The Cellar: Thanksgiving Wines
Friday, November 18, 2011
I know what you are thinking. Thanksgiving is around the corner and with everything that is going on the last thing you want to do is to worry about the wine. Thankfully you won’t have to. Because, unlike most other meals, the many different flavors and consistencies found in the traditional Thanksgiving meal allows you to take some chances with your wine. I suggest getting a red as well as a white, and if you are in the mood a sparkling Cava or Prosecco as a welcome aperitif. It is very difficult to mess this one up. To illustrate this I have chosen two different wines that are going to be on my Thanksgiving table – both, by the way, are wines from respected importer Michael Skurnik’s portfolio.
2010 Meulenhof Riesling Kabinett Erdener Treppchen, Mosel, Germany
Riesling is an unbelievable food wine. While often overlooked on the dinner table, the fact is that few wines pair with as many types of food as Riesling. This week’s first recommendation is a great example of just that.
Right off the bat you will find that its (slight) sweetness goes great with the salty pre-dinner snacks. Once you have seated, you will find that it pairs well with sweet potatoes as well as the sweet glaze on the turkey. You will also find that its acidity and crispness cuts the fattiness of the gravy and richness of the stuffing, and that its acidity will match the cranberries. Finally, its cool freshness will clean your palate and prepare it for the next bite.GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
While most Rieslings will do the trick, I suggest you go for a German Riesling, preferably one labeled ‘Kabinett’, which means that the wine is likely to be light in body, low in alcohol, have a little residual sugar, as well as nice acidity and minerality. The one that I will be serving is the delicious 2010 Riesling Kabinett from Meulenhof’s Treppchen vineyard. It is a pretty straightforward Riesling with loads of ripe green apples and peaches, as well as citrus notes on the long finish.
2010 The Pinot Project, Pinot Noir, California
If your party is big enough and two red wines are needed I suggest you get a full-bodied red, like a spicy Zinfandel, and a lighter-bodied red, like a Pinot Noir. If you have to choose between the two I say go with the Pinot
Noir as it will probably please the majority of your guests. Pinot Noir is a great Thanksgiving wine because its soft tannins, fresh acidity, red fruits and earthy notes go well with many of the flavors often found on a Thanksgiving dinner table. While often very expensive there are some values our there, you just have to know what you are looking for.
One of the best Pinot values out there right now is the under-$15 ‘The Pinot Project’. Normally, I shy away from wines from large appellations, such as ‘California’. Because when it just says ‘California’, as opposed to a more specific place like ‘Napa Valley’, it means that the grapes are sourced from all over the State. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I just prefer my wines that reflect and express the place where the grapes are grown. That said, and knowing how difficult it is to find a good Pinot Noir at this price point, I actually like this wine a lot. I will be serving this wine on Thursday as I see it pairing nicely with the lean turkey, cranberries and all the spices found on the table.
Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!
Steffen Rasch CSW is ready to answer any wine-related questions, comments or concerns you may have. Feel free to email him at [email protected]. And as always, don’t forget to follow GoLocalProv’s Wine Cellar on Facebook.
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