THANKSGIVING WINES

Hello everyone. I thought it might be fun to have a thread on wine selection for the big American holiday. Opinions differ on the perfect wines to accompany the traditional meal. At our home, we drink mostly French, Italian and New Zealand during the year, but for the quintessential American holiday, it's all American wine (even the sparklers). Over the next couple of weeks I'll post suggestions and hope you do the same. Tell me what you are serving, especially the stuffing, the sides, the gravies, turkey alternatives, and I'll do my best to suggest specific wines to consider. I hope that others will do the same.
Interested?

 

Let's begin with aperitif....nothing like a glass with bubbles to set a festive mood. Two of the best American sparkling wines are from the earliest French invaders...Taittinger and Roederer. I recommend the Taittinger Brut and Blanc de Noir. Roederer's Estate has been the reviewers' favorite for many years....you can't go wrong. For an extra level of elegance, try their L'Ermitage

 

Second in the series....Riesling. Dry Riesling is a great way to accompany turkey with gravy...the acid and crispness of the wines cuts through the fat of the gravy These wines have character, freshness and are low in alcohol. I recommend: Eroica...widely available from Ch. Ste. Michelle in Washington State. Two great NY State wineries making terrific rieslings are Dr. Konstantin Frank and Ravines. (Ravines makes a wonderful PN but more on that later). If you can find it, try a bottle of Forge Cellars Riesling...small quantities made. Except for the Forge, these wines are meant to be drunk young, so find the latest vintages available.

 

For those of you still planning on Thanksgiving, we are staying with the white wines in this post. Many of us know pinot grigio..the same grape in the U.S. is mostly known as Pinot Gris. This is a nice, round, flavorful white...almost always non-oaked. It does not have quite the sharpness/fizziness of the grigio. In keeping with my thoughts of offering suggestions from different regions, I have three for your consideration: widely available and always a great QPR is the King Estates (OR). They make a lower level pinot gris called Acrobat that I do not recommend. In California, the sparkling wine maker "J" (part of Jordan winery) also makes a very nice pinot gris. In NY state, the lovely Four Graces pinot gris is worth seeking out. These wines go well with white meat of turnkey, lighter sauces, and will also compliment any fish or shellfish sides.

 

Next up...Rhone style Whites. These wines are the "anti-Chardonnay" and have the spice, complexity and body to stand up to the variety of T-giving foods. In the U.S. Rhone style usually means the Paso Robles area of Cali. Bonny Doon (and one of the original Rhone Ranger winemakers, Founder Randall Graham) makes a terrific, value priced Le Cigare Volante White. Also look for the blends from Tablas Creek and Zaca Mesa. These are widely available and in the under $ 35 category. A terrific Wine to seek out is the McPrice Myers Terra Blanche. These Rhone style wines are a blend of two or more grapes (Rousanne, Picpoul, Viognier, etc.) Drink up!

 

I have had expressions of interest about Chardonnay but I infrequently drink American Chardonnay. Many have too much oak to compliment a turkey unless you are smoking it. I can't make any recommendations; don't know enough about it. Next post we will turn to reds. Sorry.

 

Hello Tom. I fully agree and you and I have similar tastes. For Thanksgiving (see post # 1) I choose all American wines. Next comes Rhone style red: syrah, Grenache, and blends recommended to compliment the Turkey and all the sides.

 

For Thanksgiving reds, the Rhone Rangers and Pinot Noir is my favorite. For those of you who like Cabs, you are on your own. If you like flavorful, spicy, sometimes minty mouthfuls of sturdy but not overpowering wine, look to these vineyards producing Rhone style reds (Pinot Noir tomorrow). In California, the same two wineries I mentioned above produce terrify wines for the price: Zaca Mesa and Tablas Creek. Look also for Justins (their Syrah is terrific) and Beckman labels. Adelaida shows up on lots to top value lists but I haven't had a chance to taste it.

 

In Oregon, two wineries stand out in Syrah/Grenache and they are Folin and Jaxon. These wines are generally under $ 30 and are ready to drink upon release. Gives these Rhone blends about a half hour to an hour of air time prior to serving.

 

Last post of this series and my favorite Thanksgiving wine: Pinot Noir. For a bargain priced bottle, see if you can find "The Pinot Project". Should be under $ 20...purchased Cali grapes made by a winemaker who knows what's going on. I have tried to recommend wines from different regions, and I am again touting Ravines, a NY Finger Lakes wine that is beautiful and fairly priced. There is a separate thread in this section of Oregon PN but let me highlight Dom. Drouhin, Dom. Serene, Yamhill, Panther Creek, and Bethel Heights. In Cali PN, try Patz and Hall, Gary Farrell and at a mid price point the Au Bon Climat selections are always tasty. Drink up everyone and Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours. Keith

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all and enjoy your time with family and friends. One of my best friend's daughter had twins last night...boys and Mum doing well, so we all have a little something extra to celebrate. Open some bubbles, boys!