November Wine (and pairings)

A peak into my wine club!

Hello! If you are just picking up the Grape to Table newsletter, thanks so much for joining to learn more about wine, food, and life. There’s lots to read  – from my origin story (click here to read) to fun content focused on meaningful time at the table with delicious wine and food. For now, my newsletter is free and you can find all the content by clicking here – basically a little Grape to Table website created by the great folks at Substack. I did realize recently that you only see the various categories of past newsletters if you open this link in a browser (rather than the Substack app). It’s a shame because the categories make it easy to find content you might be interested in…so here are some more embedded links! Click here for Wine Tips. Click here for Recipes. Click here for Q & As.  As always I really appreciate when you hit the like button as it helps get the content in front of more people :) and spread the joy of wine and food! 

This is my bonus addition of the newsletter where I fill you in on my current wine club offerings, which I think you will enjoy even if you have no interest in signing up for the club and/or don’t live in Charleston. It’s a nice little look into wines that I think pair well with this time of the year and the stories behind them AND pairing ideas. Perhaps you can even find these wines at your own local wine shop! I will include the brass tacks about my wine club below in case you are interested in signing up. But feel free to scroll down to my November wine picks if you are just here for the reading!

I am honored to host my wine club out of Wine & Company (a bottle shop and wine bar) at 441 Meeting Street, corner of Meeting and Spring, in downtown Charleston, SC. That’s where you will pick up your wine if you sign up :) With the holidays approaching I should mention…that this here wine club makes a great gift for friends/family :) It’s easy for me to set it up for you to just be billed for 2 or 3 or however many months if you want to gift it. And I have a cute certificate for you to give the recipient. Just email me if interested – sarah@grapetotable.com :) 

About the wine… this is a wine club that celebrates the magic of wine and food through an exploration of small, family-run wineries and detailed pairing suggestions! I definitely draw heavily from the old world (Europe!) with an occasional new world gem thrown into the mix. All of the wines are sustainably farmed with some producers going the extra mile with organic and biodynamic practices. 

The GTT wine club is $70/month for 3 bottles that are available for pick-up on the first of each month. You can choose between my seasonal mix, all white, or all red.  But the seasonal mix is the MOST popular option for good reason!!

Most importantly – wine club is a great way to learn about new grape varieties and styles that you might not reach for yourself! If you want to join: sign up is easy and secure by clicking here!

Cheers!

Now about November’s seasonal mix offerings:

Les Hautes Terres Blanc 
Grapes: 50% Mauzac 40% Chardonnay 10% Chenin 
Region: Languedoc, France 
Story: This yummy white is from Geneviève and Gilles Azam and their winery on the very edge of the Languedoc region in southwestern France. They are at the very top of a summit that’s covered in jutting limestone rocks. It requires some courage to farm here, and their importer says that’s embodied perfectly by Geneviève and Gilles. They have worked for 20 years to build the domaine, and now they help out a lot of smaller winemakers, offering equipment and expertise. (Oh and of course they farm organically!) (Btw, if you are scratching your head at the Mauzac grape, yes, this is a traditional grape of southwestern France, and most often seen in the traditional sparkling of the region – Blanquette de Limoux.)
Pairing: My tasting notes for this beauty are: apple, pear, white flowers, minerality – makes me thirsty just reading that description!  And all of those descriptors plus a nice amount of acidity are just what I am looking for in a Thanksgiving wine. Truthfully, I am probably most happy drinking white or rosé with the traditional turkey feast, and this would be perfect! I would also love it with my butternut squash soup recipe that I just made for the first time since last year.

Domaine Marion Pral Beaujolais Rosé
Grape: 100% Gamay from 45 year old vines
Region: Beaujolais, France 
Story: Domaine Marion Pral is located in the southernmost tip of the Beaujolais region, and Pascal Chatelus works with his wife Marion and their family to make pure, delicious wines like this rosé. Yep, there is indeed some rosé in the Beaujolais, and it’s always made from Gamay! The Chatelus/Pral family farms sustainably and makes a great Beaujolais Blanc and of course terrific red wines as well. And adding to this great story I have some more good news…this wine is from an importer based in The River Arts District of Asheville, NC.  Despite the total destruction of their office, owner Philippe Bourgeois has given his house (the only one in his neighborhood not severely damaged) to FEMA to use as a base. To show support his local distributor Grassroots is donating 100% of the gross profit of any Bourgeois wine sold in October: half to World Central Kitchen and half directly to Philippe to support his rebuilding/community efforts. So by featuring it in wine club this month – we are all helping this noble cause.
Pairing: Why of course this rosé would be lovely with Thanksgiving stuff! But it would also go great with so many things – including just chilling on your porch/deck/etc. soaking up the weather. I have also had a hankering to make this quite simple Miso Ramen recipe that I came across in a cookbook that I bought for a friend’s child and then kept for myself (I know!). It’s from NYT food writer Priya Krishna, and it’s her new cookbook for kids (but evidently for adults too!). Check it out: Priya’s Kitchen Adventure’s

Santalba Que Vida Rioja
Grape: Garnacha
Region: Rioja Alta, Spain 
Story: Father-and-son  Santiago and Roberto Ijalba represent the second and third generation of Ijalba landowners. Santiago's father used to cultivate vineyards for prominent Rioja estates, but Santiago felt impelled to develop his own wine. So, in 1998, he came up with a name that combined elements of "Santiago'' and "Ijalba," and established Bodegas Santalba in the heart of Rioja. The Ijalbas encourage biodiversity in their vineyards and avoid pesticides in all their vineyards. Any outside grapes come from carefully selected family-run vineyards within a 15 minute tractor ride of their headquarters. Que Vida is one of their side projects that is meant to be fun, drink-now juice! They say that: “In many villages in the Rioja Alta area, the greeting "Que Vida" represents the idea of simple countryside life. This style of wine is traditionally poured by the glass at bars in the villages where "Que Vida" is said.”
Pairing: I KNOW this would be an awesome turkey wine!! Similar in some ways to a Pinot Noir or Beaujolais but at the same time something different! Definitely serve it with a slight chill on it and introduce your family to the Que Vida life! Btw, f you are like me and not cooking at home this year then why not still plan on procuring a turkey to enjoy on its own. I am buying a smoked turkey from Ted’s Butcherblock specifically to make my gumbo! Will try to finally finalize that recipe and get it on Substack! 

P.S. If you are already in holiday mode I have a great way for you to give back to the community if you live in Charleston or elsewhere for that matter! The restaurant here in CHS where I run the wine program, Edmund’s Oast, will be once again hosting a Toy/Food Drive for a local non-profit – Be Impactful! See all details below – would love to get an early start on stocking up for this great local organization. 

Toy/Food Drive for Be Impactful Foundation:

For the next five weeks we are collecting toys and dinner box donations to benefit North Charleston families at the third annual “Be Impactful” Holiday Community festival. Founder Deron Gadsden is a native of North Charleston who started Be Impactful in Texas (where he now lives and works as an engineer). But in 2022 he expanded to give back to the community where he started! The festival will be held on December 14, and we are taking donations until December 6. If you can’t make it in you can feel free to mail donations via Amazon/etc to: 

Edmund’s Oast attn: Supply Drive, 1081  Morrison Dr, Charleston, SC 29403

Donations needed:

Toys & Games (ages 3 to 17)

Dinner Box Donations:

Cornbread/Stuffing/Dressing Mix

Cranberry Sauce (canned)

Canned Vegetables