What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD)

For the last five years, my wife's parents have hosted Thanksgiving dinner in Walla Walla. It has become an annual tradition to bring both sides of our family together to celebrate and give thanks, making this holiday a truly unique occasion.

Moms, dads, brothers, sisters, and friends from both clans have come from near and far each year for this special gathering. As a result, an extraordinary bond has been established over the years between our respective parents and siblings.

This year's Thanksgiving was yet another fun celebration, although it went by far too fast, with us visiting for just a few days. In fact, I was unable to get out and experience wineries this time, as there just wasn't enough time. Nevertheless, there was a smorgasbord of local wines to try while dining out in Walla Walla and eating in on turkey day.

We enjoyed a good dinner at Creek Town Cafe with two delightful wines, the 2006 Seven Hills Pinot Gris Oregon (13.5% alcohol) and the 2005 Amavi Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley (13.9% alcohol). Both wines were very food friendly, offering low alcohol and good acidity, and reasonably priced.

I was especially fond of the Amavi, the less expensive cousin of Pepper Bridge cabernet. Both wines are comprised of Pepper Bridge and Seven Hills fruit and are made by the same winemaker, Jean-François Pellet. I can't wait to drink the '05 Amavi Cabernet Sauvignon again.

My father-in-law, Bob, brought a 2001 Isenhower Cellars Columbia Valley River Beauty Syrah along as well, which provided for a delicious finish to our meal. I didn't order dessert, as this wine provided just what was needed after a hearty meal on a cold night.

I later learned that Creek Town Cafe has gone through some changes in the kitchen (new chef), which might explain why my and other folks' meals weren't as good as on previous occasions. Fortunately, the service remains strong and the wine list continues to offer a good selection. I hope Creek Town is able to hit its stride again, as this has been one of the better places to dine.

The next evening, we had reservations at Luscious, a favorite of my wife, Kari, and her mom. I arrived with pretty lofty expectations, which Luscious easily met living up to its reputation. The menu offers a great cross-section of local food and cooking styles, but all of us were eyeing the duck breast, accompanied by a port reduction raspberry sauce, mashed yam potatoes, and baby bok choy.

For such a varied menu, the wine list seemed spartan with only a half dozen local whites and reds available. We opted for the 2006 Seven Hills Pinot Gris Oregon again, as why mess with something good? The local reds on the list seemed a bit over the top, as the duck already came with a well-balanced, fruity reduction.

Based on our server's recommendation, I went with the 2006 Balboa Cat's Meow (14.1% alcohol), which is the label of Tom Glase, a winemaker at Beresan Winery. Paul Gregutt profiled Tom in a Seattle Times wine column last month. Although the name and label are cheesy, this red blend was a surprise hit with our meal. I liked the screwcap top, which required two servers to open, providing a bit of entertainment at our table for what is supposed to be an easy-to-open closure.

As to our Thanksgiving meal, the food was outstanding and the wines were plentiful. Like the guests at the table, there were over a dozen wines from near and far, with a 2005 Stoller JV Pinot Noir and a French beaujolais, a name which I can't recall, being my favorites.

As evidenced by my lack of descriptions here, the occasion was less focused on wine and more about catching up with one another. For it was family and friends enjoying the food and wine, which made for a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration.