Tradition.
Each year of LifeStyle Denver, I’ve made it a tradition to write about my favorite parts of the Thanksgiving meal.  In 2008, I defended eating turkey, regardless of what my veggie friend thinks.  Last year, pumpkin pie was open for discussion.
In 2010, I think I need to whine a bit, and also talk wine.
Whine?  About what, you ask?  My whining is purely self-absorbed and all about my personal taste, and I apologize.  But I’m whining about bad wine.  I hate it.  Can’t stand it.  Offer me a sticky, sweet glass of something you approximate for fine wine, and I’d rather just skip right to the pie, thank you very much.
Cheap champagne?  OMG, don’t even try and I can’t believe you think it’s any good either.  Veuve Clicquot?  Now we’re talking.  Hand me the flute, please.
I’m funny about a white wine glass for the Rosso I’ll be opening.  Now, when  I get lazy and reach for a white glass?  – I’m too short to reach the red wine glasses without dragging a chair to the cupboard.  Everyone has their weak moments.
Having grown up in California, with discerning parents, I’ve come to appreciate the nuances of a fine wine.  My friends are more educated on the hot vineyards and what the best vintages are and I love learning about new wines from them.  My latest iPhone apps are Wine Steward and Cellar Rat.  Two handy little resources that help pair food with wine and distinguish the good vintages from the bad.
I’m whining about bad wine and sitting in Denver, but I’ll soon heading to Sonoma.  We’ll become more educated, and probably worse wine snobs.
Thanksgiving dinner will begin with a perfectly chilled glass of outstanding Champagne, and then we’ll move on to a Pinot Noir.  According to Wine Steward, that will complement the turkey perfectly.
Have a terrific Thanksgiving, and I hope you didn’t forget to go to the wine store first!
Oh, and what am I thankful for this year?  Friends who bring wine to dinner (good wine anyway,) my new iPhone and the cool wine apps, parents who let us tag along on a trip to Sonoma, and most of all family and the wonderful Denver Real Estate clients who make my work life so much fun on a daily basis.
Thank you!
Gretchen Rosenberg