Third and Final Installment: Wines for Thanksgiving

Incredibly, I still keep finding new responses to my LinkedIn “Wines For Thanksgiving” question in my Inbox. I’m really happy that so many people have chosen to participate. And I’m also happy to see so much diversity in the answers. To me, this is far more important than reaching any kind of consensus, as it shows how much our palates can differ (see my two previous posts – rosinawilson.wordpress.com – on this topic as well.)

Such a huge variety of wine ideas also suggests that turkey is extraordinarily versatile in its wine pairings. All of my own personal favorites were mentioned, except for one: dry rosé. Other than that, everything else my friends and I enjoyed was also  mentioned by LinkedIn members: a California sparkler, a Sonoma Pinot Noir, and a luscious, off-dry 1976 German Riesling as well as the crisp, fruity, young rosé. All the wines worked: sometimes in different ways, sometimes for different parts of the meal.

Oh, by the way: Since we’re already well into December, I’d like to ask you to save any further Thanksgiving wine ideas for later, when I’ll ask you about this month’s holidays. Thanks!

 

From Randy Kemp of Chicago:

Rosina:

So, what wines did you settle on?

(Hi Randy – There was no universal favorite, although Pinot Noir racked up the most votes overall. Read on…)

 

From Janet Ekey Ostrov of Saratoga Springs, NY:

I love Pinot Grigio. “Ecco Domani” is nice and I like the name. And I am a real sucker for cool labels. Such as “Fourteen Hands” Chardonnay (with a picture of a horse on it)… the horse I bought last year (and since have sold) was 14 hands and a beautiful Haflinger. Found out I wasn’t ready to be that tied down!

 

From Charles Less of Cincinnati:

Thanksgiving is about “going over the edge” with great food and desserts. I would recommend an “Ice Wine” from Canada to complement those desserts and give your guests something they probably haven’t experienced, or even heard of!

 

From Colleen Gaier, an American travel professional,

Johannisberg Riesling from Germany. It is light, sweet and fruity tasting. It is my favorite wine.

 

From Frank Vitaglione of Paris, France:

Côteaux du Langudeoc, France

Lirac, France

Rioja, Spain

Gallo Zinfandel, California

 

From Diane Davis of Atlanta,

I personally like a white with turkey, but my faves are the reds from Chile!

 

From Herb Blank of New York City:

I prefer Riesling with Turkey.

 

From Tricia Dippel of the San Francisco Bay Area:

Torrentes from Argentina – any one you can find. It has a light floral note with a brightness that can hold up to most Thanksgiving dishes, including Turkey!

 

From Bill Wright of Pennsylvania: 

Okay…this is gonna sound a bit goofy, but ride with me…

I make a grilled filet that I serve with a reduction of Guinness Stout with coarsely chopped shallots and garlic. On the side I serve grilled sliced Portobello mushroom and sliced yellow squash drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

The wine I prefer to serve with this dinner, which takes very little time to prepare, by the way, is the Williamsburg Winery BURGESSES’ MEASURE MERLOT. Normally, one would think of a Cab or a Burgundy, but there is a pleasant hint of cedar and just a touch of raspberry that plays a nice counterpoint to the boldness of the Stout reduction. What I really like about this wine is that it has a character totally different than the California Merls. If anything I would liken it to the Northwest Merls.

(Peg and I found the Williamsburg Winery quite by accident. They have a very short but nice selection of wines, including some more traditional colonial types. There is one…Two Shilling Red…that is described as similar to a Beauj. I would concur. If any of ya’ll have ever had the Fetzer Beauj there is a distinct similarity.)

If you live in a state that will not allow you to get this wine, then I might suggest another of my favorites… the Caliterra Merlot. Similar in many ways to the Williamsburg (look for the subtle cedar note) but with a South American flair, it has the distinctive Mondavi finish.

I know…you wine folks are going to “flay” me for even SUGGESTING a Merlot with steak…

Think though, of the two ice cream guys in CITY SLICKERS…

This is sort of a RUM RAISIN decision…

 

From Valentina Kiselev of Seattle,

I like Beaujolais, but not chilled. Excellent light taste and still has the great complexity of the more expensive wines (while staying quite inexpensive).

I also love Chateauneuf du Pape, most of the Chiantis – any red that has an elegant taste. Since I am not a big fan of whites, I prefer Brut Champagnes with seafood (it’s probably wrong, but I like the combination). My favorite is White Star or Veuve Clicquot.

Hope this helps.

Happy Holidays,

Valentina

 

From Ameriga Lazzarini of Milan,

Prosecco sparkling wine.

 

From Scott MacRae of Seattle:

From Washington state, Darby ‘Le Deuce’ Viognier and Roussanne blend…WOW!!

Sorry to be late, but it really is all that and a bag of chips!!

 See you soon –

Cheers,

Rosina

 

Wines for Thanksgiving, continued…

Welcome back! As promised, I’m bringing you a whole new slew of *your* suggestions for wines to serve with Thanksgiving dinner. And although the Thanksgiving holiday is quintessentially American, I was surprised and delighted to see so many replies from other countries. You’ll notice that the last few responses came in after Turkey Day – so you’ll be seeing what everyone *did* drink with their holiday dinners. (This should also give you some good ideas for what to drink with your leftover turkey, and all the trimmings, for the next few days…)

From Dieter Van Walle of Belgium:

I prefer Cotes Du Rhone & Beaujolais. These French red wines are at their best when they are very young. It’s nice to drink them chilled with some good friends.

From Nicola McCall of Utrecht, The Netherlands:

For me a Barolo, or champagne of course… Happy Thanksgiving!

From Kevin Choi of New York City:

Traditionally, people serve Zinfandel with turkey but pretty much anything will do other than huge, bold reds. Younger Rhone or a Cote du Rousillon should be good. Cab Franc should be nice too.

 

From Erik Matthew Appleby of Germany:

I would suggest a German Riesling (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer area) to join the turkey and a Sicilian Nero d’Avola or Syrah for the later evening.

 

From Rachael Thomas of the U.K.:

Pikes semillon chardonnay, an Aussie favourite – any Penfolds or Jacobs Creek is good too.

 

From Steve Jarvis of Ohio:

While I often try to match the meal with the wine, my wife and I are particularly partial to chardonnays of the oaky, creamy, buttery variety. On special occasions, we will thoroughly enjoy a Far Niente Chard.

 

From Claudia Perry of the New York City area:

I did dinner with a friend and we served a capon, stuffing, blue mashed potatoes, green beans with pancetta and an apple crisp. We started the meal with a split of Gruet NV sparkling wine from New Mexico and served a 2007 Crawford Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Good times!

 

From Chef Kimball Jones of the San Francisco Bay Area:

We drank Roederer Estate and Groth Saivignon Blanc in the afternoon before the feast. With the Feast, it was 1992 Groth Cabernet from Magnum and Pinot Noirs from all over the state – Michaud, Peay and Acacia. The older cab really went great with the Turkey and I always like Pinots with anything!

 

From Brent Harrison of Savvy Cellar Wines in the San Francisco Bay Area:

Here’s what ended up on our table at Thanksgiving (and likely the rest of the weekend): http://savvysommelier.blogspot.com/2008/11/its-cool-whip-time-baby.html

 

From Christina Gerber of the San Francisco Bay Area:

Great topic!

My fave is still De Loach Pinot, and I have one last bottle of their Russian River Estate left! Guess what our family had?

 

Thanks, everyone, for all these great suggestions. Hope you and yours had a tasty, happy Turkey Day (or as my friend Ron says, Happy Bird Day!). I’ll be blogging a lot more about holiday wines and foods right up through New Year. Hope to see you again soon!

Cheers, Rosina

I’m Rosina Wilson – Welcome! Today: Wines for Thanksgiving

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…)