Last year about this time I posted some suggestions for Thanksgiving wines. Although I contributed a piece about this off-site earlier this week, I don’t think I have much to add to the great write-ups I’ve already seen in the wine blogosphere. In no particular order, check out these:
The good Dr. Vino got the ball rolling with some interesting suggestions starting with the food friendly Sauvignon Blanc, then turning to Cru Beaujolais, an Aussie Grenache and a few other obscure wines. His dessert wine, a late harvest Viognier from Argentina, sounds like something that I’ll look for around town this week.
Then Lenn blogged the traditional Pinot Noir and Riesling match. He also said he’ll serve some NY bubbly as a starter; a very nice choice.
Alder makes some great recommendations over at Vinography. Champagne, Grenache and Gewurztraminer sound tasty and it’s good to see him not sit this one out like last year.
The Wine Cask Blog makes some good suggestions starting with Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel. I agree on the last two, but most New World Cab’s would overpower the bird IMHO. Perhaps they were thinking about some Bordeaux, as they do point out that an aged Cabernet is a good idea. Riesling, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc are the whites mentioned; no argument here.
And finally, the Thanksgiving For All blog has quite a list of recommendations starting at $5 and topping out at around $50. They even suggest the widely disliked White Zinfandel, a bold, but logical choice (as a bonus, listen to Blake Gray’s comments about white Zin on the latest Chronicle Wines podcast).
For our table I haven’t yet decided what to match with the turkey and side dishes. Since everything will be on the savory side, it will probably be just reds. Perhaps a southern Rhône blend or Merlot with some age on it. For starters, I think I’ll try the Joseph Drouhin Beaujolais Nouveau 2006 I picked up Thursday. I’ll post my final choices on Thursday.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
I believe holiday meals provide an opportunity for those less experienced to discover wine and understand it better. I’ve been checking the blogs and have enjoyed seeing everyone’s suggestions.
Looking ahead, I have seen several articles built around the common Christmas metaphor – 12 Wines of Christmas – and found it an entertaining approach to offer some suggestions to select and buy the best wines for a holiday dinner.
For the novice, I enjoyed http://www.100bestwines.com/articles/the12winesofchristmas.htm approach, since I feel there are many people that miss out on the enjoyment of wine because they fear choosing incorrectly or see choosing a wine as snobbish endeavor.
For what it’s worth, I’m having a Zinfandel with my Thanksgiving turkey. 🙂
Interesting idea about the 12 days of Christmas. I’m not sure if I could come up with all 12 myself, but maybe I’ll give it a try on the run-up to the holiday.
Thanks, Allie and enjoy that Zin on Thursday!
I clearly missed the deadline. I’ll know better next year!
Over on El Bloggo I list the turkeys to serve with your favorite wine… isn’t that the proper priority?
Have a happy! – j
A very twisted take on the turkey wine match but one I find quite enlightening and totally hilarious at the same time. You should take your act on the road, man 🙂