TURKEY WINE 2018

Thanksgiving wine pairing

Ahhh, it’s that time of year again. The temps are dropping, the leaves are crispy and your Thanksgiving to do list is hot on your mind. Yes, daughter, I see your turkey hat-made-from-hand-cut-outs, this ain’t my first rodeo and I’ve actually seen better turkey hats. Did I say that out loud?

Ding Dong, family is at the door. Aunt Sally has brought you Barefoot Moscato, bless her heart. Don’t panic – we got this, as long as you don’t forget your turkey, wait is that on my shopping list? Thanksgiving is all about pairing people, food and wine.

I can’t help you prepare your turkey, but I can definitely help with the drinks situation! In fact, there are so many options for what to drink that you can spin your theme anyway you want! For your friend who just won a Congressional seat (go MIKIE SHERRILL!!), you can theme it as ‘all American’ wine to celebrate the great selections that come from the U. S of A. – or we can find wines from around the world that are well matched to a big turkey feast, or that are just plain fun!

Personally, I like to look for low-alcohol wines. Listen, it’s a long day with the in-laws, and you need to have your wits about you. Also, the kids table needs to decorated – and that gravy is important. Like, the most important part is the gravy, can I get an AMEN?

PERFECT PAIRING

Take a breath – I repeat, we have this. Whether it is choosing a perfect pairing wine for your dinner or bringing a good wine as a guest, we have got this.

I am going to give you options for both American wine and great international suggestions.

The short story is, everyone spends so much time talking about the ‘perfect pairing’, but while this is important, it doesn’t have to be a hard & fast rule. You want to think about buying a wine you can just stand around and drink, and then something perfect for when you’re ready to eat turkey, as well something that can translate as yummy for the entire day. I mean, my Aunt Sally might be sipping all day and yours might be gulping… so, let’s keep it real.

Since you have so many different tastes and opinions, I would suggest keeping it simple and frankly, drinking what you like. I will give you the basics but also some out of the box suggestions.

WHITES:

So many options here, but in general you don’t want a heavy wine. You want something fresh with high acidity to pair with the heaviness and different flavors of your turkey dinner: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Rose, Godello, Vinho Verde, wines from Rias Bias in Spain, and Italy galore (Fiano, Gavi, etc.). Sparkling wines and Champagne are perfect as well.

SAUVIGNON BLANC

This is the perfect wine, for everyone. I think Sauvignon Blanc has so much to offer in terms of drinkability and versatility, as well as price. You can do a value-oriented Washington State Ch. Ste Michelle from Horse Heaven Hills for around $10 or an Italian Sauvignon Blanc (Peter Dipoli Voglar, Alto Adige) for around $20, or a Loire Valley Sancerre, for around $30.

Here are my suggestions from my area for value-oriented wines:

Bottle King: Peter Dipoli Voglar Italy $17.99, Ata Rangi Martinborough Sauvignon Blanc, Ch. Ste Michelle Horse Heaven Hills $12.99, Decoy SB $12.99, Frog Leap Rutherford, $17.99, Riffault Sancerre Loire $22.99, Greywacke NZ $22.99, Seresin New Zealand $17.99
Amanti Vino: Huia NZ Sauvignon blanc $19.99, Blind Corner Australia $24.99, Echeverria Chile $10.99, Seresin NZ $19.99, Lucien Crochet Sancerre $32.99, and endless Loire options here!

RIESLING

This is often viewed as the perfect pairing wine. The problem, is a lot of people don’t know it, or think they don’t like it. But the more you taste this wine, the more you will love it. Riesling is versatile – it can range from very dry to very sweet – and somewhere in between. The key here is that the acid in these wines is high, which helps make Rieslings a great pairing for a heavy meal. It equals palate perfection. You can go for a value-oriented Riesling, such as Eroica from Washington State, which was a project started by the famous Ernst Loosen of Germany. It costs around $15. There are great options from Oregon, NY’s Finger Lakes region, Germany, Alsace, Austria and New Zealand as well. A solid favorite in my house is Trimbach Alsace Riesling, this is a dry Riesling that hits all the right notes, fruit, tropical, zesty citrus and floral notes, this is a great wine! Typically, around $14-18.00 USD. If your local, bottle king carries both Eroica and Trimbach! Amanti Vino has an amazing selection of dry to sweet Riesling. Just ask for suggestions!

BEAUJOLAIS

Beaujolais is a wine region in East Central France, which is included in the greater Burgundy area, but there is a difference between a red Burgundy and Beaujolais, and a lot of political jostling. The style is a light red wine which is juicy, bright fruit (usually cherry, strawberry and raspberries) with sometimes a savory or spicy edge, depending on the style or village. Gamay is the grape here which produces a juicy, fresh, low tannic wine, which is why it pairs so well with turkey!
The other reason is the process of making this wine which is typically carbonic or semi-carbonic maceration makes for a very distinctive wine.
The quick version: You will see either Beaujolais Nouveau, Beaujolais, Beaujolais-villages, or a cru name on the label. To confuse matters, the bottle will not say Beaujolais cru, you will need to know the 10 named cru appellations, because that is what will be on the label (St. Amour, Julienas, Chenas, Moulin-a-vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Regnie, Brouilly, and Cote de Brouilly) Personally, I would splurge for a cru, which can cost anywhere from $10 to upwards. Beaujolais nouveau is released every year on the 3rd Thursday of November, this wine was created as a fresh, approachable easy drinking wine. Phew.
LOOK FOR: Edmunds St. John Bone-Jolly from El Dorado, CA is a great Gamay outside of France. Sold locally at Amanti Vino. George Duboeuf makes some excellent examples in France.

PINOT NOIR

This might seem so obvious, like when your kid has a fake smile on school picture day, but this is a great wine for turkey dinner. Pinot Noir is a grape that is grown around the world, and some of my favorites are in Burgundy. It is a fussy grape, which means it typically is not good when cheap. It is a light bodied red wine with lower tannins that is made for a turkey and cranberry side.

For a lighter version look for Oregon (Willamette Valley) or a richer version made in California and Chile. Burgundy is my go to, with many options here. A good value wine is Joseph Drouhin Pinot Noir, which retails for around $15.00, with many great wines from this region. Check out a great value wine from Uruguay: Pisano Pinot Noir, around $15.

Oregon: Love Oregon (R. Stuart), Ken Wright Willamette Valley, Beaux Freres, Bergstrom, Cristom Vineyards, Domain Drouhin, Purple Hands, Big Farm Table, Rose Rock, Eveshem Wood, Harper Voit and Eyrie Vineyards.
California: Anthill, Littorai, Rhys vineyard, Failla, Kistler, Hirsch Vineyard, Peay and Ojai Vineyard are some of my favorites. Also look for Chacra from Patagonia, Argentina or Ati Rangi from New Zealand

MY OTHER SUGGESTIONS

ROSE: Lorenzo Rose (CA) or Club 44 (France)
WHITE VINHO VERDE: Aveleda (Portugal) $5.99
WHITE BLEND: Famille Perrin Luberon (France) Grenache Blanc. This wine is a bargain for $7.99
ITALIAN WHITE: Francesco Rinaldi & Figli, Gavi or Guido Marsella Fiano di Avellino
PINOT NOIR: Purple Hands Latchkey Vineyards, Oregon OR a Red Burgundy
RHONE BLEND: Tablas Creek (CA) or Beaucastel (France)
SYRAH: Gramercy Cellars (Washington) & Euclid Syrah (CA)
ZINFANDEL: Turley or Mauritson (CA)