Shelly's Recipe

Wine Guide to Thanksgiving Food and Wine Pairing

Category: Miscellaneous

•Sparkling wine: It’s not just for the holidays. Sparkling wine brings both elegance and amazing food-pairing versatility to the festivities…..from Prosecco to the finest French Champagnes. The best buys in sparkling wine is Spanish Cava.
•Riesling-these wines can be bone-dry to sticky sweet. Close an off-dry to medium-sweet example for your menu. Riesling is excellent with dishes that are spicy, salty or sweet……turkey, sweet potatoes, herbed stuffing.
•Gewürztraminer-these wines are aromatic, spicy and off-dry and bring out the best in turkey and gravy.
•Sauvignon Blanc-Crisp with herbal/mineral undertones-works great with turkey and mashed potatoes.
•Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris-handles garlic, onions, herbs and rich dishes well.
•Pinot Noir is close to the best and most forgiving, when closing a red wine, but others also work well. It is a traditional favorite with subtle earthy undertones and little or no tannins. Pinot Noir’s acidité provides a pop of fresh fruity tartness that lightens up a heavy meal. Try serving it a little cooler to maximize the bright characteristics. This only takes 15-20 minutes in the refrigerator.
•Gamay-This is one of the best times to serve that Beaujolais Nouveau you pre-ordered. It is traditionally released the third Thursday of November every year.
•Malbec is balanced and medium-bodied, lush and complex without big tannins-a perfect choice for wintery meals. The clear strong flavors also make it a good choice for cooking. It adds depth to gravies, marinades and stews.
•Zinfandel is more hearty and intense than Pinot Noir and works well with a variety of side dishes.
•Syrah/Shiraz has a spicy edge, meaty character and peppery notes that pair well with white and dark turkey meat and herbed stuffing.
•Zweigelt from Austria is another lovely red wine option. It has forward fruit, good acidity and very low tannins.
•Rose is another good start-to-finish wine choices. There is crisp clean acidity and forward fruit flavors that pair well with turkey and the side dishes.

DESSERTS: For those pumpkin, sweet potato and pecan pies, think about a tawny port or a good cream sherry.