
Group Leader, Wine & Food SuperGroup
wineforthanksgiving turkeyday cornbreadstuffing cranberrysauce candiedyams pumpkinpie stringbeancasserole auntmillie’sbrusselssprouts… and wine. But *what* wine goes with it all?
I recently asked members of my LinkedIn network the following question: “What wines do you enjoy with Thanksgiving dinner, either at home or in a restaurant?”
Wow! What an amazing response – not just from the U.S., but several other countries as well. I never expected this deluge of suggestions – and they’re still pouring in!
I also promised to compile and post the list today. Here’s the first batch – I’ll do an additional post for anything I receive later today and tomorrow. Meanwhile, you can marvel at the wide range of wines you can enjoy with your Turkey Day feast.
Happy Thanksgiving!
From Bobby Fitzgerald, Co-Owner, The White Chocolate Grill:
Viognier with turkey dinner. I believe it is the “next pinot noir” for whites.
From Peter Romano of New York City:
My favorite wine for any holiday is Flowers Pinot Noir. It is hard to find, and can be purchased from the winery:
www.flowerswinery.com
From Anna Allen of Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas:
My favorite wine in general, and especially when enjoying a feast, is Kings Estate Pinot Noir – currently the 2005 and ‘06 are available, though the ’05 is hard to find. For a white, I also like their Pinot Gris; however, I usually don’t drink white wine myself. There are others I enjoy, but this one I simply love!
From Jeffrey Harrison, of Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina:
Definitely a Pinot Noir, probably from Washington State
From Michael Pohlod, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama:
A Riesling Mosel by Johann Klaus Piesporter Goldtropfchen.
From Mario of the Venice area of Italy:
It depends on the kind of food you will serve to your guests. In the Italian tradition and according to common taste, it is usual to serve a white sparkling as an aperitif or with appetizers. Any good dry Spumante is good (verify the origin). A light and smooth rosé (like Chiaretto del Garda or Brachetto d’Acqui rosé) is indicated if you are serving a soup before turkey. And with the roast meat you’ll need a red but not very strong red wine like a Merlot or a Bonarda Oltrepò Pavese, as the turkey is white meat.
Finally, if you are serving a good peach or apple cobbler you can serve a sparkling Spumante, sweet (Asti or Fiori d’Arancio) or dry (Prosecco). If you prefer a smooth sweet wine you can serve Moscato Passito di Pantelleria or Aleatico di Gradoli (a sweet red from the hills near Bolsena, on the famous lake not far from Rome).
A happy Thanksgiving from the land of the best wines in the world
From Joanne Liu of Limoges, France:
I definitely prefer to eat at home since I enjoy very much to cook and entertain.
My favorite wines for Thanksgiving are:
Before-dinner drink: kir (mix white wine with cassis).
To accompany turkey dinner: A good bottle of Merlot or Shiraz. (Although turkey can be accompanied by either white or red wine, I prefer wines that are produced by mixed grapes for Thanksgiving After dinner: Coffee flavored with Grand Marnier.
From Brian Kelleher, a national sales manager of wine:
Personally I enjoy Willamette Valley (Oregon) Pinot Noirs. My wife and I lived there for 5 years and we would head out to the wineries on the Saturday before Thanksgiving each year and bring home at least a case, as well as some sparkling wines from Argyle for the appetizers.
From Bob Lippman of Boston:
Brian K. is right on. We visited Oregon (Willamette Valley wineries) this summer and had a ball.
Oregon Pinot Noirs such as Domaine Serene, Elk Cove and Argyle match very well with turkey, ham, and certainly the cranberry and mandarin orange Jello mold that we serve.
I also like other wines for different courses. I like to open with Champagne or sparkling wine (Argyle, either the regular or Rosé sparkling wine) for apps, Pinot Gris for the salad course, the aforementioned Pinot Noirs with the main course, and Ice Wines or Port depending on the dessert.
Have a great Thanksgiving everyone. Enjoy!
From Tony Memoli of New York:
They say pinot noir goes best with Thanksgiving dinner. I also love shiraz and merlot. Have a Happy!
Beth Culbertson of Milwaukee, Wisconsin:
Bogle Cabernet – enjoyable AND affordable.
From Claire Moallic of Des Moines, Iowa:
Coteaux du Layon is my favorite for dessert (or appetizer). It is a sweet white wine from the Loire Valley, France
From Ignazio Del Campo of Italy:
I agree with Mario about choosing a different wine for different dishes. In my opinion you should try, as a starter cocktail, a “Prosecco di Valdobbiadene” (Bortolomiol or any other producer belonging to Friuli – an italian region as you surely know). Prosecco could be Dry or Extra Dry and is a good match for finger food or any other cocktail or appetizer.
For the soup, I suggest a Gewurtztraminer that has a fantastic taste and an unmistakable fruit bouquet. If you can find it, you should buy Hoffstatter.
For turkey I suggest a Nero D’Avola or a Cabernet Sauvignon for their clear and strong taste.
Finally you should try a Sauternes or a Passito if you prefer a sweet taste to end your meal. Happy Thanksgiving!
From Sherrie Berry of San Diego, California:
I used to own a wine distribution company. When I would suggest Malbec with turkey, people would wonder why, but those who’ve tried it now have it every year with their turkey dinner! Get a good one – from Argentina. There are some decent priced ones at Trader Joe’s.
From Morgen McLaughlin of Elmira, New York:
Finger Lakes Rieslings and Gewurztraminers. Some top producers are Red Newt, Fox Run, Glenora, Hazlitt, Dr. Frank, Hosmer, Sheldrake, Rooster Hill, Wiemer, Ravines, and many others. You can visit the wine searcher on the Finger Lakes Wine Country website to find all the Finger Lakes producers of these two grape varietals.
http://www.fingerlakeswinecountry.com/search2.aspx?searchArea=Places&searchPlace=Wineries
From Anna Hartman (Wassermann) of San Francisco Bay Area:
I recently started drinking Chilean wine and have to say that the Nuevo Mundo brand (organic too!) has a Malbec and a Carménère that is just divine with dinner on these cold nights. It’s great with a hearty soup and crusty bread.
Below is some info I pulled off the Organic Vintners site -
http://www.organicvintners.com/
Situated in Chile’s most prestigious and historic wine region, the wines from Nuevo Mundo have earned a reputation for quality, consistency and value.
• New addition just arrived Nuevo Mundo 100% Cabernet
Was $15.99, Now $11.99, Organic, Vegan
• Award Winning Nuevo Mundo Cabernet/Malbec
88 Points—Wine Spectator
Was $15.99, Now $11.99, Organic, Vegan
• Award Winning Nuevo Mundo Cabernet/Carménère
2005 Chilean Wine Producer of the Year—International Wine
& Spirits Competition, Was $15.99, Now $11.99, Organic, Vegan
• Award Winning Nuevo Mundo Sauvignon Blanc
Silver Medal—2007 Los Angeles International
Wine Competition, Was $14.99, Now $10.99, Organic, Vegan
From Michael Gilman of San Francisco Bay Area:
Start off with a nice Rochioli Sauvignon Blanc 2005 Russian River before dinner with appetizer and salad, then a nice Andrew Rich 2006 Malbec with turkey and the fixin’s. Happy Thanksgiving!
From Tonya Hamilton of Madison, Wisconsin:
Poire Sparkling Pear Cider. Beautiful for Thanksgiving.
From Jocelyne Laurent of Brussels, Belgium:
Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends!
Here, November is wild (game) season… and we are drinking Gevrey-Chambertin. Cheers!
From Louisa Morgan of the New York City area:
I realize it’s pretty dorky, but I’m really into sparkling shiraz with turkey. Any Australian with a goofy name works.
From Vladislav Railean of the United Kingdom:
Organic Wine – called “Legenda,” imported into the UK from theRepublic of Moldova. This is the best and the most healthy wine! Difficult to find in stores… If you would like to acquire them directly from the importer, please call me on: +44 790 4199569 or write me: vrailean@ yahoo.com
Only 7.75 per bottle (RRP price is £15, but impossible to find).
From Kj Jordan of Charleston, South Carolina
Pinot Noir, preferably something from Burgundy, such as Chambolle Musigny. Budget wise: Shooting Star Pinot Noir and for white I love an Albarino from Spain or Burgundian Montagny from Boillot.
by foodandbeverageunderground.com
From Leslie Van Cleave of the Los Angeles area:
My former Sommelier manager always had this advice: “Burgundy with Bird.” Therefore, a “villages” Burgundy or a simple California Pinot is my go-to wine for Thanksgiving dinner. A simple Beaujolais (from southern Burgundy) also works extremely well. Before dinner, a nice crisp Chablis… Yum!
From Karen Gadson of the Los Angeles area:
You can’t go wrong with a Robert Mondavi Zinfandel or Cabernet!
From Iris (Cherisse) Louderman of the greater Chicago area:
With turkey, I love Beaujolais.
Wherever you live, whatever you’re eating, Happy Thanksgiving from the San Francisco Bay Area -
Cheers,
Rosina Tinari Wilson
(PS – Any duplicates, my bad (and the software’s…)