Updated 27 November 21:55 If you haven’t yet opened a bottle of wine for your Thanksgiving dinner (and plenty of Americans in Switzerland celebrateon Saturday instead of today, in order to have time to cook a large meal), let the New York Times help you out. The newspaper did a survey of who is writing what about the best wine to have with a meal that usually consists of a complicated mix of flavours.
Jancis Robinson in the UK adds her two bits, saying that we should all be giving thanks because the price of fine wines is gradually going down.
If you live in Switzerland you might think that buying Swiss wine makes more sense than hunting for a bottle of California Zinfandel. I would agree. If you’re having the classics of turkey, bread-based stuffing, cranberries and ending the meal with pumpkin pie, try a good bottle of Swiss Pinot Noir, 2005 or 2006: lighter than many reds and richer than a white, with pleasant fruitiness. Some of my favourites producers for this wine, which made Burgundy famous and which the Swiss often do extraordinarily well:
Cellars in Vaud –
St Saphorin/Vevey, Cave Mayor Albert +41 21 921 1341
Morges, Domaine de Marcelin
Founex, Domaine de la Treille
in Geneva, all in Dardagny –
Anne and Stephane Gros +41 22 745 00 18
Clos des Pin, +41 22 754 1457
Valais has several beautiful Pinot Noirs. Two producers whose bottles I especially like are Maurice Zufferey in Sierre and Cave de la Madeleine in Vetroz.