This is my favorite column of the year when I call on the wine experts for their Thanksgiving Day dinner suggestions. Once again, I am grateful to them for sharing their superb insights with Wine Novice readers.
What follows are 24 wines — 13 white, 11 red — that promise to enhance the multitude of food flavors gracing the holiday table, from appetizers, potato and vegetable dishes, the turkey meal and an assortment of seasonal pies.
If you want to play it trendy and safe — and put a shining star on the menu — go with a Champagne or Prosecco option. As Richard Rourke, the Wine Wizard of Tutto Bene, points out, sparkling wines “bring both elegance and phenomenal food-pairing versatility to virtually any meal.”
On the other hand, if you like to mix and match and have fun pairing wines with all the different dishes and flavors, this holiday is the best of the year for taking a palateful of plunges.
Thanksgiving is truly an all-American holiday. It is deeply rooted in tradition and family food favorites that have been in cookbooks for decades. So while the turkey will sit in the biggest platter on the table, sometimes pairing your wine to side dishes like mashed potatoes drenched in Grandma’s thick brown gravy is the way to go. It depends on your preference.
Give these selections a good look because you can’t go wrong with any of them. And have a great holiday.
Jay Cahill, Wine & Store Manager
Harrington’s Liquors, Chelmsford
• Drouhin Vaudon Chablis 2011, $19.95 — An elegant wine, typical of the Chablis region, featuring a slight earthy tone with nice fruit and balanced acidity. It meets the eye with a brilliant color and hints of green. Aromas of citrus (lemon), fern and even salty sensations predominate. On the palate, it’s vigorous and lively but with a lot of finesse.
• Trimbach Riesling, $21.95 — Beautiful straw color with green edges. This Riesling has a fine mineral fragrance with ginger, caraway seed, underripe pineapple and flowers. Flavors of white peach, quince and lemon on the palate with a lingering, clean and dry finish.
• Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne Pinot Noir, $20.95 — A dark garnet color. The nose unveils woody, fruity and spicy scents. Then comes a round, full attack on the palate with velvety, silky tannins and beautiful balance. Rated 90 points by Wine Enthusiast.
• Meiomi Pinot Noir, $19.95 — Deep, rich garnet color. The wine opens up with aromas of ripe berries, fresh cranberry, candy apple and malted vanilla, some of which carries through to the palate. There’s a hint of Granny Smith apple on first sip that beautifully balances out the rich cream soda and cherry cola notes. It is an extremely layered wine, both in structure and flavor.
• Eroica Riesling — A highly rated wine (Tasting Panel, 93 points; Wine Advocate, 91), the 2012 vintage offers sweet lime and peach aromas with subtle mineral notes. The mouth-watering acidity is beautifully balanced by flavorful fruit. Eroica is a blended statement of the finest Riesling vineyards in Washington State.
• Truchard Roussanne, $19.95 — Floral aromas of pineapple, honeysuckle and fresh apricot combined with brioche, jasmine and vanilla. The mouth is creamy but clean, with bright flavors of white nectarine, peach and Meyer lemon. Firm acidity provides a lengthy finish of citrus, mineral, and spice.
Andrea DiFiore, Wine & Store Manager
Andover Liquors, Shawsheen Plaza, Andover
• 2011 Fuedo Maccari Grillo, $17.99 — I love recommending this wine to my customers because it’s a grape varietal that is not familiar to them; it is an indigenous grape from Sicily called Grillo. This wine shows intriguing and intense floral aromas with notes of citrus, peach, almonds and sweet grass. Quite full in the mouth, the wine has rich flavors with depth, balance and freshness. It would complement your turkey nicely.
• Standing Stone Vineyards, Riesling, Finger Lakes, N.Y., $11.99 — This wine is lively with round, full notes of green apple and other exotic and tropical fruits. A hint of acidity balances the wine perfectly. The finish has a pleasant, flinty lift. Think local for your Thanksgiving feast!
• Francoli Cava Brut Rosat, $14.99 — Cherry-red, the most intense of colors for a cava which is fruity and fresh. A brilliant, natural color obtained from the best variety of local grapes for the creation of a good cava, which endows it with character even before it reaches the glass. This cava finishes dry and is a perfect wine to welcome your family and friends to the table.
• Whetstone Pinot Noir, $44.99 — This Pinot Noir has some clove, red raspberry and bergamot aromas and tangy red currant, plum, mulberry and sage flavors. It will warm your heart and palate.
• Michel Chapoutier Bila Haut, $13.99 — Deep aromas and flavors of red fruit like cherry and plum with fresh raspberries and tart complexity, along with notes of smoky earth and bitter chocolate. This will go great with turkey and stuffing and your Aunt Meg’s famous cranberry sauce.
• Vietti Barbera d’Alba Tre Vigne, $19.99 — Ruby-purple color with ripe red cherry and vanilla aromas with hints of violets, the Barbera d’Alba is slightly rounder in structure than Vietti’s Barbera d’Asti. On the palate it shows bright acidity, soft tannins with good integration of oak and excellent complexity on the lingering cherry finish.
Sam Messina, Wine Director & Co-owner
Wine Connextion, North Andover
• Pine Ridge Chenin/Viognier 2012, $14 — A distinctive blend with a dazzling spectrum of fruit and floral aromas, from crisp white peach, honeyed pear and sweet mango to touches of fresh jasmine blossom and white chai tea. The palate flaunts flavors of succulent white nectarine, candied pineapple, green fig and subtle grapefruit. This slightly off-dry flavor profile lasts well through the clean and refreshing finish.
• Martin Ray Sauvignon Blanc 2012, $10.99 — Enticing aromas of peach, pineapple, lime zest and orange blossom continue as flavors in the rich, juicy mouth and long, delicious finish form this California wine.
• Joseph Carr Chardonnay 2012, $14.99 — Pear, peach, melon, wet stone, toasted almonds, creme brulee in the nose. Rich attack of almonds and stone fruit in a dense mid-palate. Good balance with uplifting acidity and a long finish of creme brulee and pear.
• Laetitia Pinot Noir 2011, $14.99 — Enticing aromas of strawberry and raspberry with barrel notes of caramel, vanilla and baking spices. Oak aging rounds out the palate and gives the wine its body. The wine drinks of deep, concentrated raspberry and cherry pie with a touch of cola berry.
• Chateau Ste. Michelle Merlot Indian Wells 2011, $13.99 — This wine reflects the rich, round, powerful style of Washington fruit, highlighting the Merlot varietal. It offers jammy boysenberry flavors with a luscious backbone and spice.
• Michael & David’s 6th Sense Syrah 2012, $11.99 — Big, brash and bold efforts aimed at folks who want lots of upfront fruit! Deep dark plum, blackberry and black raspberry fruit characteristics are prominent throughout the deeply layered palate of this wine. Bits of chocolate and earth add to the delightful finish.
• Nanna’s Shortcake Zinfandel 2012, $11.99 — This huge wine spends 12 months in both French and American oak. Sexy and endearing, it offers a deep ruby/purple color, full-bodied, corpulent flavors and abundant berry fruit, pepper and spice notes. Drink this full throttle, classic Zinfandel over the next several years.
Richard Rourke, Wine Buyer & Co-owner
Tutto Bene Wine & Cheese Cellar, Lowell
• Bocelli Prosecco, $15.99 — A wine sparkler offering subtle flavors and fruit aromas that make it deliciously light and playful on the palate. Unlike many champagnes, it is not harsh — rather soft and flecked with minerality that remains simple in the best of ways.
• Foris Pinot Noir, $20.99 — A traditional red wine favorite for Thanksgiving with subtle earthy undertones and mushroom-inspired flavors that surround the fruit features and show well with turkey and stuffing flavors.
• Stolpman Syrah, $17.99 — This Syrah can bring a spicy edge or a meaty character to the table while graciously handling the cornucopia of flavors in the traditional Thanksgiving meal. The prevalent peppery notes of Syrah will partner well with the herb-infused stuffing and both the white and dark turkey meat.
• Red Newt Cellars Riesling, $12.99 — A medium dry white wine that is excellent with spicy, salty or sweet dishes. Riesling’s innate flavors of apple, apricot, honey and its clarifying acidity give it a significant pairing edge with the likes of sweet potatoes, turkey meat and spice-laden herb stuffing.
• Chateau Ste. Michelle Gewurztraminer, $10.99 — This grape varietal offers a delicious wine option for the holiday: Aromatic gusto and spicy palate appeal that stands up well to all Thanksgiving dinner flavors.
• Zenato Pinto Grigio, $14.99 — This wine is capable of handling garlic, onions, herbs and rich, flavorful, high-fat dishes. It is a natural for the demands of a turkey day dinner with all the fixings.
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