Wine Finds: Thanksgiving
Filed under Wine
When it comes to food and wine pairing, Thanksgiving rules for one simple reason: so many wines pair well with the traditional fare. Well, there are other reasons why Thanksgiving is great, but the multitude of wine options just makes it that much better. With turkey, stuffing, potatoes, squash, cranberry sauce (jellied is acceptable) and homemade rolls, the wine options are endless. Without getting too specific, here’s a list of great wine styles to pair with Thanksgiving dinner, in no particular order:
- Pinot Noir
- Gamay (Beaujolais)
- Zinfandel (go for a lighter style)
- Sparkling Shiraz (try to find Steele Wine’s Black Bubbles Lake County Sparkling Syrah…the only California sparkling Shiraz/Syrah I am aware of)
- Cabernet Franc
- Riesling
- Pinot Blanc
And the king of Thanksgiving wine: Beaujolais Nouveau. While it may not be an American wine to go with the most American of holidays, it must be fate that wineries release Beaujolais Nouveau to the world exactly a week before Thanksgiving. On the third Thursday of every November, the vintners of Beaujolais celebrate the end of harvest by regaling the world with the first bottling of the year. Made from fruit harvested just weeks ago, Beaujolais makes a fresh, extremely fruity style intended to offer the world a glimpse into this year’s harvest. It could be coincidence, but Beaujolais Nouveau is the perfect fit for the flavors of Thanksgiving.
There are dozens of Beaujolais Nouveau, but Georges BeBoeuf is probably the most recognizable. By definition, Beaujolais Nouveau is the simplest wine possible: pick grapes, dump into container, ferment, press, bottle, voila! As such, there is little need to find small, artisan producers of Beaujolais Nouveau especially in 2009. Having tasted some of these wines this week, I can tell you that the 2009 Beaujolais Nouveaus are great! Go for it!! The 2009 George DeBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau is the best in years and will be a fantastic addition to the Thanksgiving table. Even better yet, this wine should be available at a grocery store near you.
– Douglas Allen
