My wine experts agree: Thanksgiving is an all-American holiday and the traditional turkey dinner with all the fixings goes best with American wine.
However, there are some wonderful Italian, French and Greek wines that pair well with the holiday meal. That said, here are 21 suggestions from some of the best wine directors in the business. Unless where noted, all wines are from California.
Please patronize your local retailers and enjoy — God Bless America!
q
Jo-Ann Ross is a Napa Valley Vintners’ Greater Boston Wine Ambassador as well as New England’s first certified French Wine Scholar and Italian Wine Scholar.
• Honig Sauvignon Blanc, $15.99 — The “H” in Honig has a yellow bee on the label as a dedication to its organic vineyards.
• Acacia Carneros Chardonnay, $11.99 — A delicate Chardonnay that is very lightly oaked yet really crisp.
• Etude Carneros Pinot Noir, $39.99 — The cool breezes of San Pablo Bay help to produce this elegant Pinot Noir.
• Storybook Zinfandel Mayacamus, $34.99 — What can be more American than a terrific, juicy, but not heavy-handed Zinfandel to go with your dinner?
• Round Pond Estate Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, $59.99 — This is everything I want from a Napa Valley Cab at a good price. Round Pond also makes the lovely Kith and Kin Cabernet Sauvignon which sells for $39.99.
• Mondavi Moscato d’Oro, $11.99 — The dinner is complete and you want a fabulous dessert wine from the Muscat grape to go with cookies, pumpkin pie, fresh fruit. Here’s the dessert wine to put the golden touch on a great family feast.
q
Andrea DiFiore is the store manager and wine director at Andover Classic Wines, Andover.
• Stefano Antonucci Pignocco Verdicchio (Italy), $13.99 — White flower and citrus aromas lead to flavors of Anjou pear, lime and a hint of bitter almond alongside zesty acidity. A perfect aperitif.
• Col De Salici Prosecco (Italy), $21.99 — Fragrant apple aromas with hints of Meyer lemons and acacia. It’s zesty with green fruit on the palate leading into a harmonious finish.
• Jean Marc Burgaud Morgan les Charmes Beaujolais (France), $17.99 — Young, vibrant and silky. Ripe, red fruit and elegant style, violets and peaches, cranberries, juicy and peppery. Very good length.
• Cep Syrah Sonoma Coast Syrah, $29.99 — Framed by cured meat, lavender and white pepper aromas supported by a core of blackberry and pomegranate fruit. Medium bodied, low alcohol and clean acidity.
• Dafnois Vidiano (Crete), $15.99 — Unique apricot aroma, rich body and transfixing buttery taste with great texture in the palate. Made with indigenous white grapes from Greece. One hundred percent organic.
• Paitin Nebbiolo Starda (Italy), $18.99 — Garnet red, highly aromatic with cherry, roses, cigar box and cedar. Multitude of flavors: black cherry, ripe plum, rose water and unsmoked tobacco with an extraordinarily smooth texture. An incredible finish; one of our favorite wines for under $20.
• Hermann J Wiemer Riesling Dry (Finger Lakes), $22.99 — Opens to fragrant spring blossom aromas. A succulent palate of early fruit, balanced with a refreshing crispness. A brilliant texture carries into a lingering finish, in a wine that accommodates a wide range of food.
q
Sam Messina is co-owner and wine director at the Wine ConneXtion in North Andover.
• White Knight Viognier, $9.99 — Swooping in to rescue your palate from the ordinary, this sleek, rich Viognier will excite the senses with flirtatious green apple, honeysuckle and white peach aromas and flavors of pear and melon. Balanced, sustained finish.
• Willakenzie Pinot Gris (Oregon), $12.99 — Aromas of passion fruit and melon with a hint of banana. The palate offers crisp acidity and flavors of honeysuckle, acacia and sweet citrus. Elegant finish.
• Lazy Creek Rosé by Ferrari Carano, $19.99 — A beautiful bouquet of cranberry, boysenberry, redwood bark and a hint of red licorice waft from this Rosé Pinot Noir. It’s enchantingly juicy and mouthwatering with a perky sweet-tart, rose petal finish.
• Smith & Sons Russian River Chardonnay, $15.99 — Complex aromas of Golden Delicious apple, white peach, honeysuckle and nectarine meld with flavors of peach, baked apple, creme brulée and warm pie crust. Finishes with a light touch of vanilla and oak spice.
• Boén Pinot Noir, $19.99 — Loaded with aromas of bright Bing cherry, dark chocolate, coconut, blueberry and barrel spice. Chocolate and black licorice carry through on the palate. Winemaker Joe Wagner’s newest creation is a smash.
• Twenty Rows Merlot, $13.99 — An intense, deeply colored wine of concentrated aromas and flavors: dark cherries, black currants, coffee. Approachable and delicious.
• Nick Goldschmidt Fidelity Zinfandel, $14.99 — This is a spicy yet refined, luxurious Zinfandel that is beautifully balanced. Favors of blackberry jam, ripe raspberry and a touch of peppercorn. The finish is long and silky.
• Donati Family Claret, $12.99 — Aromas of cherry, vanilla and toast. On the palate, this Claret expresses dark, succulent fruit, well-hewn tannins and dramatic spice notes accentuated by oak aging.
Recent Comments