Thanksgiving can be a nite gushing with wine drinking. What I like is that its an occasion where a) you really don’t need to splurge price-wise, b) despite the range of the feast there are some wines that probably aren’t great for it, and those happen to be some pretty popular wines, c) it is a great opportunity for a meal with both reds and whites and d) it basically means one thing in terms of reds-- that you should go with medium-bodied selections (and there’s a whole world of medium-bodied selections)-- no need for tannins tonite. One thing, after all, is that Thanksgiving is a celebration. So I think it is always pretty fun to do wines that are effusive and fruit-forward. Also, though we look at Thanksgiving meals as being possibly of the year’s most fantastic (if not THE meal of the year), the flavors of turkey and team are actually slightly more neutral. It is rich more quantifiably than anything else, and there’s balance to the meal— turkey sloshed with stuffing, mashed potatoes (with the neutralized, texture-lovely nature of mashed) with salty, boozy gravy, then the bright sweet (and sour) cranberries, etc. But you’ll notice the entirety of this is a medley of pretty neutral flavors (save the cranberries and the pit of marshmallows). So that’s why its a good time to go lush, bright and juicy with your wines. Medium to even light-bodied, not too spiced, and giving with the fruit. So, a simplified and affordable approach to your wines is absolutely welcome, all day Turkey day. Here’s some red and white reco’s to go for. Beaujolais Beaujolais is another one of the more underrated wines in the world. I guess the better word is underappreciated. It is small region just north of Burgundy in central France. Made from a terrific, simple grape called Gamay. The best way to describe the bottling of gamay is that it is quick— the skins of the grape don’t lend much other than a fanciful rosey-red hue— like a brooding pomegranate. The thin skin means the wine has little tannins, so it is a needfully youthful-drinking wine— beaujolais needs you. The most accessible bottle of beaujolais is simply Beaujolais-Village. It will be like a big dollop of strawberry jam and a bit of pepper, plum and/or rhubarb. Red fruit and distinctive scent of roses on the nose. There are more serious and complex versions too, from individual districts, called Cru’s. There are twelve cru’s of beaujolais, and really if you see one of these at a wine store or a restaurant, you should just try it. Some common ones are Moulin-a-Vent, Morgon, Brouilly, Fleurie. They will be ravishing and refreshing at once. And any one will score you “host points” at your Thanksgiving dinner. Then there is the even younger version of beaujolais, Beaujolais Nouveau, which has the bottle packaging of a Nebraska cheerleader, and is readily available now in stores. Beaujolais Nouveau came out of the earth and in to a tank and then in to a bottle and then on to a truck and then on to a plane (no time for a boat) and then on to the front aisle of your wine store and then in to your mouth... on approximately the 27th of November. It is the particularly speedy version of Beaujolais, and it is a celebratory wine in France so as to drunkenly observe the year’s national harvest. It is released within weeks of picking and about 85% of it is gone after one weekend. It is like an “X-Men” movie. And a welcome pour for your first glass, ideal for the 2nd quarter of the 2nd NFL game of the day. Cotes du Rhone, Washington State Cab-Merlot, Rioja (oh, and Cali Pinot Noir) All of these are yummy medium-bodied reds. They are all of my faves for basic Meditteranean-style meals. But they also work nicely for turkey day. Cotes du Rhone is a southern-french variation featuring the grapes syrah, grenache and mouvedre. It can be tobacco tinged and warm-spiced with ripe black-cherry, touches of vanilla oak and can occasionally can be nicely complex. The approachability of Cotes du Rhone makes it ideal for Thanksgiving. Then there’s “Cab-Merlot,” but I only vouch for them from Washington State, because the red and black fruit is more forward from Wash, and there’s generally nicely placed tannins and acids to tame it all— the Columbia Valley gets very hot in the day and cools well at nite, which gives the wine that character. Look out for a wine called “Rook,” its a tasty and affordable one (this one has a touch of syrah too). Mind you, all cabernets you see are “Cab-Merlots” basically, because they all utilize that basic blend, wherever they are from. I just think that Washington State offers one of the best, approachable and affordable variations— and its my theory that the state has a great thing going with this not-especially-unique blend, so they are together upholding quality. And by “quality” I mean “fruit.” Rioja is the Spanish version of the best date wine out there. My friend Burnie used to get the same one I recommended 12 years ago and he said “it works every time.” All ripe cherry, wood-spice and vanilla oak with the good but still affordable ones. If you go over $20 bucks you’ll get a more complex one, but sometimes you have to be careful with the oak on Riojas, they use American casks and it can really notch the wood (and sweet vanilla) up. Thanksgiving is also pretty ideal for pinot noir, I gotta admit. Then again jail is is an ideal time for pinot noir. Basically the most noble grape on earth. I also think that turkey and co is a good setting for American pinot, and dare I say it, even California pinot. This is because, like all three above, there is usually a hearty oak presence from Cali pinots, and on the occasions that you’ve got healthy, not-too-ripe (but watch out for burnt cherry) fruit happening, the oak on an occasion like Thanksgiving can be... well I’ll leave it that on this nite it can something to be thankful for. The way to ask for a Cali pinot at your wine store is to just ask if it is more balanced, ask if you can get the true cherry or black plum character through all the winemaking clutter that can happen in that state. Otherwise, just stick with Oregon and you’re probably not going to go wrong. Turkey Day whites
For my white variations, I suggest a good Chardonnay. The only catch is that if you are spending under $20 bucks, I would go with a Washington state version (not to mention Italian, or S.African), and if you spend over $25 bucks, and get the advice of a wine-steward or a non-bs “shelf-talker” (with a “shelf-talker” at a wine store, trust the ones that are created by the store rather than the ones that came from the distributer, you can usually tell), go for California. Target Sonoma chards. Russian River Valley is rivaling most anywhere right now for chardonnay. Can’t believe I said that. For the best twist in a Thanksgiving white, truly, go after a wine from Alsace— gewurtz, pinot blanc, reisling or pinot gris. I write them all up in Vol. 2 of my Weakly Wine Report. Check it out. Happy munchout and thanks for reading.
