Thanksgiving Wine Recommendations

Thanksgiving is a time for great food, family, and friends. Pairing your wine before, during, and after your meal is just as important as the food itself. The wine should work in concert with the food, dessert, and your company.

In my opinion, the first rule of Thanksgiving wine pairing is that the wine must be from an American vineyard and from American grapes. We are giving thanks to those who founded our country so let's also give thanks to American vintners. Below are wine pairing recommendations for your entire day of celebration.

Let's get started with the pre-turkey hour. This is the time in the afternoon when your guests' cars are pulling into the driveway to be greeted by the smell of turkey in the oven. As the front door opens greet your guests with a glass of Four Vines Naked Chardonnay. This is a nice crisp, refreshing, chardonnay that is aged in stainless steel and never sees oak. It is a great accompaniment to cheese and crackers or other light appetizers while the bird is browning.

Once the dinner is ready it is time to pull out the official wines of the day. I recommend offering your guests both red and white wines. Listed below are some of my favorites:

• Milbrandt Riesling – I discovered this wine a few months ago at one of our retail tastings. It is a fresh and clean tasting Riesling with a nice balanced finish. This is not a sugar bomb rather it well rounded and will compliment a traditionally cooked turkey and/or ham. This wine is complex enough that wine drinkers will appreciate it, and a novice drinker will enjoy it too. The Milbrandt Winery is a family-owned business based in eastern Washington.
• Edna Valley Pinot Noir – This pinot comes from San Luis Obispo, California. The grapes are grown approximately five miles from the Pacific Ocean which creates a near perfect atmosphere for pinot noir. This wine is has a delicate black cherry and floral fragrance. Edna Valley Pinot Noir is delicate and smooth. It will finish with a lingering of soft tannins on your palate.
• William Hill Napa Chardonnay – This is one of my favorite chardonnays and has a great, subtle, underlying toasty oak flavor that is complimented with ripe fruit flavors. William Hill works especially nicely with ham and compliments the sweeter dishes at Thanksgiving.
• Flowers Pinot Noir – This is a truly exceptional Pinot Noir from Sonoma. This boutique winery only focuses on pinot noir and chardonnay and consists of 321 acres. The Pinot is aged 14 – 16 months in French oak barrels, which adds to the wines complexity. Flowers will compliment your dinner with its berry flavors and soft, "toastiness."

After dinner is complete and you are ready for desert go for a sweet, fun, and light wine. The St. James Winery located in Missouri has some great fruit-based wines that compliment dessert. If you are a fan of peach try their peach wine with your apple pie. Serve it nice and cold and it will be a great compliment. St. James has several other wines that are great with desert, so look for them at your favorite retailer!