Below you will see our selection of wines that will pair very well with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The Thanksgiving dinner plate is a very busy plate and can have many of the traditional ingredients: turkey, ham, cranberry (sauce and/or mold), squash, yams, stuffing, potatoes, rice, corn, green beans, peas, carrots, turnips, etc.
The traditional Thanksgiving wines to serve with this banquet are Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Gewurztraminer. I will add to this list Lambrusco and Brachetto. These last two are frizzante (fizzy) red wines from Italy.
After the list of our selected wines, I will discuss good Thanksgiving dessert wines.
Why These Wines With These Foods?
The traditional Thanksgiving plate has many earthy elements: white meat turkey, potatoes, rice, green beans, peas, carrots, yam.
The traditional Thanksgiving plate has sweet elements: cranberry sauce, cranberry mold, stuffing (when apples and raisins are used), candied yams.
The traditional Thanksgiving plate has salty elements: ham, stuffing (depending on how it is prepared), bacon in mashed potatoes, bacon braised green beans.
The traditional wines paired with these food elements are dry but fruity, or sweet and fruity. These wines complement the sweet elements of the food or perfectly contrast the earthy and salty elements of the food.
Pinot Noir
This dry (no perceptible sugar) red wine is probably the most food friendly red. It is the hardest grape to produce into wine because of its very thin skin and its cool climate requirement. Because of this it is difficult to find a good one under $15.00.
Its thin skin also means that it will not have the bold tannic structure that a thick-skinned Cabernet Sauvignon can have. Tannin is felt on the palate as a woody and astringent (bitter) element. This element is imparted into the wine primarily from the grape skin.
Pinot Noir's earthy element is of a loamy character as opposed to a dusty/dirty soil character of a Cabernet. Its fruit profile leans heavily toward red and black berries and cherries.
Riesling
This white wine can be made dry to very sweet. Many wine experts consider riesling the most noble and unique white grape variety in the world. It makes for one of the most spectacular food and wine experiences when paired with smoky, spicy, salty, or highly seasoned foods.
Good riesling (sweet or dry) will show excellent extraction of flavor and vibrant support from acidity. Many will also display minerality that adds even more complexity. They are intensely flavorful with a ravishing delicacy. Its fruit profile can consist of apple, apricot, pear, peaches, and melons. One might also sense a floral quality.
We have dry and sweet rieslings. Overall, in my opinion, Washington probably produces the best rieslings in the U.S.
Gewurztraminer
A very eccentric white wine. Gewurz means spice in German. This wine is not spice-rack spicy; the spice refers to the wine's perfume, floral and sometimes gingerbread and vanilla notes that inform the bold flavors that can consist of lychee, passion fruit, melon, fruit-cocktail syrup, grapefruit, honeysuckle, smoke, stones, and minerals.
This wine has massive fruitiness that can be mistaken for sweetness even if it is bone dry.
Lambrusco and Brachetto (the coca-colas of wine)
As I already mentioned, these wines are red and fizzy (what Italians call frizzante). Now I will mention that they are best served very cool to refrigerator cold. I call these the coca-colas of wine.
Lambrusco is the name of a grape and the wine. It is made in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy (the home of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese). The color can vary from light red to dark, purple-red. Lambrusco can be dry, but most of the ones available in the U.S. are slightly sweet and fruity. They can be so fruity that they can seem sweeter, but the sweetness is not a candy, sticky sweetness. Also, it will display fairly high acidity so that there is a sweet-tart complexity. By the way, Lambrusco is the perfect pizza and hamburger wine.
Brachetto is the name of the grape. This wine is made in Piedmont. This wine is pure rose petals and strawberries, raspberries, and cherries. The wine can be made slightly sweet to medium sweet. I also detect some loamy earth. As in Lambrusco, this wine is not candy, sticky sweet. Brachetto is the perfect chocolate wine. It is amazing with chocolate; try it with chocolate cake and fresh raspberries. But it is very versatile and will pair well with smoky, salty, spicy, and highly seasoned foods.
Both Lambrusco and Brachetto are as sweet as coca-cola (and fizzy and served cold). So if you like coca-cola and have it with many of your meals, there is no reason to not like wines at the same perceptible sweetness level as long as they are well made.
And now, without further pontification and delay, we present the wines.
Las Colinas Beverages All-Star Turkey Day Wines
Pinot Noir
(Non Vintage) Stonewood, California $8.99 2009 McManis, California $13.99
2009 Poppy, Monterey County, California $16.99
2009 Ramspeck, Napa Valley, California $18.99
2008 Illahe, Willamette Valley, Oregon $24.99 (89 points Wine Spectator)
2009 Calera, Central Coast, California, $29.99 (92 points Wine Advocate)
2009 Morgan Twelve Clones, Santa Lucia Highlands, California $29.99 (90 points Wine Spectator)
Riesling
2010 Loosen Bros. Dr. L (sweet), Germany $11.99 (previous 3 vintages = 88, 90, and 89 points respectively by Wine Spectator)
2010 Pacific Rim Sweet (medium sweet), Washington $12.99 (88 points Wine Advocate))
2010 Pacific Rim (medium dry), Washington $12.99 (85 points Wine Spectator)
2010 Dr. Pauly Noble House (sweet), Germany $13.99 (previous 3 vintages = 90, 89, and 88 points respectively by Wine Spectator)
2009 Leitz Out (sweet), Germany $14.99
2010 Gauthier G-Squared (very close to dry), Santa Lucia Highlands, Hillside Vineyards $16.99
Gewurztraminer
2009 Pacific Rim (medium dry), 83% Washington 17% Oregon $12.99 (87 points Wine Spectator)
2009 Chateau Julien (very close to dry), Monterey County, California $14.99
Lambrusco
Lo Duca Reggiano, Italy $12.99
Brachetto
Castello del Poggio, Italy $
Thanksgiving Dessert Wines
Desserts: Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie, Pecan Pie
Rotta Black Monukka, California, 19% ABV, .375ml, $24.99: Rotta is a California winery that was established in 1908. This wine is made with the red, Black Monukka grape. The wine's color is bronze. After fermentation, the wine is stored in barrels in the direct sun. It is "sun-baked" for two years outside; this caramelizes the natural sugars, and this is evident in the caramel notes on the palate. The extraction of oak and vanilla from two years of barrel aging is also evident in the aroma and flavor. Pair with pumpkin, apple, and pecan pies. My tasting notes follow.
A gorgeous dessert wine. Big, complex flavor profile, and strong, rich aromatics. Present in aroma and flavor are caramelized pecans, vanilla, caramel, butter sauteed almonds, and hints of sun-baked nectarine. Rich, full-bodied, and perfectly sweet. --Rick
2006 Forrest Estate Botrytised Riesling, Marlborough, New Zealand, 9%ABV, .375ml, $29.99: Botrytis cinerea is a beneficial fungus that attacks late harvest grapes that are used to make dessert wine. Also know as 'noble rot', this fungus consumes some of the water in the grape, concentrating the sugar. Pair with apple and pecan pies
This wine is straw colored with fabulous citrus aromas and an unctuous sweet palate. Aromas of limes, mandarins, tangelos, and apricot. The palate has the botrytised derived honey and toffee as well.
The traditional Thanksgiving wines to serve with this banquet are Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Gewurztraminer. I will add to this list Lambrusco and Brachetto. These last two are frizzante (fizzy) red wines from Italy.
After the list of our selected wines, I will discuss good Thanksgiving dessert wines.
Why These Wines With These Foods?
The traditional Thanksgiving plate has many earthy elements: white meat turkey, potatoes, rice, green beans, peas, carrots, yam.
The traditional Thanksgiving plate has sweet elements: cranberry sauce, cranberry mold, stuffing (when apples and raisins are used), candied yams.
The traditional Thanksgiving plate has salty elements: ham, stuffing (depending on how it is prepared), bacon in mashed potatoes, bacon braised green beans.
The traditional wines paired with these food elements are dry but fruity, or sweet and fruity. These wines complement the sweet elements of the food or perfectly contrast the earthy and salty elements of the food.
Pinot Noir
This dry (no perceptible sugar) red wine is probably the most food friendly red. It is the hardest grape to produce into wine because of its very thin skin and its cool climate requirement. Because of this it is difficult to find a good one under $15.00.
Its thin skin also means that it will not have the bold tannic structure that a thick-skinned Cabernet Sauvignon can have. Tannin is felt on the palate as a woody and astringent (bitter) element. This element is imparted into the wine primarily from the grape skin.
Pinot Noir's earthy element is of a loamy character as opposed to a dusty/dirty soil character of a Cabernet. Its fruit profile leans heavily toward red and black berries and cherries.
Riesling
This white wine can be made dry to very sweet. Many wine experts consider riesling the most noble and unique white grape variety in the world. It makes for one of the most spectacular food and wine experiences when paired with smoky, spicy, salty, or highly seasoned foods.
Good riesling (sweet or dry) will show excellent extraction of flavor and vibrant support from acidity. Many will also display minerality that adds even more complexity. They are intensely flavorful with a ravishing delicacy. Its fruit profile can consist of apple, apricot, pear, peaches, and melons. One might also sense a floral quality.
We have dry and sweet rieslings. Overall, in my opinion, Washington probably produces the best rieslings in the U.S.
Gewurztraminer
A very eccentric white wine. Gewurz means spice in German. This wine is not spice-rack spicy; the spice refers to the wine's perfume, floral and sometimes gingerbread and vanilla notes that inform the bold flavors that can consist of lychee, passion fruit, melon, fruit-cocktail syrup, grapefruit, honeysuckle, smoke, stones, and minerals.
This wine has massive fruitiness that can be mistaken for sweetness even if it is bone dry.
Lambrusco and Brachetto (the coca-colas of wine)
As I already mentioned, these wines are red and fizzy (what Italians call frizzante). Now I will mention that they are best served very cool to refrigerator cold. I call these the coca-colas of wine.
Lambrusco is the name of a grape and the wine. It is made in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy (the home of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese). The color can vary from light red to dark, purple-red. Lambrusco can be dry, but most of the ones available in the U.S. are slightly sweet and fruity. They can be so fruity that they can seem sweeter, but the sweetness is not a candy, sticky sweetness. Also, it will display fairly high acidity so that there is a sweet-tart complexity. By the way, Lambrusco is the perfect pizza and hamburger wine.
Brachetto is the name of the grape. This wine is made in Piedmont. This wine is pure rose petals and strawberries, raspberries, and cherries. The wine can be made slightly sweet to medium sweet. I also detect some loamy earth. As in Lambrusco, this wine is not candy, sticky sweet. Brachetto is the perfect chocolate wine. It is amazing with chocolate; try it with chocolate cake and fresh raspberries. But it is very versatile and will pair well with smoky, salty, spicy, and highly seasoned foods.
Both Lambrusco and Brachetto are as sweet as coca-cola (and fizzy and served cold). So if you like coca-cola and have it with many of your meals, there is no reason to not like wines at the same perceptible sweetness level as long as they are well made.
And now, without further pontification and delay, we present the wines.
Las Colinas Beverages All-Star Turkey Day Wines
Pinot Noir
(Non Vintage) Stonewood, California $8.99 2009 McManis, California $13.99
2009 Poppy, Monterey County, California $16.99
2009 Ramspeck, Napa Valley, California $18.99
2008 Illahe, Willamette Valley, Oregon $24.99 (89 points Wine Spectator)
2009 Calera, Central Coast, California, $29.99 (92 points Wine Advocate)
2009 Morgan Twelve Clones, Santa Lucia Highlands, California $29.99 (90 points Wine Spectator)
Riesling
2010 Loosen Bros. Dr. L (sweet), Germany $11.99 (previous 3 vintages = 88, 90, and 89 points respectively by Wine Spectator)
2010 Pacific Rim Sweet (medium sweet), Washington $12.99 (88 points Wine Advocate))
2010 Pacific Rim (medium dry), Washington $12.99 (85 points Wine Spectator)
2010 Dr. Pauly Noble House (sweet), Germany $13.99 (previous 3 vintages = 90, 89, and 88 points respectively by Wine Spectator)
2009 Leitz Out (sweet), Germany $14.99
2010 Gauthier G-Squared (very close to dry), Santa Lucia Highlands, Hillside Vineyards $16.99
Gewurztraminer
2009 Pacific Rim (medium dry), 83% Washington 17% Oregon $12.99 (87 points Wine Spectator)
2009 Chateau Julien (very close to dry), Monterey County, California $14.99
Lambrusco
Lo Duca Reggiano, Italy $12.99
Brachetto
Castello del Poggio, Italy $
Thanksgiving Dessert Wines
Desserts: Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie, Pecan Pie
Rotta Black Monukka, California, 19% ABV, .375ml, $24.99: Rotta is a California winery that was established in 1908. This wine is made with the red, Black Monukka grape. The wine's color is bronze. After fermentation, the wine is stored in barrels in the direct sun. It is "sun-baked" for two years outside; this caramelizes the natural sugars, and this is evident in the caramel notes on the palate. The extraction of oak and vanilla from two years of barrel aging is also evident in the aroma and flavor. Pair with pumpkin, apple, and pecan pies. My tasting notes follow.
A gorgeous dessert wine. Big, complex flavor profile, and strong, rich aromatics. Present in aroma and flavor are caramelized pecans, vanilla, caramel, butter sauteed almonds, and hints of sun-baked nectarine. Rich, full-bodied, and perfectly sweet. --Rick
2006 Forrest Estate Botrytised Riesling, Marlborough, New Zealand, 9%ABV, .375ml, $29.99: Botrytis cinerea is a beneficial fungus that attacks late harvest grapes that are used to make dessert wine. Also know as 'noble rot', this fungus consumes some of the water in the grape, concentrating the sugar. Pair with apple and pecan pies
This wine is straw colored with fabulous citrus aromas and an unctuous sweet palate. Aromas of limes, mandarins, tangelos, and apricot. The palate has the botrytised derived honey and toffee as well.