Guzzlin’ Wines for the
Gobbler
By Andrew B. Campbell
Thanksgiving is upon us! It is a major wine holiday, although more
wine is drunk during your typical New Year’s Eve parties. It is the
one of the only holidays where the celebration is centered around
eating a meal. Which brings me to the question, “What wines go with
Thanksgiving dinner?”
Wines that go with the bland bird don’t have to be bland wines,
just very versatile. Riesling is a good choice, and it will cut any
spiciness that is in the gravy. Champagne is great with turkey.
Another popular choice is Pinot Noir. Its lighter texture and
subtleness go well with turkey’s white meat. Zinfandel’s spicy
character will do well with a multitude of dishes at the
Thanksgiving table.
In answering that question, think about how your food is
presented. Does your turkey have gravy with it? Does it include a
multitude of spices, in particular, red pepper, and how spicy is it?
It all leads to one thing, NO CHARDONNAY! Chardonnay, especially
domestic Chardonnay, only pairs well with cream or butter based
dishes. Although we at WineSquire.com want to promote the
consumption of fine wine, don’t choose Chardonnay for your Turkey
dinner unless it is all that you have, or all that you like. After
all, if we had a choice between soda and Chardonnay, it’s Chardonnay
every time!
Here are some good wines in order of preference to pair with your
Thanksgiving dinner:
Pol Roger Brut Non-Vintage (France) $50
One of the last family-owned Champagne houses, this has a fine bead
of bubbles, great complexity of flavors such as bread dough and
apple pie, a great creamy texture and a long, lingering finish. This
is a great champagne for the table, the bathtub, or for spraying.
Feudi Ognissole Primitivo 2003 (Italy) $18
Primitivo is like crossing a juicy and ripe California Zinfandel
with a finely structured Tuscan red: great fruit and balance so that
one can drink it with food. The 2002 was one of my previous cellar
picks, but there is more of the 2003 vintage, so the importer
dropped its price. The 2003 is a better wine, with luscious
raspberry jam notes and a plush velvety finish. This goes great with
Turkey and is by far the finest Primitivo I have ever tasted!
Nicolas Potel Bourgogne 2003 (France) $21
From the very hot year of 2003 comes this concentrated 100% Pinot
Noir from France’s Burgundy region. It has focused strawberry and
earthy notes, with a finish of cherries and cream. This is my
Turkey-day Pinot Noir!
Townshend Riesling 2004 (Washington) $11
What makes this a great Riesling is the acidity. It is zinging!
Great focused peach and nectarine flavors accent the crisp, ripe
finish. This is an excellent dry Washington State Riesling!
Pasek Cellars Cranberry (Washington) $12
When I first tried this, I thought, “Great, another syrupy fruit
wine”. Boy was I surprised to find this had concentrated cranberry
fruit, a light body (no heavy syrupy taste), and great acidity! This
is a must to have with your Thanksgiving dinner, and being an
off-dry style, I would even recommend it with spicy cuisine like
Mexican or Asian food. A very surprising bottle of wine!
Cheers! |
