Thanksgiving Wine

I've seen about 10 different articles about Thanksgiving wines so if you want suggestions, go read one of them. Vogue has a nice one. Seriously.

OK fine. My plan is to stick with the 3 Bs: 

Now to more serious matters. I am in a pickle! As the only American in my friend group... I have the lofty task of making sure Thanksgiving happens in the pursuit of (my own) happiness. The single most difficult part is finding a putain turkey in France, which is no small feat. "Well, you can go to the grocery store, silly," you say.  Well, friend... while the French eat turkey sometimes, one can only find whole turkeys around Christmas time, and apparently late November is not near enough!  Last year, I went to every single market and "super store" in Bordeaux searching for a turkey. In the the end, I bought a massive chicken and didn't have the heart to tell any of my guests that it was all a hoax.

"Oui, oui la dinde!" I played along.

This morning, after waking up in a cold sweat, I've stayed in my PJs frantically searching online for turkeys. At first it was a joke.. maybe I'll try to order one on Amazon. Lightbulb idea. I gave it a try! ...but not with much success. I then searched on more national online websites like Comme-a-la-boucherie.com and Carredeboeuf.com. No cigar neither. Ok, I found one.. a 5 kg turkey but I ain't shelling out 70 Euro for this bad boy. Sorry, friends.

To sum it up, I have 3.5 days to make this Thanksgiving in France a reality, and at this point, I hope to get lucky enough to find another big chicken. 

ME: I'd kill to be Monica rn.

OK, I won't leave ya hanging...

BUBBLES

Who really needs to explain why Bubbles are good choice? Fun and crisp. A perfect start or finish to any evening.

Champagne is cool but if you want a great bang for your buck, look for "Methode Traditionelle" Cremant from Vouvray (with 100% Chenin Blanc), or from the Jura (Savagnin) for a nice alternative.

Beaujolais

Most people scoff at the idea of Beaujolais with nightmares of sweet $1 junk from college. But every sommelier and hip wine drinker will tell you that Gamay's making it's comeback and rightly so! If you love Pinot but can't spend at least $50 on it, I recommend looking for good producers from the Beaujolais for the best value! Gamay (the varietal used in Beaujolais, an appellation just south of Burgundy) is generally light to medium bodied, rich in red fruits like tart cherries, and can be quite floral and complex with nice acidity. I'm definitely on the #GamayAllDay Team. Some of my favorite producers are: 

Marcel Lapierre

Yann Bertrand

Domaine Chamonard

Sarnin Berrux (actually in Beaune, but produce a lovely Beaujolais as well)

Jean-Paul Brun

Bordeaux

Something a bit more tannic and full-bodied that the whole family will find more familiar and enjoy! OK, I'm a bit biased but I need to support "local" too... 

My favorite Bordeaux's under $30: 
Chateau le Puy

Chateau Meyre

And sweet Bordeaux... Sauternes!