Gobblers & Goblets: Wines for Thanksgiving Dinner

It’s time for turkey and all the trimmings. What wine should you pair with your Thanksgiving dinner?

One option is to use a versatile wine that will complement a wide range of food. Wines such as Pinot Noir, Riesling and sparkling wine can meet this challenge. Another option is to pair different wines to accentuate the different flavors of the meal, possibly Syrah, Pinot Grigio, Albariño. You can also go with traditional Thanksgiving wines such as Zinfandel or Beaujolais.

When choosing one wine to complement the whole meal, a nice champagne or sparkling wine is the way to go. Sparkling wines have great versatility and add elegance to the meal. They work as an aperitif and can continue to pair well with the foods served straight through dessert.

SCHRAMSBERG BLANC DE BLANCS (Calistoga, Calif.)

This delicious Blanc de Blancs has bright aromas of green apple, Bosc pear, and sweet spice. It has caramelized as well as tropical flavors, and finishes with a clean, crisp acidity. Perfect with turkey, stuffing, potatoes and cranberry.

SCHRAMSBERG BRUT ROSÉ (Calistoga, Calif.)

This is another fabulous choice for a sparkling wine. It is a vibrant and pretty rosé, with delicate flavors of strawberry, rose petal, and toasted almond. A long, crisp finish cleanses the palate.

Pinot Noir is another wine that can be used to complement your flavor-packed meal. Pinot Noir is a crowd pleaser. Its versatility makes it a wonderful pairing with both white and dark turkey meat and it accents the spice and cranberry.

PIKE ROAD PINOT NOIR (Willamette Valley, Ore.)

Pike Road is a super wine value! This wine has aromas of dark cherry fruit and spice along with flavors of ripe cherry, raspberry and mushroom.

WILLAMETTE VALLEY VINEYARDS WHOLE CLUSTER PINOT NOIR (Willamette Valley, Ore.)

“Whole cluster” refers to the winemaking style of this wine. It is fermented from uncrushed Pinot Noir clusters. This technique retains the fresh-fruit quality of the varietal and creates a wine that is delicious upon its release. A perfect match with turkey as well as many other foods. Serve slightly chilled.

DREW FAMILY CELLARS FOG EATER PINOT NOIR (Anderson Valley, Calif.)

This top-tiered Pinot Noir received 95 points from Vinous: “The 2017 Fog Eater is gorgeous … Bright, floral and beautifully lifted, it is all class. Freshly cut roses, raspberry and mint give the 2017 its distinctive, high-toned personality. The Fog Eater is an especially gracious, refined Anderson Valley Pinot.”

Beaujolais is a classic wine choice for your Thanksgiving meal. Similar to Pinot Noir, Beaujolais pairs very well with many foods. Juicy fruit, earthy tones and good acidity make this a great match with turkey and trimmings. JEAN-

PAUL BRUN DOMAINE DES TERRES DORÉES L’ANCIEN (Beaujolais, France)

Brun’s beautiful Beaujolais is made from old vines. It is juicy and refreshing. It goes well with a wide range of foods, and won’t weigh you down during a big meal.

AYRES VINEYARD GAMAY NOIR (Chehalem Mountain, Ore.)

Gamay is best known for the light, fruit-driven wines of Beaujolais, but recently some Oregon winemakers have been making excellent wines using the Gamay grape. Brad McLeroy is one such winemaker. Brad left his winemaking job at Domain Drouhin to become the full-time winemaker at Ayres. This is a wine with bright floral notes of lilac alongside red raspberry, anise and black pepper. There were only 100 cases made of this brilliant wine.

Another traditional wine varietal used for Thanksgiving is Riesling. Riesling has all the qualities that a wine needs when being paired with many different foods. Most Rieslings have a light body and light tannins, forward fruit, and good acidity.

TREFETHEN FAMILY VINEYARDS DRY RIESLING (Napa Valley, Calif.)

Trefethen’s dry Riesling is always good. It is extremely fresh, light and dry, with flavors of peach and white flowers. This wine has bright minerality and crisp acidity. Perfect for sipping, with appetizers, and dinner.

Not serving turkey? For less traditional meals:

Glazed ham – Oregon Pinot Noir (Ransom Jigsaw)

Rib roast – Syrah (Stolpman)

Roast pork – Chateauneuf du Pape (Barroche)

Leg of lamb – Merlot (Trefethen)

While selecting light, low-tannin wines that are fruit-forward and have good acidity is a helpful guide for your Thanksgiving feast, choosing a wine for your holiday meals is really a matter of preference. Drink what you like!

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Please drink responsibly