WINE CHAT's Thanksgiving Wine Recommendations

No other holiday revolves as much around food as Thanksgiving.  The corollary is often pressure to choose the “right” wine to serve with the big feast, and there is abundant and divergent advice out there about that right bottle.  For the past couple of years I’ve surveyed Thanksgiving wine options, and landed on pinot noir as my choice.  There’s certainly much to commend pinot, as it’s a versatile, food-friendly wine with many good American options for those wanting to stay domestic for this national holiday. 

This year I want to branch out, and offer some non-pinot options both American and European.  Wine critics can’t even agree on something as basic as whether red or white makes sense on this holiday—despite the fact that most people are serving the same main course.  Personally, as the weather starts getting cold and the house fills with the savory smells of roasting turkey and vegetables, red is the comfort wine for me on the Thanksgiving.  But I’ll briefly offer up some white suggestions for those inclined in the white direction.

Lighter white wines with hint of sweetness like riesling or pinot gris are sometimes suggested to pick up the sweetness of items like squash and cranberry sauce.  However, I gravitate toward more medium or full-bodied whites to stand up to the hearty fare on the table.  Sauvignon blancs can be a good, flexible match, particularly Californian sauvignon blancs that tend to be drier than say New Zealand.  The 2007 Seaglass Sauvignon Blanc ($13) is a great choice in this department, with a resh bouquet, and taste of citrus and a touch of honey.  Pricier but still a good bargain for an amazing wine is the 2006 Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc ($24), half the price of their more widely sought out chardonnay.

Now, you don't want a chardonnay that has more butter than your potatoes, but two chardonnays that are nuanced enough to work with Thanksgiving are the 2005 Bearboat Chardonnay ($19) and the 2006 Rusack Chardonnay Santa Barbara ($25).  Or you could go to South America and try the 2005 Santa Rita Reserva Chardonnay ($13) from Chile.

I'll mention white Rhones blends as one more option to consider before moving to reds.  For instance, you might try the 2006 Verget du Sud Vin de Pays de Vaucluse ($10),  a blend of Marsanne and Rousanne from Provence.  This wine features a citrusy bouquet and a slight mineral undertone to provide some structure. 

For reds, I'll keep to my pledge to skip pinots this time, but still start with some American options.  Zinfandel is oft suggested for Thanksgiving being a "truly American grape" (despite its Balkan origins), with big robust, peppery flavors that can match spicy elements on the table.  The best zins I've had recently that I'd recommend are the 2006 Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel ($14) and the 2006 Francis Coppola Director's Cut Zinfandel ($19).   I believe my friend who turned me onto the Director's Cut would enter into a Faustian bargain for this sometimes hard to find wine, so if you have the opportunity to acquire  it through a simple cash transaction I suggest you do so!  Four Vines from Paso Robles and Ravenswood are two of my long-standing favorites, and you can't go wrong with their offerings.

Now the next grape is as unusual for Turkey Day as zin is common.  I was surprised last year to read the recommendation from the Wall Street Journal to serve American cabs for Thanksgiving, and decided to explore the possibility myself.  I tried the 2002 Three Saints Cabernet Sauvignon ($30) from the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara as a starting point.  The cab actually did work fairly well with a roast chicken (a whole turkey doesn't make sense for 2 of us!).  After this poultry and cabernet pairing experiment, my feeling is that a fruity cab without a lot of tannins and oak can work.  One that would qualify for a more moderate price is the 2005 Paso Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles ($15), a fruit forward cab with gentle tannins.

The wines of France and Italy have evolved over the centuries to be enjoyed with food, so it's worth seriously considering going abroad for your wine on this American holiday.  Gamay-based Beaujolais often pops up in turkey wine pairing suggestions, but I haven’t come across any recently to recommend.  But staying on the French theme, the100% cabernet franc based 2005 Dumont Chinon Loire Valley ($10) could be an interesting choice.  This one has a lot of spunk but is not overbearing the way some cab francs can be.  I think this can stand up to the many flavors of Thanksgiving.  I've got a couple bottles in my cellar and am inclined to bring one along Thursday. 

The Cotes du Rhone region is another great option for food-friendly wines that are worth a try with your turkey.  Recent ones I've had that merit consideration are the 2007 Le Privilege des Vignerons Cotes du Rhone ($12)is medium-bodied with blackberry and pepper on the taste that could pair nicely with the feast.  Another good choice is the 2005 Saint-Esprit Delas Cotes Du Rhone ($11), with violet on the bouquet and lively jammy fruit.  The wine has some good structure for a wine in this price range.

I don’t think Italian for Thanksgiving, but their wines do tend to be very food friendly, so why not?  Especially a lighter blend like this 2005 Boroli Langhe Rosso Piemonte which I recently raved about.  If I can get my hands on another bottle in the next few days it might be joining us for the holiday.  Coming back to America but staying on the blend themes, I’ll reveal one that is definitely coming along with me on Thursday...the 2006 Clayhouse Adobe Red Paso Robles ($17), an interesting blend of zin, syrah, petite syrah, and malbec.  The blend sports a smooth, cherry fruit taste with good structure, making it a good match for the feast.

Well, I hope I've covered enough ground to show there is no one right one for Thursday, but many good options out there.  Whatever you choose, may you enjoy your Thanksgiving!  Cheers!

David Crowley, Gather Food Correspondent

David enjoys sharing good food and wine with family and friends.  David writes about his wine explorations and discoveries in his column, "Wine Chat", a twice-monthly feature of Gather Essentials:  Food.   Stay tuned as more coming features will focus on food & wine pairing.  By day, David is the President and Founder of Social Capital Inc.