetzer, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest, Robert Mondavi and Kendall-Jackson. Favorite boutique wineries include L’Ecole, Yakima River and Portteus. All six of the Spokane wineries will be pouring.

There will also be an on-site wine store, where you can purchase your favorites from the tasting.

What makes the whole thing such a kick is that tickets are only $17.50, which includes appetizers and a glass to take home. You can’t get dinner and a movie for that price these days.

Tickets are available at Spokane and Coeur d’Alene wine shops or by calling 467-7744.

Shop or sip?

You could spend the Friday after turkey day Christmas shopping, like zillions of other folks.

Or, you could tour the Spokane wineries.

Once again, local vintners are planning special pre-holiday fun including gift-giving ideas and suggestions for food and wine pairings. Last year, the event drew oodles of visitors.

For specifics, contact the wineries.

Meet Bob

You can now invite renowned wine guru Robert Parker Jr., into your home. Or, at least, your home computer.

Parker, who publishes a respected wine-buying periodical, has come out with Windows-based software that offers tasting notes on more than 10,000 wines, the ability to catalog your personal cellar and a program for laying out your collection.

Robert Parker’s Cellar Manager software is $100 through the International Wine Accessories catalog. To order, or to receive a catalog, call 800-527-4072.

, DataTimes MEMO: Grapevine is a monthly feature of IN Food. Leslie Kelly welcomes questions and comments from readers about all aspects of wine. Write to: Grapevine, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Call 459-5486; fax 459-5098.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Leslie Kelly The Spokesman-Review