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Thanksgiving Wine Reviews

Wondering what wines to pair with your Thanksgiving dinner? Of course you are. In addition to pairing wine with the turkey, you must consider the side dishes to be offered, the spices in those dishes, and how to use the wine to bring out the flavors of your cuisine.

Wines from Spain — including red, white, sparkling, and fortified wines — offer tremendous value and pair well with the classic dishes associated with this holiday. In many ways, they are symbolic of America since Spain’s Christopher Columbus was the explorer who, in the course of proving the world was round, landed on American soil. You can be assured he had many bottles of Sherry and perhaps even Rioja aboard his three ships, the Nina, Pinta, and the Santa Maria.

Fashionable and chic, wines from Spain will turn your Thanksgiving dinner party into a glamorous event. Best of all, they are affordable, with many wines under $10 and some of the very best award-winners under $20.

Begin your wine and Thanksgiving food pairing plan by reviewing the spices and weight of your sauces and side dishes. Are you planning roasted Butternut squash with cranberries? A luscious soup such as curried squash and apple? Creamy mushroom and French lentil? These dishes are rich, spicy, and substantial, which means your wines should be medium-bodied at the very least.

Many of your guests will prefer a white wine. As you make your white wine selections, keep in mind that Thanksgiving Day flavors and textures suggest a richer, more substantial white, such as a mineral-based Albarino.

As for red wine, remember the Pairing 101 rule that suggests matching the wine to the sauce (specifically its weight and texture) rather than the protein (chicken, fish, meat). Your guests won’t be eating ‘plain’ boiled turkey. If so, sure, a simple light white wine would do. Instead, they will be enjoying slow-roasted turkey, basted in butter, perfumed with fragrant herbs, along with spicy cranberries, rich stuffing, and all the rest. In short, even though the meat (if they select the white instead of the dark) is white, the combination of sauces and side dishes make it easy to pair with a red wine.

If your particular menu is on the light side, you can still enjoy a red wine. The secret is to make sure the wine is lighter in body, with less tannins than a fuller-bodied, more aggressive red wine such as a Verdejo from Rueda. Also remember that your guests will be enjoying both the white and dark meat of the turkey, and a red wine, or even a dry, but fruit-driven rose, will stand up better to the dark meat.

Planning your Reception

Consider what wines you will serve before the meal begins. In many homes, part of the fun of a Thanksgiving Day dinner is catching up with friends and family in the kitchen while the turkey is slowly baking in the oven. One exotic, and very inexpensive, way to impress guests is to serve Fino Sherry an hour before the feast is scheduled to begin.

Fino Sherry, from Jerez, Spain, begins its life just like any wine, with the grapes harvested and quickly fermented. Then, this base wine is fortified with grape spirit and, through a miracle of nature, develops a thick layer called “Flor” which covers the wine in the cask like a lid, preventing oxygen from touching the wine and resulting in a dry, slightly nutty, tan-colored elixir that goes well with almonds and other nutritious pre-feast snacks. Because two or three ounces per person is really all you need and a bottle of good quality Sherry can be had under $15, this is a particularly economical way to entertain guests in style.

As an alternative, try dazzling your guests with Cava, the sparkling wine of Spain. The method used to produce Cava is virtually the same as the method used to make Champagne. The key difference is that you can find delicious Cava at under $10 a bottle. Rose-colored cava makes a particularly festive presentation for holidays.

The Sweet Golden Finish

Are you in the habit of serving coffee after your Thanksgiving meal? Think again. This is a holiday. You can’t find a better dessert beverage to celebrate with than Pedro Ximenez “Murillo” from producer Emilio Lustau. This is a thick syrup of a dessert wine that has been fortified and is so rich and sweet you will want to distribute it in two-ounce pours. Serving vanilla ice cream along with your Thanksgiving Day dessert? Pour the PX right on top – it’s delicious.

Cristalino NV Brut Rose Cava $8.99

This gaily-colored sparkling wine offers refreshing scents of raspberry and cherry on the nose with crisp, clean strawberry and cherry flavors on the palate. Serve in a champagne flute as guests arrive and await the feast.

Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe $15.00

Tangy and dry with a hint of salt-water taffy and fresh almonds, this exotic aperitif will whet your guests’ palate for dinner. At 15% alcohol, plan to serve this slow-sipping fortified wine in two-ounce servings.

Pazo San Mauro Albarino Marques de Vargas, 2006 $18.00

Rias Baixas is one of the trendiest regions for mineral rich, white wine in Spain.
The grapes come from vineyards situated on the rolling banks of the river Mino that are bathed in sunlight. Pair this wine, with its nose and palate of ripe apple, peach, and citrus, with the salad course.

Tilenus (Envejecido en Roble) 2004 Bodegas Estefania ($20)

Bierzo is quickly becoming one of the most recognized regions of Spain, and is the home of the Mencia grape. This particular wine, offers wild berries, mineral, and well-integrated oak, yet is delicate in nature and should pair well with even the white turkey meat assuming it is accompanied by cranberry or another rich sauce or gravy.

Emilio Lustau non-vintage Pedro Ximénez "Murillo" Seleccion del Centenario ($35)

Dark brown with a clear edge. Thick and syrupy-sweet, structured by a tart layers of deep flavor, prunes and plums. Serve with dessert or in place of dessert.

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