The Finishing Touch for the Thanksgiving Feast
We look forward to this every year – the Thanksgiving Feast! Foods that have come to define family traditions. The quintessential “comfort food” meal. A great way to add some creativity to your Thanksgiving Feast, while honoring the traditions, is with your choice of wine.
If you find yourself intimidated by the task of pairing wine for a traditional Thanksgiving Feast, just keep these simple guidelines in mind. First, turkey is a lean and delicate meat, and many of the other dishes will have the fresh flavors of the season. The flavors and textures of the meal can be overwhelmed by heavy wines like cabernet sauvignon or oaky chardonnays. A lighter, fresher wine is called for.
I’m a red wine fanatic myself, so my thoughts are always heading that direction. There are classic Thanksgiving pairings among the light reds. Especially Gamay, like the fine French Beaujolais; or Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is grown all over the world, and it takes on more of the characteristics of “place”, or as the French say “terroir”, than other grapes. For a Thanksgiving pairing, look for a lighter, fruit-forward Pinot Noir, like those from New Zealand or the Willamette Valley of Oregon. At Wandering Vine we feature Ponzi Pinot Noir, which is an excellent choice for the traditional Thanksgiving Feast.
But, let’s not stop with the traditional options. Barberas are also a great and more creative option. Or an Italian Montepulciano. Or let’s consider something closer to home – the Flatlander Zinfandel Chambourcin from Grace Hill Winery here in Kansas brings a great fruit forward style in a fresh, low tannin red wine. Or, here’s a festive idea – a Lambrusco. Lambruscos are lightly sparkling red wines which have been produced in Northern Italy from native varieties since the Roman times.
And there are several wonderful options to please the white wine drinkers. Sauvignon Blanc is a traditional choice for the Thanksgiving Feast. A New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, like the Craggy Range on our wine list, is a very good choice. Or, even better, a Sancerre. Sancerre is a region of the Loire Valley of Northwest France which has been producing wine from the time of the Roman empire, and produces excellent Sauvignon Blanc.
A great way to show off your “wine credentials” would be to serve a Condrieu. This region of France is in the Northern Rhone valley and produces wine exclusively from the Viognier grape. These wonderful wines are produced in a very small area in very small quantity. At Wandering Vine we offer Pierre Jean Villa Jardin Suspendu – a classic example of the best of Condrieu. Or, keep it local with Grace Hill Vignoles. Vignoles is the official state white wine grape of Kansas, and shares many of the same wine characteristics as Viognier.
What to do when it is time for the pumpkin pie? In a word: Gewürztraminer. A wine with pronounced floral and spice notes. The word Gewürz means spice in German. The best of these wines are from the French area of Alsace, on the German border. They are available in a range from dry to sweet, but even the dry versions seem mildly sweet on the palate because of the floral aromas. Laurent Barth Gewürztraminer, which we feature here at Wandering Vine, is a marvelous example.
OK, so I didn’t really answer the question: “what wine should I serve with Thanksgiving dinner?”. The world of wine is for wandering, and I have tried to give you many promising paths to explore. And a great way to make your selections is to come to the Castle for dinner soon and try these wines for yourself!
