As promised, Paul and I had a “friend-giving” potluck, where we invited over a bunch of friends for a pre-holiday dinner. We road-tested several wines that I think would go nicely with a variety of turkey feasts.

Inspired by Stephen Colbert and his genius “Better Know a District” segment, I’m kicking off an occasional feature profiling some lesser-known grapes. First up: Petit Verdot.

Alcohol is the most obvious component of wine — but the hardest to talk about. We’re all familiar with its effects on us, both good and bad, but we’re much less conscious of how alcohol influences the way a wine tastes and feels in our mouth.

Saturday night’s Spin the Bottle launch event at Heights Chateau was, if I do say so myself, quite the success. There was a great crowd, the folks at Heights were so kind to let me host my event there, Sarah’s flowers were lovely, and oh yes, the wines.

It’s not easy to recommend Thanksgiving wines because it’s such a wildly varied meal. So instead of specific picks, here are some guidelines I like to follow when choosing and serving wine for the holiday.

Many thanks to all of you for being a part of this fledgling STBNY community. You’re all invited to celebrate with me at a tasting this Saturday, November 14, from 5-7 pm at Heights Chateau …

I am a big fan of cooking meat with white wine. Its acidity and freshness nicely balances the richness of the meat, particularly in slow-cooked beef and lamb dishes, and opens up new pairing possibilities.

One of the best-known food and wine matching “rules” is white wine + fish, red wine + meat. While there are some exceptions on both sides (salmon + Pinot Noir and choucroute garnie + Alsatian Riesling are both winning combos), in general, it’s not a bad rule of thumb — especially on the fish side.

Well hello there! So glad you could stop by. Welcome to Spin the Bottle, my little corner of the Internet. Before you start wandering around, here’s a quick tour to help you get your bearings.

Sadly, my lifestyle and my wallet don’t lend themselves to as much Champagne consumption as I would like. Fortunately for me (and you), there are some much more accessible options that should come in very handy as we approach this Recession-challenged holiday season.