• The Sought After

The Sought After

  • Start Here!
  • Escapes
    • Stylish Stays
    • Hotels
    • Weekending
    • Spas
    • London
    • Los Angeles
    • New York City
    • Paris
    • San Francisco
    • Sunday Edition
    • Travel Guides
  • Spaces
    • Before + After
    • Entertain
    • Cocktail Bars + Sought After Sips
  • Style
    • Carry-On
  • Stories
    • PR Tips from a Los Angeles PR Firm Owner
    • Entrepreneur Stories
  • Work with Me
    • My Los Angeles PR Firm
    • PR for Hotels
Play

Thirsty Thursdays: Thanksgiving Wine Guide

November 18, 2009

meg_bl_thanksgivingThanksgiving is a double-edged sword for wine lovers. On one hand, we’re surrounded by family and friends who for that one day of the year are really amenable to drinking wine in considerable quantities, while on the other hand, the diverse array of foods on the table make it extremely difficult to find wines to please all palates and compliment all fare. However, over the years a few wine styles have emerged that most wine experts can agree will fare best with both your Thanksgiving turkey as well as the unique dish that is your family tradition. Here follows an explanation of these wine styles and a choice from each category that I’ll be enjoying with my family on the fourth Thirsty Thursday of this month:

BUBBLES – Ask most sommeliers and they’ll tell you that Champagne pairs with ANYTHING. They are typically high enough in acid to cut through even the fattiest of meats, yet light enough in body to compliment the most delicate of foods like shellfish. Also, given the festive nature of the holidays, sparkling wine is the perfect accoutrement to celebrate with family and friends. Make sure to find a sparkler that is labeled ‘Brut’ (i.e. dry/low in residual sugar) and don’t be afraid to venture out of the Champagne region and try a Cava from Spain or a Cremant from the other regions of France. If you’re feeling really adventurous pick up a bottle of sparkling Shiraz from Australia…

My choice: Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace Brut Rosé ($15-19) – A 100% pinot noir sparkler, this has a beautiful coppery salmon color and a nose of bright red raspberries. The palate is reminiscent of raspberry pie with a graham cracker crust and a little whipped cream (but not sweet), and it finishes long with minerals and persistent acid.

DRY UN-OAKED HIGH-ACID WHITES – This category is fairly broad, and there are lots of excellent choices. Alsatian varietals have become Thanksgiving standards – Riesling for it’s high acid and minerals, Gewurztraminer because of it’s spice, and Pinot Gris due to it’s silky texture. Sauvignon Blanc is another good choice as it’s herbaceous notes pair well with vegetable dishes and stuffing. I would avoid oaked, new world Chardonnay (but feel free to pick up a bottle of Chablis…) as the weightier body, butter, and vanilla flavors can clash with or overpower much on your Thanksgiving table. My personal favorite is the Pinot Gris coming out of the Willamette Valley in Oregon; they’re lighter in style and zippier than your typical Italian or Californian Pinot Grigio and less likely to contain the residual sugar that can clog your Turkey-day palate.

My choice: 2008 Benton Lane Oregon Pinot Gris ($14-18) – The very pale lemon-green color belies the exciting nose of Bosc pears with a hint of wintergreen. The pears follow through to the palate along with a generous helping of sour apple. It finishes pleasantly long and almost torte-like – an easy-drinking crowd pleaser.

FRUITY LOW-TANNIN RED – Turkey is a lean and delicate meat, so many typical “big meal” reds like Napa Cabernet or Brunello di Montalcino are too high in tannin to serve at Thanksgiving. Typically people go in one of two directions: Beaujolais, which is often vinified using carbonic maceration to inhibit tannin extraction but can be too candy-like, or Zinfandel, which is big and juicy but many times with overpowering alcohol. I like Pinot Noir at Thanksgiving, especially those from the Central Otago region of New Zealand, which are unique in that they often smell and taste of wild sagebrush – a key element of most Thanksgiving stuffings.

My choice: 2006 Mt. Difficulty “Roaring Meg” Pinot Noir Central Otago ($15-20) – A holiday wine if there ever was one, stick your nose in the glass and think of a Christmas fruit cake full of Bing cherries and sweet spice. The palate is a spice bomb with hints of wild strawberry and sage. This wine cries out for dark meat so get your hands on a Turkey leg…

DESSERT WINE – Possibly the most important part of the Thanksgiving meal is dessert, so make sure you have something to drink with it… Avoid ports and other fortifieds and stick with sweet whites like Sauternes from Bordeaux, Ice Wines from Canada or Germany, or any bottle with the words “Late Harvest” on it. My dessert plate usually contains equally large helpings of pumpkin and apple pies, which both pair excellently with Hungarian Tokaji Aszu. Made using botrytisized grapes, Tokaji (pronounced toe-kai) can taste of cinnamon, honey, caramel, apricot and marmalade, is high in acid, and increases in sweetness as the number of “puttonyos” listed on the bottle gets higher – I recommend something between 3 and 5 puttonyos.

My choice: 2003 Chateau Pajzos Tokaji Aszú 3 Puttonyos ($20 and up) – Deep gold color and a nose of honey, caramel, nutmegs and dried fruit. The palate is a marmalade explosion with hints of cinnamon and apricot. It is beautifully balanced with both sweetness and acid weighing in but neither dominating nor overpowering my pumpkin pie.

Hopefully these guidelines will allow you, your family and friends to truly enjoy your holiday meal together, and as always don’t be afraid to expand your palate and try something new! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

apple pie bubbles bubbly central otago cinnamon cremant d'alsace dessert wine hungary new zealand oregon pairings pinot gris Pinot Noir pumpkin pie rose sage sparkling wine Thanksgiving tokaji turkey willamette valley wine wine pairing

0
1 Comment
Previous Find Your Holiday Spirit
Next Be Inspired in 2010

You may also like...

Salt & Spice and Everything Nice

Getty Villa Malibu

La Cuisine Paris (Guest Blogger)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Palmer says

    November 22, 2011 at 1:49 pm

    Updated recommendations for 2011:
    Bubbles – Cava from Raventos i Blanc or stick with that Lucien Albrecht Rose…

    Whites – Oregon Pinot Gris from Benton Lane, Ponzi, Chehalem, or Bethel Heights. Sancerre (Loire Valley France Sauvignon Blanc). Anderson Valley Gewurtztraminer from Londer or any producer really. Chablis.

    Reds – New Zealand Pinot Noirs from Felton Road, Mt Difficulty, Quartz Reef or Amisfield. Dry Creek Valley or Rockpile Zinfandel from Seghesio, Mauritson, Rockpile or Ridge.

    Dessert Wine – stick with Sauternes, Tokaji, Ice Wine, any white dessert wine really.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

As Seen on Style Me Pretty: A Glamorous Fall Dinner Party Under the Stars

PR for Interior Designers including why to hire a publicist and free ways to get your own publicity.

As Seen in Lonny Magazine: From Rundown Rental to Starter Chic

Sign up for The Short Story

Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest
Santa Ynez photo dump. ➡️ Highlights you shoul Santa Ynez photo dump. ➡️ Highlights you should bookmark:
Running into @christinedanuser @bettinapizzeria, The Egg in a Frame #2 at @bobswellbread (one of the best things I've ever eaten), the Scallop crudo @barlecote, finding two amazing organic tasting rooms (loved ALL the wine which is rare) @coquelicot_wines @solminerwine, dinner @bellslosalamos ✨✨✨
High above the Pacific in the Santa Monica mountai High above the Pacific in the Santa Monica mountains, we celebrated @imamandafeld 👰🏼I'd never been to this part of Malibu and it's unreal. ✨#malibu #santamonicamountains #topanga #visitcalifornia #amandaslastsplash
A look back at our weekend @thesurfridermalibu Ch A look back at our weekend @thesurfridermalibu 
Check my highlights for tips and recommendations when booking this boutique hotel in Malibu. 
✨✨✨
 #stylishstays #malibuhotel #malibucalifornia #mydayinla #boutiquehotels #luxuryhotels #visitcalifornia #losangelesstaycation #malibubeach #malibulife #malibu
Living my best life before count down NC begins ✨ @thesurfridermalibu
If you can't go to Italy... @capriclubla (thanks t If you can't go to Italy... @capriclubla (thanks to @jeffbetancourt @julesandfletchandteddy for always picking the best places) ✨✨✨#mydayinla
When you need to be inspired, staring at a compute When you need to be inspired, staring at a computer all day can be a creativity killer. So we did a team outing @moca. Don't look too close as we soon discovered this Pipilotti Rist exhibit is not exactly SFW. 🍆🌸🫣🤭
Swipe to see inside the newly opened Holloway Hous Swipe to see inside the newly opened Holloway House, the newest hotel & club from @sohohouse. Located in the former Palihouse space! Rooftop opens this weekend. Thank you @theprnet for arranging the tour ✨✨✨ #stylishstays
Copyright © 2022 The Sought After
Theme by SheShoppes

Copyright © 2022 · Avondale for Genesis On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in