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Richmond Wine Stock

We've made a pact: No Beaujolais Nouveau this November. No third Thursday tastings of the just bottled gamay grape juice inoculated with artificial yeasts and sometimes, boosted with sugar.   No celebrating the 2008 harvest with wine rushed to sale in its infancy.   No buying into the George DuBouef marketing juggernaut that is Beaujolais Nouveau.

Who are we? We are a group of Richmond.com writers and one-time restaurant gypsies doing our bit to support local wines this holiday season --- by not drinking Beaujolais Nouveau. And, while we are pricking our fingers, we've made one more promise. We will only buy the wine from an independently run wine shop owned by a Richmonder who has their own sweat and blood invested in the business.

I adore the French (and their wine), but want to contribute to our local economy, especially since Virginia wine is mainly sold to Virginians or tourists. There won't be much Virginia viognier sipped in Paris this year.

Now, nouveau, we know as an   easy-to-drink adult Kool-Aid released at the end of November with aplomb in two big drops, the first by air (talk about carbon footprint) and the second by sea, but Virginian wine, we don't know as much as we should, considering we live in the state in which it is fermented.

So we went to Ryan Adams of The Country Vintner , one of the largest distributors of Virginia wine in the area, and asked for tutelage. Ryan brought a selection of Virginia wines that will be easy to order at local wine shops, including two made from the grapes Virginia is best known for, viognier and cabernet franc.

Next, we asked the winemakers for their suggestions on how to pair the wines with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, including foods such as oysters, cranberries, herb stuffing and turkey. Turkey is a white meat with subtle flavors that change according to how it is served, so the focus of the pairings is on the bird's accoutrements or the spices it is cooked with, rather than the bird itself.

2007 Rappahannock Cellars Seyval Blanc Virginia $19

Seyval Blanc is a French-American hybrid grape planted in the cooler regions of North America. It was originally developed to combat the challenge of growing vinifera grapes, such as chardonnay, on the East Coast. This white wine has been called the poor man's Chablis. It is crisp and fruity and would make a good aperitif with runny cheeses or oysters.

"Our 2007 Seyval Blanc is stainless-steel fermented (no oak) and 100percent Seyval Blanc. It is completely dry (no residual sugar). Its style is austere, aromatic, and with bright acidity, so it would pair best with more robust dishes such as seasoned turkey, ham and asparagus, " Jason Burrus , Winemaker, Rappahannock Cellars.

NV Virginia Wineworks White 65percent Viognier 35percent Vidal Blanc Virginia $15

"Wineworks white is a great match for turkey and ham. It has a fresh crisp acidity and lively fruit which can match nicely with either style dinner. The acidity will hold up to either cranberry or any pineapple sauce." Michael Shaps .

2006 Whitehall Vineyard Viognier $20

"I asked our winemaker, Mike Panczak, his opinion on pairing our Viognier with a Thanksgiving dinner and he said a favorite dish of his has always been dressing (or stuffing, depending on where you're from) with sautéed oysters in it. The breading and seafood flavors pair wonderfully with the citrus and honeysuckle flavors of the wine," Shannon Rooke , replying for White Hall Vineyards.

2007 Michael Shaps Monticello Cabernet Franc $34

"The Cabernet Franc is not appropriate for Thanksgiving, it is too young and tannic. It is a heavily extracted style that is more like a Bordeaux than a Loire style cabernet franc. It was aged in 100 percent French oak, with 50 percent being new French oak and aged for one year," Michael Shaps, winemaker.

While not a match for Thanksgiving dinner, this bottle says "thank you" to the cook for their hard work. Pick one up and present it to your host this year with instructions to drink it one day and think of you.

2007 Jefferson Vineyards Petit Verdot Virginia $21

Not everyone has turkey or ham on their Thanksgiving table. My family serves beef, or sometimes, lamb as well as fowl, and we need a wine to cut through the fat marbled in the meat. This cabernet franc has good grip, so it does just that -- reduces the richness of the red meat with cleansing tannins. Jefferson Petit Verdot is spicy with woodsy, as well as, cherry flavors. It would also go well with the Thanksgiving dinner served in the movie "A Christmas Story" --   roast duck with plum sauce.

2007 Rockbridge V d'Or Virginia White $29

A decadent dessert wine with 15 percent residual sugar, this wine is a broiled pineapple reduction in a glass. Holiday gatherings are the perfect time to drink dessert. It isn't often that we have the time to linger after a meal with a bottle of liquid gold. I prefer sipping wine to eating pie and usually have dessert wines by themselves, but, this wine goes well with Roquefort, fruit and biscotti if you'd like to pair it.