What Wine Should I Drink
with My Turkey?

And Shame on You for Referring to Your Spouse That Way

Winter 2010

Robert Morey, Wine-Drinking Turkey

Holiday feasting can be tricky, 
because—dang!—pressure’s on, and you have so much else to think about. You don’t want to be worrying about whether you’ve chosen the appropriate wine for your meal.

Many people think white wine would be most fitting for turkey, but the traditional holiday meal also includes other savory elements that might seem to call for a red.

Of course, you really should serve both white and red wine, making everybody happy. But wait! What about pink wine? Or all three!?! Here are some guidelines to help you think about your choices.

Meal-centered gatherings at my house almost always begin with sparkling wine. The mere sound of the cork popping from the bottle immediately lends an air of celebration and good will to the occasion. Real Champagne is expensive, but then, you might splurge a bit. Not every day is Thanksgiving, after all. On the other hand, we carry a range of other delightful sparkling wines to fit any budget.

For whites, I find that Alsatian varieties work well with everything on the traditional holiday table. That means, especially, Riesling or Gewürztraminer. I prefer dry wines to sweet, and I’m happy that we have an affordable Trocken (i.e., “dry”) Mosel Riesling on the shelf, as well as dry Rieslings from California and Australia. For the sweeter-inclined of you, we have a handful of delicious off-dry and sweet German Rieslings.

An easy choice for red wine would be Beaujolais. The brand new Nouveau will be released one week prior to Thanksgiving. There’s always something exciting about getting the first wine of the new harvest, but New Pioneer is also carrying a couple of Cru Beaujolais wines from the outstanding 2009 vintage. One of these will be the first red opened at my table.

Beaujolais is all about fresh, vibrant fruit from the youthful Gamay grape. For more serious red Thanksgiving wines, you may want to turn to Burgundy’s other red grape, Pinot Noir.

Pinot continues to ride the coattails of popularity from the movie Sideways, and it’s a great choice for the Thanksgiving table: light-bodied enough for poultry but savory enough for other meal elements. We have delicious Pinots that will delight you and your guests.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a fan of dry Rosé wines. I’d like to highlight two pink wines of opposite styles, both from France’s Rhone Valley. The Rouge-Bleu is light, elegant, and zingy; a wine from neighboring Tavel is as big and bold as a pink wine can get. Where the Rouge-Bleu whispers its charms, fuller-bodied Tavel acts like it almost wants to be a red wine.

Or, if you prefer, throw all these suggestions to the wind and choose what you like. Or ask us in the wine aisle. We all have our favorites, and we would love to help you pick your wines!

The point of wine, and of holiday feasting, ought to be to enhance the pleasure of good company. Cheers! •