Thanksgiving morning and the house was already a hive of activity. My Bride was preparing for some thirty people to come over for the holiday and I try to keep a low profile, until I am called for. She was concerned, because the largest turkey she could find was an eighteen-pound bird, so she bought an additional turkey breast as well. There was also concern because she had to make two batches of stuffing, because some didn’t want to have any stuffing that had been in the birds, which she normally mixes with the balance of the stuffing that she makes, so she made one complete pot of stuffing that was chaste. She also made her famous Caesar dressing without anchovies, because of some that were allergic to those tasty little fish. She was trying to get some of the dishes prepared early as there was a huge tenderloin to deal with as well, not to mention all of the sides that are needed for the meal.

Some of the guests actually showed up at the proper time suggested, as they were making their strategic battle plans for shopping on the next day. The table in the breakfast nook were covered with the advertisements from the papers, which is fine for them, as our shopping had already been finished, in fact the packages were already wrapped and bundled by families. The day before she had also mailed the cards with the newsletters and had even shipped the parcel for the Las Vegas families as well, she is very organized. If I had one complaint is that the newspaper which normally costs two dollars, charges five dollars for the Thanksgiving issue and I think that is outrageous, considering all the extra income the paper receives for the advertisements any ways. We tried to clear the table to place appetizers out for the punctual guests. We had a pâté that was just wonderful, as I was afraid that I would eat the entire plate along with mustards and cornichons. There were plenty of different cheeses set out, and for the aged white cheddar, we also had drizzled honey on the slices. My problem is that I can usually make my entire meal just from the munchies.

I tried to proselytize the concept of wine to those that usually say that our wines are too dry. I had filled one of the refrigerators with some wines that need chilling and I even put some wine that I thought would win over the nay-sayers. I opened up a bottle of Chateau Thivin Beaujolais Villages Rosé 2016. Chateau Thivin has been around for about six-hundred years and is in the heart of Brouilly in the Beaujolais region. This wine naturally is made from Gamay Noir a Jus Blanc and after the grapes are macerated the juice is left with the skins for a natural coloring and this fruit is from vines averaging fifty years in age. After the one day, the juice is fermented in Stainless Steel to maintain the fruit. It may have been the best Rosé I have had all year and they all agreed to try it, but to wine lovers it was great, but to those on fence, it just was still to dry. Our Daughter-in-Law brought a bottle of wine that was the hit of the early guests. She brought a bottle of Fenn Valley Vineyards Red Currant Wine NV. Fenn Valley Vineyards is from the west side of Michigan near Lake Michigan and they offer a wide range of wines not only made from grapes, but from other fruits as well, plus they are known for the charity events that they host from time to time. This winery in Fennville has a slogan “the lake effect everyone loves” playing off of the fact that the lake effect there in the winter brings extra snow-fall, but during the summer it allows a great climate for growing and harvesting grapes. The red currant that this wine was made from is a member of the gooseberry family and creates a sweeter wine that was a hit for the non-vinifera crowd.  I always think that today’s fruit wine drinker may become tomorrow’s wine drinker.   The Thanksgiving holiday was off to a great start.