Thanksgiving
A day for family, friends and great meals with amazing wine. Well, what are you pouring?
Here’s what I recommend for the perfect day of sipping the good stuff in even better company.
In General - keep it light. No need to pour anything full bodied…don’t be that person speaking gibberish before sitting down to the table. Plus, most flavors on the dinner table aren’t too aggressive and you won’t want to overpower them with a robust wine in flavor or texture. Select wines that everyone will like. This is not the time to break out the esoteric stuff. Err on the side of being inclusive and pick something with a strong ‘yum factor’ and you’ll be a hero. Lastly, since you’ll likely open several bottles, do some side-by-side tasting to give yourself some context! Pour them blind for others so there’s no preconceived notions about what they think they should or shouldn’t like.
Sparkling wine - pop it early and keep it going all day. The fizz will immediately get your taste buds ready for a long day. The low alcohol (sparkling is rarely over 12.5%) will help you maintain all day…this is a marathon, don’t make an early exit. The high acid and delicate flavors will complement almost anything on your plate.
White wine - avoid too much oak and anything too heavy. Go for a dry riesling (or even off dry), Chablis or sauvignon blanc. These are all people-pleasers with zippy acidity and easy to enjoy as a cocktail wine while watching football or during pre-dinner snacks. Open a couple different whites and see what people like and encourage everyone to mix-n-match food pairings.
Red wine - fruit and acid are your friends, tannins less so. Thanksgiving is prime time for Beaujolais and Burgundy. These wines are delicious, dangerously easy to drink and with a nice mix of fruit, earthiness, low tannin and fresh acidity. If you want a heavier pinot noir, grab something from California. The tough part here can be cost. Beaujolais can provide great value but don’t go too cheap or you might miss. Burgundy and California can be expensive, but if you know your producers, you can find some gems at a reasonable price and won’t feel bad about continuing to pull corks because everyone loves them so much.
Sweet wine - you know you want dessert and you might as well drink it, too. Sauternes is my go-to because of those luscious honey, marmalade and spice flavors, not to mention the well balanced acidity, go well with most fruit and spice desserts found at the end of the big meal. If you’re a Port enthusiast, lean towards a 20 year tawny but this might also be a good time to pull the cork on that vintage bottle since you have plenty of people to share it with.
At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that everyone enjoyed their time together on Thanksgiving. My hope is that your wine selections made part of your holiday meal that much better.
Champagne Marie-Noelle Ledru Ambonnay Grand Cru NV @champagnemarienoelleledru
Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Mileu 2019 @domainebillaudsimon
Jean Foillard Beaujolais Morgon Cote du Py 2017 #jeanfoillard
Chateau Guiraud 1er Cru Sauternes 2003 @chateauguiraud
