What’s wrong with this picture?
By Mark Criden
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Illustration by J.P. Thimot.
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Of course, gentle readers, there’s a simpler answer. There’s not a single glass of wine anywhere.
Here comes Thanksgiving: another day of friends, football, feasting, and rocking out with the folks, a day of falling asleep on the couch in a tryptophan-induced haze. The original short-attention-span, OCD holiday, it’s an overstuffed day with a feast to match, from appetizers, to white and dark turkey meat, mashed potatoes, yams with little marshmallows, Jello molds, herb-filled stuffing, cranberry relish, Brussels sprouts, pickled this and peppered that, all the way to pumpkin or pecan pie.
This smorgasbord may make finding an appropriate wine sound like mission impossible, but picking great Turkey Day wine isn’t brain surgery. While roast turkey is a great blank canvas against which almost any wine will show brilliantly, it’s all the other stuff we eat—the strongly flavored sides —that drives your choice of wines. Stick with reds and whites that are medium bodied, flavorful, aromatic, earthy, and—presuming you’re not a terrorist who hates our freedom—American, and you’ll be all set.
Whites
Aromatic whites are great choices, and stand a fighting chance of pairing with the thousands of dishes. Here are four best bets:It doesn’t matter how often I say it, but many of you just hear “blah blah blah” when I mention Riesling. But there’s no more flexible white. Its light floral aroma and its soft, fresh flavors mesh nicely with the cacophony of Thanksgiving dinner seasonings. For terrific examples, one should look no further than the Finger Lakes, where it’s hard to go wrong with selections from Sheldrake Point, McGregor, or Heron Hill. For a terrific bargain, grab yourself some Salmon Run, the second label of Dr. Konstantin Frank. Light, minerally and steely, but crammed with autumnal fruit and spice, Salmon Run will delight your guests for $13.If Riesling is out because memories of Blue Nun haunt you at night, give delicate, aromatic Viognier a spin. The flowery, peachy 2005 Incognito from California is a rich, mouth-filling bargain at about $15.
Pinot Gris (better known by its Italian moniker, Pinot Grigio) has a smoky bouquet, and an opulent creamy texture. Ideal for richer dishes, Pinot Gris has been hit or miss in Oregon, but California’s MacMurray Ranch produced a succulent 2005 Sonoma Coast example that’s a great buy at $15. For something completely different, try the 2005 Folie a Deux “Menage a Trois,” a ripe, luscious blend from California. Mostly Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, the real kick comes from the “Trois,” sweet and spicy muscat canelli. This $12 wine smells like fresh flowers and ripe honeydew, and has a nectarlike sweetness that’ll wow your guests.
Reds
Unless you’re serving roast beef or lamb, ditch the Cabernet, Barolo, and Bordeaux, well-aged examples of which shouldn’t compete with tiny marshmallows. Less complex reds are far better suited to Thanksgiving.
Light, food-friendly, and very aromatic, American Pinot Noir is usually easy going enough to complement just about any flavor you can throw at it. One delicious and reliable example is Saintsbury’s fresh, graceful, and long Garnet bottling, combining fresh berry flavors with a dark spice undercurrent. This rich red’s perfect for uncritical quaffing at about $20.To ratchet up the intensity, pick up some Zinfandel, whose berry and brambly flavors will stand up nicely to the strong flavors of the meal. Hundreds of wineries make Zin, but Ridge and Ravenswood remain a class apart. For a dollar-wise pick, grab the always reliable 2004 or 2005 Ravenswood Vintners Blend, a delight to pair with intensely flavored foods and a screaming deal at about $8.
When you’re gnawing on a Viking-sized turkey leg, there’s nothing like an earthy Cotes du Rhone, especially the American version, Edmunds St. John Rocks and Gravel. The 2005, a delicious blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre is spicy and earthy, with a deep, satiny, strawberry quality. This vivid gem will make you and the other Vikings happy for about $18.
Finally, many Americans get great pleasure from the fresh, purply Beaujolais Nouveau that is released from France the third Thursday of November, but rarely am I one of them. Most of the widely distributed commercial selections taste like Welch’s spiked with lighter fluid, a taste most of us—even on Thanksgiving—yearn to avoid.
If you’re into minimalism, you can always pop the cork on sparkling wine, and serve it from soup to pumpkin pie. I’m a fan of Glenora’s Brut, a real deal at $10, but Scharffenberger Brut from California gets even closer to the experience of real Champagne for $15.Dessert usually brings a variety of very sweet pies made from pumpkin, sweet potato, pecan, or cranberry. These pies scream for densely sweet ice wine, like Hunt Country’s 2006 Vidal Blanc.
Finally, the most important advice I can give you about Thanksgiving wine pairings, however, is not to sweat it. Save your search for the perfect wine for romantic candle-lit dinners with someone special, or a quiet evening of conversation with your best friends. Don’t worry about Turkey Day. Everyone will drink and have a good time no matter what wine you serve.
Mark Criden (mcriden@yahoo.com) is a nonprofit executive and the former chair of the Buffalo branch of the International Wine & Food Society.
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