Thanksgiving is all about getting your friends, family and loved ones together to spend quality time together, relax, and enjoy an amazing meal. This usually includes the traditional turkey with all the sides, but if your family and friends take the day to recognize your heritage, or, you have some picky eaters in the room Jacqueline Coleman of History and Wine has the perfect wine recommendation to go Italian Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving potluck, and more!
Thanksgiving only comes around once a year, but there are many ways that you can celebrate. From Friendsgiving to company potlucks, you may be invited to indulge in many iterations of the traditional turkey meal. If you’re planning on bringing a bottle or two of wine to each celebration, here are a few suggestions to get you through the many dinners during November.
Traditional Family Thanksgiving
It’s your favorite day of comfort eating all year! Everyone indeed has their own take on the original, but the table is sure to be full of hearty dishes like mashed potatoes, breaded stuffing, cheesy green beans, and a juicy turkey. The most traditional Thanksgiving table deserves the most traditional American wine.
2016 Clos Pegase Estate Chardonnay, Mitsuko’s Vineyard, $30
Chardonnay is a perfect Thanksgiving wine because it’s great with poultry, and if it’s aged right with some softening malolactic fermentation, like the Clos Pegase Chardonnay, it will have the weight that perfectly accompanies buttery sides and heavier dishes. This bottle is medium-bodied and smooth with pear, stone fruit, and some spice flavors. Brioche hits in the palate for a rounded, creamier feel in the mouth with the right amount of acidity needed for a well-balanced wine.
Italian Thanksgiving
Italian’s have a knack for mealtime, and it would be hard to deny that an all-Italian Thanksgiving supper isn’t the best meal you’ve had in a long time. While it may not comprise the traditional turkey and fixin’s, an Italian Thanksgiving meal will deliver so much more.
2016 Terlato Pinot Grigio, $23.99
Pinot Grigio is a versatile wine that is universally appreciated when made by a quality producer. It can be enjoyed by your Italian nonna and little cousins alike, and pairs well with turkey alla porchetta, fried eggplant, and Italian stuffing. This wine is fresh with pear, apricot, and ripe peach flavors. Crisp acidity and a fuller body than some Pinot Grigios, the Terlato Pinot Grigio will hold its own at the dinner table.
Tropical Thanksgiving
Those who live in South Florida know that Thanksgiving doesn’t always mean fireside football and pumpkin patches. With summer weather lingering well into winter and Thanksgiving being during the coveted Stone Crab Season, chances are high that South Floridians may be celebrating a tropical seafood-based Thanksgiving.
2015 Nora da Neve Albariño, $30
This Albariño has spent six months in French oak giving it a bit of weight that will perfectly complement that creamy butter sauce you dip your Stone Crab in before each bite. On the nose, you’ll get lemon, pear, orange peel, and green apple, which blend into a citrus-dominated flavor profile on the palate. A full-bodied wine that is also bright with balanced acidity, a bit of vanilla spice, and fresh minerality that lingers on the finish, the Nora da Neve Albariño would be a welcomed accompaniment to your tropical Thanksgiving dinner table.
Colleague Potluck Thanksgiving
Your “work wife” has planned a potluck meal for you and your colleagues to attend the week before Thanksgiving, so you’ll need to show face and bring a classic bottle to get you through the “shop talk” chit-chat that is sure to dominate the evening.
2016 Charles Krug Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, $39
Napa Cabs are pretty standard quality American wines, so you’re safe bringing one from this category if you’re trying to please most people. Charles Krug is a Peter Mondavi Sr. brand, so it’s also got the brand recognition as a label of the iconic Mondavi family. At under $40 in this category, it’s the right price range where quality and value meet. The blend is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec, making it a bit of a Bordeaux-style blend with the structure and complexity that comes when these grapes are blended. Sturdy tannins and lots of dark fruit and cocoa give the wine its signature Napa Cab flavor profile that is sure to pair well with Mary-from-accounting’s potluck pot roast.
Casual Friendsgiving
If you live far from home, you know the drill for Thanksgiving. Grab a few friends and spend the day cooking and drinking together while you watch the parade and your respective alma maters’ football games. Your friends are all into sharing quality wines, so what do you bring without breaking the bank?
2015 Légende Médoc, $26.99
The Légende Médoc is a Bordeaux wine from one of the most famous names in the region but without the infamous price tag. From the Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) comes an economical line that doesn’t skimp on quality. Impress your friends with the Rothschild Légende Médoc, a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot that will excite wine lovers like a classic Bordeaux always does. Soft, round tannins, complex fruit, and spices blend into a structured, sophisticated wine that is strong well into the finish. Decant for about an hour before enjoying to open up all the nuances that are waiting to be discovered inside this bottle, and enjoy before, during, and after the meal!
Share with us your favorite bottles of Thanksgiving wines! Sound of on social by tagging @Coravin and @HistoryandWine.
