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Wines Available To Accompany Every Holiday Flavor
By Kurt A. Eichsteadt
Editorial Assistant
While many people enjoy Thanksgiving without cooking (see the Thanksgiving roundup elsewhere in the Gazette for a list of restaurant offerings), for many folks, the Thanksgiving meal is prepared and consumed at home with friends and family.
For those dining in, what follows are wine suggestions for traditional meals as well as some for diners going the vegetarian route.
The traditional Thanksgiving dinner has a wonderful variety of contrasting tastes — appetizers, white and dark meat, herb-filled stuffing, cranberry relish, pickles, mashed and sweet potatoes, pumpkin and pecan pie — that traditionalists say that the best wines are light to medium body with lower tannin levels and less complexity.
Food and wine pairings are a matter of personal preference (always drink what you like), but experts make the following recommendations.
If you want to stick with one wine, the best choices are sparkling, Champagne, Rosé or Sherry.
If you want to mix things up, try these whites. Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and earthy and works especially well with turkey and stuffing. Viognier is another good light white, while Rieslings work with dishes that may be spicy. Gewürztraminer, which may be either dry or sweet, also works with spicy dishes and goes well with desserts.
Reds move away from the traditional pairings, but many people enjoy them at Thanksgiving. Pinot Noirs are considered “easy going,” which means they complement almost anything. Zinfandels are a step up in intensity and are a good choice for something heartier. Syrah is a good choice that works well with all the different tastes in a Thanksgiving dinner.
Don’t overlook Beaujolais Nouveau. This is the light fruity French wine that is released annually on the third Thursday in November. It is fermented to be consumed right away, which is perfect timing for Thanksgiving. (Each year, half of the total production is exported. Japan and Germany are the biggest markets, followed by the United States.)
While ham is not quite as traditional as turkey, it is popular for the holiday.
A ham combines sweet glaze and salt cure. Whites cut through the saltiness: a dry Alsatian Riesling, a French Chablis or a Prosecco. Sweeter whites and fruitier reds complement the glaze and serve as a counterpoint to the salt: sweet Gewürztraminers, Syrahs, Zinfandels or Pinot Noirs.
If you’re going vegetarian, here are some suggestions. Avoid tannic reds, and go with lighter reds, whites and rosés. Pastas go with Zinfandels or Barberas. Richer pastas with cream and cheese pair up nicely with a lighter Chardonnay.
A mushroom risotto is a rich dish that will go with a strong Cabernet Sauvignon.
When it’s time for dessert, two ounces of wine is considered the ideal serving size. Generally speaking, the dessert wine should be slightly sweeter than the food it is served with.
Late harvest wines are usually higher in sugar and therefore sweeter and good for pies. Ice wines, usually from Canada, are made from grapes that have frozen and also are sweeter, match up well with most desserts.
Another good dessert choice for pumpkin or pecan pie is Sherry.
The Sherry’s sweetness and warmth offset the spiciness of the cinnamon, clove and nutmeg in the pie.
A panel assembled by the San Francisco Chronicle recommended the following for California Thanksgiving dessert wines: Viognier, Muscat Canelli, late-harvest Gewürztraminer, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Moscato.
For those dining in, what follows are wine suggestions for traditional meals as well as some for diners going the vegetarian route.
The traditional Thanksgiving dinner has a wonderful variety of contrasting tastes — appetizers, white and dark meat, herb-filled stuffing, cranberry relish, pickles, mashed and sweet potatoes, pumpkin and pecan pie — that traditionalists say that the best wines are light to medium body with lower tannin levels and less complexity.
Food and wine pairings are a matter of personal preference (always drink what you like), but experts make the following recommendations.
If you want to stick with one wine, the best choices are sparkling, Champagne, Rosé or Sherry.
If you want to mix things up, try these whites. Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and earthy and works especially well with turkey and stuffing. Viognier is another good light white, while Rieslings work with dishes that may be spicy. Gewürztraminer, which may be either dry or sweet, also works with spicy dishes and goes well with desserts.
Reds move away from the traditional pairings, but many people enjoy them at Thanksgiving. Pinot Noirs are considered “easy going,” which means they complement almost anything. Zinfandels are a step up in intensity and are a good choice for something heartier. Syrah is a good choice that works well with all the different tastes in a Thanksgiving dinner.
Don’t overlook Beaujolais Nouveau. This is the light fruity French wine that is released annually on the third Thursday in November. It is fermented to be consumed right away, which is perfect timing for Thanksgiving. (Each year, half of the total production is exported. Japan and Germany are the biggest markets, followed by the United States.)
While ham is not quite as traditional as turkey, it is popular for the holiday.
A ham combines sweet glaze and salt cure. Whites cut through the saltiness: a dry Alsatian Riesling, a French Chablis or a Prosecco. Sweeter whites and fruitier reds complement the glaze and serve as a counterpoint to the salt: sweet Gewürztraminers, Syrahs, Zinfandels or Pinot Noirs.
If you’re going vegetarian, here are some suggestions. Avoid tannic reds, and go with lighter reds, whites and rosés. Pastas go with Zinfandels or Barberas. Richer pastas with cream and cheese pair up nicely with a lighter Chardonnay.
A mushroom risotto is a rich dish that will go with a strong Cabernet Sauvignon.
When it’s time for dessert, two ounces of wine is considered the ideal serving size. Generally speaking, the dessert wine should be slightly sweeter than the food it is served with.
Late harvest wines are usually higher in sugar and therefore sweeter and good for pies. Ice wines, usually from Canada, are made from grapes that have frozen and also are sweeter, match up well with most desserts.
Another good dessert choice for pumpkin or pecan pie is Sherry.
The Sherry’s sweetness and warmth offset the spiciness of the cinnamon, clove and nutmeg in the pie.
A panel assembled by the San Francisco Chronicle recommended the following for California Thanksgiving dessert wines: Viognier, Muscat Canelli, late-harvest Gewürztraminer, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Moscato.
