Roddenberg 1999 "Red Mountain" Region: South Africa Varietal: Cabernet, Shiraz, Merlot and Ruby Cabernet Cost: about $14 It’s cold and getting quite blustery out there. Methinks a beef stew with a bottle of luscious red wine would do the trick to warm up the insides. This wine has strong notes of berries, spice, mint and star anise on the finish. Earthy and rich.	New Gerwurz North Coast 2000 Region: Alexander Valley, California Varietal: Gewurztraminer Price: about $10 This is young, spicy and very aromatic wine. Perfect for anything Asian , Indian or even good old Pilgrim fare (Thanksgiving) as it's flavors echo a lot of the spices. Cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg. It's off-dry and refreshing. A break from "Chardonnary" if you are looking for an interesting sipper. Great for Turkey Day since it goes with savory, sweet and white meat divinely!
Altano Region: Douro, Portugal Varietal: Touringa National and Tinta Rodiz (Tempranillo) Cost: about $7 Perfect, "it's getting cool outside so I'll cozy up with a glass of red wine". Uncomplicated, rich and delightful this is great with winter beef stew, or a personal favorite macaroni and cheese with chorizo.	Salisbury Sauvignon Blanc 2000 Region: Down Under Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc Price: about $9 A crisp but very melony Sauvignon Blanc. Notes of green and citrus with honey on the aftertaste and a slight cedary linger. Delightful with a plateful of sushi and very saucy conversation.
Chateau Tronquoy Lalande 1998 St Estephe Region: Bordeaux, France Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon Cost: about $15 While every crazy person is out there getting slammed in Bordeaux futures frenzy you can pop open a bottle of this and feel very proud of yourself. Deep, regal garnet this wine embodies St Estephe and begs for a beef roast smothered in onions, wild mushrooms and shallots.	Mirassou 1999 Coastal Selection Chardonnay Region: Monterey, California Varietal: Chardonnay Price: about $13 Think lime and peach parfait minus the sweetness. A very fruity, thankfully lacking the syrupy butter overtones of most California chard in this price range. Crisp and tart, it was great with shrimp tossed in lime butter over pasta or a good Turkey Day pre-dinner sipper.
Piccini Chianti Superiore 2000 Region: Tuscany, Italy Varietal: Sangiovese Price: about $10 Well made, 100% Sangiovese that has an elegant chewy finish. Bright fruit, leather and a hint of Tellicherry pepper. Perfect for Chicken Cacciatore covered in Reggiano.	Kenwood Sauvignon Blanc 2000 Region: Sonoma, California Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc Price: about $12 Crisp, fruity, with green citrus overtones. This beauty has good structure and an excellent bright finish. Great appetizer or salad wine. Perfect with shrimp and goat cheese bruschetta.
Bouchard Aine & Fils 1999 Region: Burgundy, France Varietal: Pinot Noir Price: about $11 Pinot Noir is great Turkey Day wine. The white wine drinkers can usually be coerced to have a glass and it pacifies the red wine lovers too. At $11 you can't expect complexity but what you do get is bright, slightly smoked cherry fruit, some earthy mushroom in the background that finishes with a bright finish.	Tokaji Furmint Mandolas 1999 Region: Tokaj, Hungary Varietal: Furmint Price: about $10 Tokaj is a region best known for it's dreamy dessert wines. They also make some lip smacking whites as we see with this fine specimen. Crisp, herbaceous with notes of tarragon, Celtic sea salt and moist earth. Cuts through the richness of Chicken Paprikash like a hot knife through butter. Enjoy.
Trapiche 1999 Malbec Region: Mendoza, Argentina Varietal: Malbec Price: about $8 Malbec is a blending grape from Bordeaux that really never had the opportunity to shine on it's own until it was brought to South America. This bottle of red is not a complicated wine, but a great everyday quaffer to go with Turkey sandwiches, meatloaf or grilled Italian sausage.	Tantalus 1999 Semillon Region: Russian River Valley, California Varietal: Semillon Price: about $14 Here's a creamy, rich, toasty alternative to Chardonnay. White peach, roasted figs and a hint of tarragon that screams fruit stuffed Pork tenderloin puh-lease! The clincher, the acidity is right on. For all its richness its balance makes it perfect for food.
	Oudinot Cuvée Brut NV Region: Epernay, Champagne, France Varietal: Pinot Noir (40%) Pinot Meunier (30%) and Chardonnay (30%) Price: about $19 This is a toasty full bodied Champagne. A crisp and creamy finish makes it a good choice for before dinner or perfect with Sushi. Incredibly elegant for the price, affordable and just the thing when you need bubbly for a crowd!.