Is there anything better to pair Thanksgiving with other than your favorite bottle of red, white, sparkling, or rosé? Thanksgiving Dinner is very versatile because you have a variety of foods on your plate. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and even yams. It can be frightening to some who aren’t sure what “perfect” wine to choose. The good news is you have the Docta to help you pick your special wine on Thanksgiving. Let’s get to the wines:
Whites:
1. Riesling(“Reese-ling”): This white wine can either be bone dry or fairly sweet, and it's excellent with any spicy, salty, or sweet dishes. Whether from Alsace or Germany (the best), or Domestic(WA or Finger Lakes), Riesling wines are a top pick for a Thanksgiving dinner white wine. A good way of indicating how sweet or dry a Riesling is, check its ABV content. If it’s higher, it will be drier, if it’s lower, it will be sweeter! For EXAMPLE, 8.5% ABV Riesling will be sweet, 11.0% ABV Riesling will be dry, and somewhere around 9.5%-10.5% will be off-dry or semi-sweet. Riesling’s innate flavors of apple, apricot, and honey, and its clarifying acidity give it a significant pairing edge with sweet potatoes, turkey, and spiced or herb-filled stuffing.
2. Gewurztraminer(“ga-vurtz-tra-me-ner”): Simply delicious, this white wine tends to have aromatic gusto and spicy palate appeal. Gewurztraminer makes a solid standing with turkey and gravy, bringing out the best in both. Is this wine sweet? Not always. However, because Gewürztraminer is an aromatic grape like Muscat (Moscato), Riesling, and Torrontés, it will have an inherently sweet flavor simply due to the smell. Generally, Gewürztraminer has a gram or two of residual sugar (RS). But because of the heightened aromatics, higher alcohol, and lower acidity, many Gewürztraminers taste sweeter than they are. Fruit flavors are lychee, grapefruit, pineapple, peach, apricot, orange, and cantaloupe, with honey, rose, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, and sometimes even smoke! The acidity is not that high, more medium (-).
3. Sauvignon Blanc (“saw-vin-yawn blonk”): Known for its citrus-based flavors that can be surrounded by herb or mineral undertones, depending on where it comes from. Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand will have nuances of grapefruit, passionfruit, grass, and mineral tones. Sauvignon Blanc from France or domestically (USA) will resemble tropical fruits, this crisp white is a prime pairing candidate for turkey and mashed potatoes.
4. Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio(“pee-no gree”): Capable of handling garlic and onions, herbs, and rich, flavorful, high-fat dishes, this white wine is a natural for the demands of Thanksgiving Day. A wine with good acidity can cut through that fat like a squeeze of lemon on fried fish, making it feel less rich and heavy (and, typically, inspiring you to eat more). Whether you choose, Italian, French(native), or one from Domestic, this light-body varietal can be a perfect accompaniment to your Thanksgiving dinner!
5. Chardonnay(“shar-dun-nay”): No matter which region you look to, you can't go wrong in pairing Chardonnay with your turkey. Although the grape's expressions vary worldwide, the wine's crisp acidity, mineral undertones, and fruit-forward nature bring out the best that turkey offers. Old World expressions, particularly from France, will generally show more minerality and citrus-driven notes. In contrast, New World expressions from the USA, Australia, or South America will tend to show juicier, stone fruit flavors and buttery and oaky styles. Best of all? Chardonnay is a great choice for basting turkey and sipping alongside said preparation.
6. Albarino(“alba-reen-yo”): Although these grapes aren’t very well known, shake up things at the dinner table. It’s a great impression on guests who want to try different things and will still do an excellent job pairing well with Thanksgiving dinner. Albarino, native to Spain is a light-bodied, dry, highly acidic wine. With notes of lemon zest, grapefruit, honeydew, nectarine, and saline (influences from the Iberian Peninsula and succinic acid).
7. Viognier(“vee-own-yay”): Viognier, native to France, is also mainly used as a blending grape but does so well on its own. This wine is light to medium-bodied, with low acidity, and medium alcohol, wine. With notes of tangerine, peach, mango, honeysuckle, & rose. Viognier tends to be a rich, oily white wine that can oftentimes be aged in oak.
Reds:
1. Pinot Noir(“pee-no nwar”): A traditional favorite for Thanksgiving dinner and probably the most popular out of the whole bunch, both red and white. Pinot Noir is a light to medium bodied, low tannic, medium acidic wine. With notes of cherry, raspberry, clove, mushroom, and vanilla. Pinot Noir can come from virtually anywhere in the world, but most famous in the Burgundy(native), Oregon(specializers), California, Germany (Spatburgunder), New Zealand, and many more!
2. Syrah(“sear-ah”): The Syrah (or Shiraz *Australia*) grape can bring a spicy edge or a meaty character to the table. It often increases the complexity while graciously handling the cornucopia of flavors in a traditional Thanksgiving meal. The prevalent peppery notes of Syrah partner well with herb-infused stuffing and both white and dark turkey meat. Syrah is native to France, but also grown in California, Washington, and Australia.
3. Beaujolais & Beaujolais Noveau(“bo-shjo-lay & bo-shjo-lay noo-voh”): Beaujolais Noveau, probably the most well-known wine that is the first wine released the same year it is picked and bottled. Noveau goes through a carbonic maceration process, which essentially is a process that turns the wine into a fruitier wine and softens its tannins. A winemaker skips stemming and crushing and instead puts full bunches of grapes into steel fermentation tanks that are sealed and filled with carbon dioxide, creating an anaerobic atmosphere without any oxygen. Once Gamay the grape that is used in Beaujolais, hits the granite soils, it makes some really unique wines. There are 10 crus in Beaujolais, they are listed from lighter to fuller, to age worthy. Lighter: Chiroubles(“shee-roobl”), Fleurie(“fluh-ree”), St.-Amour(“sen-ta-moor”), Fuller: Brouilly(“broo-yee”), Cote de Brouilly(Kote-de-broo-yee”), Julienas(“jool-yeh-nah”), Regnie(“ray-nyay”), Age-Worthy: Chenas(“shey-na”), Molin-a-vent(“moo-leng-ah-ven”), Morgon(more-gon”). You also have Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Village, which the village (VILL-LAHGE) is better because it comes from a specific village.
4. Zinfandel(“zin-fan-dell”): Not many think of Zinfandel when they think of Red wine pairings for Thanksgiving. This wine variety pairs exceptionally well with turkey. Zinfandel 's fruit profile and body pairs well with both dark and light turkey cuts. The drink is the perfect choice of wine if you would like to go for a red with more oomph than Pinot Noir.
5. Sangiovese(“san-jo-vay-zay”): While not a classic a go-to wine like Pinot Noir or Beaujolais, Sangiovese can be an excellent choice for pairing with turkey. Its subtly spicy flare helps bring out more unique, savory flavors in your turkey. Pick a Sanigovese to emphasize vibrant fruit flavors without overpowering other tastes. Because it is not as noticeably oaky as some other reds, a young Sangiovese with fresh, fruity flavors makes an excellent choice.
SPARKLING:
6. Champagne(“sham-pain”): No holiday is a true celebration until a bottle of bubbly gets popped, and Thanksgiving is no exception. As much as we love bubbles from other areas around the globe, for special holidays as such, we recommend springing for the real stuff. High in acid, insanely food-friendly, and just about as festive as it gets, Champagne might be the best wine to sip with turkey, pre-dinner, post-dinner, and every second in between.
DESSERT WINE:
As for dessert, such as Pumpkin Pie, you are going to want a late-harvest wine, such as a Riesling. If you like Sherry, a Pedro-Ximenez or Cream sherry, or if you are a port lover, a 10-year Tawny Port will do!
Comments