When I think of a kitchen full of Thanksgiving food, one thing comes to mind: Aromatics!
I can already smell the herbaceous richness of home made sausage stuffing intermingling with the earthiness of the green bean casserole. And of course the creamy, garlic filled mashed potatoes and brown gravy, all surrounded by the waft of roasting turkey sneaking its way through the house.
Adam Sandler had it right when he sang “I wish turkey only cost a nickle!”
I’ve carefully selected the wines here to pair perfectly with Thanksgiving, as it is one of the more interesting meals of the year to match with wine. When pouring any of them, know that you’ll be serving the best quality wines, and have a story to tell around the turkey when you do. As usual, you’ll find a link to where some of the best prices can be found.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wine Spectator gave this wine a 90, and I gave last year’s vintage a 92. Big praise for a $10 wine! New Zealand born and raised, this wine has outstanding fruitiness and a very firm backbone of acidity that will compliment anything on the Thanksgiving platter.
$10.49 FIND IT HERE
Both Steven Tanzer and Robert Parker gave this wine 88 points. Who am I to argue? Spain offers some of the greatest values in wine and this certainly is one of them. Grenache is sort of like a cross between red zinfandel and pinot noir. Yum! Use this as your cabernet sauvignon substitute!
$8.99 FIND IT HERE
I’m guessing we went through a 6 bottles of this wine over the summer. Viognier is chardonnay’s answer to Thanksgiving. It is naturally aromatic, but feels like chardonnay in your mouth. If there is one wine to have with turkey and stuffing, this might be it, and James Halladay gave it 93 points to boot!
$10.49 FIND IT HERE
Mumm Napa has undergone huge upgrades through the years and now is certainly recognized as one of the great sparkling wine producers in the world. Their brut prestige is a superb way to toast togetherness as guests arrive. Wine News gave this 92 points!
$14.99 FIND IT HERE
2 Comments
A meal isn’t as tasteful if you don’t have the right wine. Especially with this kind of occasions.
Totally agree…that is, if the drinker/eater chooses to pay attention to what’s going on in their mouth. If not, and they love a massive Amador zinfandels, then by all means drink your zin and be happy. For me, I love bringing out all sorts of different wines and mixing and matching with the expansive flavor profiles offered at our Thanksgiving table. That, to me, is just as fun as the second helping and the post meal nap!