One of the faithful Thanksgiving traditions in our Italian American family involved spirited discussions around the holiday table. The decibel level of these emotionally charged altercations could sometimes exceed the sound of cicadas at war. During these holiday debates, no subject was too grand, obscure or off limits. We would debate everything from presidential politics to sports to whether the moustache on our elderly neighbor, Mrs. Costanza, was intentional or not.
Through the years, my brother and I have kept up the family tradition by arguing over which wines are best to pair with Thanksgiving dinner. After exhaustive and sometimes heated discussions, we have come to an uneasy truce and have concluded that almost any wine can marry nicely with at least one menu component of the Thanksgiving Day meal.
For years, I have written about the culinary versatility of turkey to be successfully paired with white, red, or rose’ as well as both lighter-styled and full-bodied wines. The reason is turkey is blessed with meat that has different flavors, colors and textures. Add to this the way the turkey is prepared – from traditional oven-baking to deep frying, to charcoal grilling or to smoking -and you have a plethora of wine choices from which to select. And since most of us will prepare a stuffing or dressing to the meal, you add a whole other flavor dimension that opens up even more vinous possibilities.
For example, one year I stuffed a charcoal grilled turkey with cornbread, ancho chili peppers and chorizo sausage. What wine, you might ask, did I serve with this non-traditional turkey and stuffing? Well, I started with Veuve Clicquot Champagne as an aperitif with the customary Thanksgiving hors d’oeuvres, proceeded to open a bottle of Trimbach Alsatian Pinot Gris for those who preferred white wine with the turkey, and I uncorked a bottle of Chateau de Beaucastel for those who preferred red. For dessert, I chose a bottle of Joseph Phelps Late Harvest Riesling to accompany pumpkin pie with whipped cream. And guess what, everything worked out well. Then, full of tryptophan, I plopped down on the couch and snoozed while some NFL team beat up on the Detroit Lions.
So here are some wines for you to consider as you plan your Thanksgiving dinner.
My
grilled
turkey
stuffed
with
ancho
chilies,
cornbread
and
chorizoSparkling Wine: Bottega Gold Prosecco; Cantina Zaccagnini Brut Blancs de Blancs; Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs; Iron Horse Russian Cuvee; Segura Vidas Cava Brut; Veuve Clicquot Champagne; and Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Champagne.
White Wine: St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc; Mer Soleil Reserve Chardonnay; Argiolas Meri Vermentino; Trimbach Riesling; Pierre Sparr Gewurztraminer, Rombauer Chardonnay; Carol Shelton Wild Thing Viognier; Verdicchio di Matelica; and Beaumont Chenin Blanc.
Chateauneuf
Du
Pape
–
an
excellent
choice
for
ThanksgivingRed Wine: Camino de Navaherreros Red; Chateau La Fleur Saint Bonnet Rouge; Easton Amador County Zinfandel; Greenwing Cabernet Sauvignon; Banfi Brunello Di Montalcino; Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape; Chateau de Pitray Rouge; Domaine Serene Yamhill Cuvee Oregon Pinot Noir; and Georges Duboeuf Morgon Beaujolais.
Dessert Wine: Michele Chiarlo Moscato; Chateau Ste. Jean Late Harvest Riesling; Veuve de Vernay Ice Rose; J Vidal-fleury Muscat de Beaumes de Venise; and Rosa Regale Brachetto.
Happy Thanksgiving!
John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book – Augie’s Wine –is now available to order online or at his website wordsbyjohnbrown.com. His first two books– Augie’s War and Augie’s World – are also available online and at bookstores around the state. You can find out more about his novels, and review all his archived Vines & Vittles columns at wordsbyjohnbrown.com