Thanksgiving Wines

With Thanksgiving a mere 3 days away, it's time to clean the house, finish up the grocery shopping, and put the finishing touches on your menu. At my house, wine is always in integral part of the Thanksgiving meal. This year, I will be serving 3 wines with dinner--a red, a white, and a rose.

First, a note about rose wine. Forget the white Zinfandel or sweet blush wines. Dry rose has made its comeback, so if you tend to turn up your nose when you see pink in someone's wine glass, you may want to familiarize yourself with what today's roses have to offer before passing judgment.

For the red wine, I'll be serving the Evesham Wood 2008 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is a classic Thanksgiving pairing, and the Evesham Wood is a value-driven pinot that really delivers, and I expect it to match well with the turkey itself and the mushroom and wild rice casserole I'm making.

The Trimbach 2005 Pinot Blanc is a white wine from Alsace that packs a lot of fruit (think tree fruits like apricot, peach, and pear) with good weight and acidity that makes for a good food wine. For guests who like whites, but need to branch out beyond oak-heavy Chardonnay, the Trimbach Pinot Blanc is a great option that will keep them coming back for more.

Don't let the stelvin closure (eek, a screw cap) on the aptly-named Turkey Flat 2007 Rose fool you. There is some serious Barossa Valley juice inside this bottle. Flavors of fresh, juicy strawberry with a spicy backbone and good acidity mean that this wine is the perfect choice for those who can't decide between red or white with dinner. If the idea of serving and/or drinking a pink wine makes you apprehensive, I encourage you to take a risk this Thursday and make Turkey Flat the second turkey on your Thanksgiving day table.

Cheers! ~Dr, Cocktation