Thanksgiving is near and with that turkey and all the trimmings, what wine should you serve? To begin, I like to serve Champagne or sparkling wine as the guest are arriving or as the aperitif. It always makes a special dinner even more so. Louis Bouillot Cremant de Bourgogne Brut is perfect for the larger group or your favorite Champagne for the more intimate dinner.

Now, to the big question the bird.  Turkey is mildly flavored so for the most part it serves as a base for the seasonings that provide the prominent flavors. Here are five ways to prepare a turkey and the wine suggestions for each style.

Simply Seasoned With Salt, Pepper & Butter: My suggestion for this style of turkey would be a buttery chardonnay from California or for a special treat a Meursault from France. If red is your preference, try a delicate Merlot or the very popular Beaujolais Nouveau. Beaujolais Noveau is released the third Thursday in November just before Thanksgiving and has become a perennial favorite for Turkey Day.

Apple Cider Braised: When fresh pressed apple cider lends it seasonal sweetness to your bird the wine of choice should also be fruity and fragrant and have a touch of sweetness, such as a Viognier, Riesling or Chenin Blanc.

Mediterranean Style With Olive Oil, Garlic &Rosemary: Nothing is better than a Grenache or Syrah based wine. I would suggest a Cotes du Rhone or a lighter style Syrah from Australia. For a smaller group of guest, serve the fragrant and elegant Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge.

Maple-Sage Glaze: A sweet and savory styled turkey calls for a fruity and earthy style of Pinot Noir. Say something from Burgundy, I would suggest a Bourgogne Rouge from Louis Jadot or Philip Le Hardi.  If you like a little more richness a New Zealand Pinot Noir would be a good match.

Southwest Spices, Grilled or Fried: Spices call for spice, so my choice for this type of bird is a lush, fruity red Zinfandel or if you want a white wine the citrusy yet spicy Gewurztraminer is your best bet. Grilled or fried foods also offer extra richness which the Zin or Gewurtraminer handle extremely well.

And as dessert or with apple pie, pumpkin, pecan or mincemeat, a sweet white dessert wine is simply divine. Try Chateau Rieussec from Sauternes. Intensely fruity notes of lemon, orange and apricot combine with honeyed vanilla notes, you taste richness but at the same time elegance.  What a wonderful way to end Thanksgiving dinner. If preparing the bird is not your thing, my suggestion to order a delicious, convenient Thanksgiving dinner delivered with all the trimmings from GourmetStation and use the wine suggestions above.

Susan Anderson

Wine Consultant

How many emails do you receive daily? After a while you stop counting - delete / delete / delete. Rarely an email arrives that speaks to your heart. You don't even think about deleting – just read & get lost for a moment in something very lovely. I received such an email and it's all about the flavors of Peru. A trip to Cusco anyone? I won't even begin to match the writing skills of Alvaro Bedoya. Just read this & enjoy. (Alvaro has given us permission to write this post). Perhaps a trip to Peru will be in your future.

“When one hears the name Peru what comes to mind are images of mysterious Inca ruins, and snowed capped peaks of the Andes mountains. But what very few know is that Peru offers some of the most amazing cuisines in the world. At Land of a Thousand Flavors we want to show people what an incredible country Peru is by taking them on exclusive and unique gourmet trips around this fascinating country.

We invite you to visit our web site: Land of a Thousand Flavors

Our services are aimed for people looking for a unique traveling experience of discovery of new flavors, amazing places, while learning the secrets of the local cuisine, and meeting people working at extraordinary Peruvian gastronomy, while enjoying gourmet meals and pisco & wine tastings, we are proud of offering this side of Peru and Argenitna,  our programs will simply surpass all your expectations, we look foward to hear form you, and see in which way,  can we work together, we have many recipes, articles, trips and secrets of this wonderfull gastronomy and are more than happy to share them.

Peru has been blessed with a gigantic amount of different ingredients, ranging from more than 3.000 thousand different varieties of potatoes! To tropical fruits, and fish from the Pacific Ocean , there are also rare meats like Alpaca and guinea pig, and wonderful herbs like Huacatay. This rich variety of ingredients has been used for thousand of years by the ancient Peruvians, but what made today’s gastronomy so unique has been the outside influences first by the Spanish Conquistadores, African slaves, and then by Chinese, Italian, and Japanese currents of immigrations. They all brought with them their own ingredients and cooking techniques, this mix has produced a cuisine in its own right.

There is a wealth of extremely rich flavors that will leave even the most seasoned gourmand in culinary ecstasy. From the coastal sea food classics like tiradito (sashimi like fish with a chilly sauce) to the Andean dishes using Quinoa and wonderful aromatic herbs, not to mention the sweets which since colonial times are a passion of Limenos.

A rich cuisine needs a great alcoholic beverage and in Peru its called Pisco, made from the grapes brought by the Spanish nearly 500 years ago, it’s a clear spirituous drink, similar to grappa, with character and a wonderful taste Pisco has yet to win its reputation in the world but there is no doubt it will as it elegant drink that drank straight or on cocktails like Pisco Sour never disappoints.

Kind regards,

Alvaro Bedoya

Executive Director

Land of a Thousand Flavors

One of the fun things in visiting New York is you’ll never know what surprises are in order. A recent business/personal exploration trip to the Big Apple turned into a three week opportunity for me to see the city in a different light.

Working, checking out the opportunities with a New York talent agent and helping a good friend in a time of need… and well, spending New York evenings like someone who lived in the city… doing simple things in the neighborhood.  That included buying groceries, getting to know the name of local waiters and shopkeepers and riding a bike up the Hudson…movies and morning breakfasts in the local Moonstruck diner.

At the end of my trip I also had the good fortune to meet a mother- daughter duo from Atlanta visiting our host and mutual friend….and on my last afternoon, an impromptu farewell cocktail party led to the opening of a rather tasty Malbec from the Long Island wine district. Wine growing regions have been popping up all over the country, but the Long Island vintners have paid their dues and have had surprisingly complex offerings from a variety of grapes.

The Malbec we dove into that afternoon was a 2002 Raphael Malbec from the North Fork of Long Island. The vintner’s description, “ Malbec is our earliest ripening red variety and is always harvested at least 2 weeks before the Merlot, showing great promise for our terroir. Traditionally used for blending in Bordeaux, it has more recently become the signature red wine of Argentina; in our area it has exhibited the strength and power to stand on its own. The 2004 vintage is a dense and rich with chewy tannin and exotic hints of dark black fruit, banana and cedar. Only 80 cases made.”

We (Carol, myself and Alison) were all surprised as this was our first exposure to a Long Island wine …the bouquet opened up rather quickly and soon we were embraced with the peppery flavor and relaxed gallery like environment surrounding us. Established in 1996 and moderated by the Long Island Sound, Raphael’s vineyard is situated over well draining glacial deposits and one of the few wineries to still pick all of their grapes by hand. This personal touch, adding another layer of the human element into the long history of wine making, explains Raphael’s rapid success.

Now the setting for this wine tasting was in Chelsea…a spot surrounded by over three hundred galleries…but going one better was the fact that our mutual “resort accommodations” provided by our host Ed, was a gallery in waiting.

Early contemporary Bianchi

…up and coming Philippe Weisbeckers..

… Miros and a host of art from a variety of styles provided the perfect urbane setting for our late afternoon event. History buffs take note… in a wooden case, in salute to the late first Lady Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis… featured a silver toothbrush holder acquired at the late former lady’s personal auction…with an Andy Warhol “Jackie-O” perched above keeping watch.

New York…a wine tasting farewell set amidst a private gallery, was the perfect ending to my three week stint, as well as the wrap up of a lengthy day of biking for my oenophile friends Carol and Alison from the Big Peach- Atlanta with host of the gallery…Ed …..looking on, rested and well!

SO…next time you hit NYC, check out just some of the many galleries…and take the time to visit the North Fork of Long Island’s vineyards. Or, if you can’t make the trip…Google them and visit the website… Raphel Wine,it would make a fine companion for a nice gourmet meal…from our friends and yours at GourmetStation.

Mark Stine

Wait a minute - it's October 20th. How did that happen? It's not too early to start thinking about the "T" word. Thanksgiving.

This year is about tradition - for the 3rd year in a row we've offered a Thanksgiving dinner gift and this year will be no exception. We've spared no detail this year in preparing a Thanksgiving dinner delivered that will make a lasting impression...delicious cuisine plus they'll receive 4 gifts: leaf floating candle for the Thanksgiving dinner table, an extra dessert (bake your own double chocolate caramel cookies), organic tea & a Thanksgiving table prayer. Our Thanksgiving dinner delivered is designed for quality & convenience and generously serves two. For wine suggestions to accompany turkey, visit our blog. It’s not too early to start thinking about holiday food gifts, and GourmetStation is the right destination.

Thanksgiving dinner gift.

Thanksgiving dinner delivered

Thanksgiving food gifts

We claim bragging rights! International Listings, the online resource for worldwide luxury real estate since 2001, took on the daunting challenge of selecting the top 100 luxury blogs. GourmetStation’s blog, Delicious Destinations, won a spot in their food & wine category. I must take this opportunity to thank all our guest writers – they’re the ones that come up with creative topics and do all the work.

You may enjoy reviewing the list. Best of the Best is quite interesting and I enjoyed the Robb Report Luxury Portal. Other categories included art, automobiles, fashion & fitness. The hotel, travel and real estate categories were also interesting. Enjoy!

Of the month programs are the rage these days. They’re gifts that keep giving throughout the year like the Energizer bunny. Our Dinner of the Month program was introduced a few years ago and was an immediate hit. Earlier this year we introduced the Soup of the Month program, but the best has been saved for last. Now introducing the GourmetStation Dessert of the Month club.

So why are these monthly clubs so popular? We’ve found that adult families are purchasing them for their Mom’s and Dad’s….the folks that have everything. have been there & done that. Our patrons are looking for experiential gifts and our taste buds can give us quite an experience. Mom’s and Dad’s have something to look forward to every month – for 3, 6, 9 or 12 months. Bottom line – these clubs are fun food gifts.

The Dessert of the Month program allows recipients to choose from five categories, chocolate cakes (my favorite), marvelous mousses, white cakes, cheesecake heaven and homemade pies. There are over 45 selections so whether a gift recipient has a 3, 6, 9 or 12 month program, there is a choice bound to please.

Now for the fun part. My favorite? Red Velvet Cake – “As seen in O magazine as one of Oprah’s favorites – a southern classic…smooth as velvet, mild flavored cake…rich & topped with thick cream cheese frosting…almost too pretty to eat. Enjoy!

GourmetStation can bring you French dinners delivered to remind you of Paris and a lovely dinner at a sidewalk café on Champs-Elysées. It will get you close, but if you need to get a little closer, try this web site - France Today – The Magazine of French Culture & Travel.

If you’re planning a trip, check out their calendar page where you can preview music shows, art exhibitions and more. I enjoyed best addresses; especially the hotel section where I learned about Hôtel Lutetia, a palace hotel at less than palace prices. This link will take you to their gourmet section where you can purchase mostly baked goods from companies located all across the US. If you’re the studious type, try this page where you can download a French Travel Study Guide.

A sister company France-Amérique is America’s only French-language news, culture and community publication for Francophones and Francophiles alike. Published bi-monthly, France-Amérique brings its readers news, French trends, cultural insights and insider travel. Had enough? Let’s go!