The harvest festival is a universal theme across the world’s cultures. The need and gratitude for a bountiful harvest was more closely tied to survival in the days of the legendary first Thanksgiving in Massachusetts, but the tradition has continued for centuries. Today, Thanksgiving is synonymous with good food in copious quantities. Too often, however, thoughts about wine are left to the last minute and someone is sent off to fetch the needed quantity of something of the chosen color to serve with the meal.
If you plan your wine choice ahead of time, along with your menu this Thanksgiving, you can both expand your wine repertoire and delight your guests. Where there is good food, there should be good wine. Since Thanksgiving is a distinctively American holiday, let’s keep our discussion to the wonderful array of distinctly American wines. A Thanksgiving feast is usually replete with bold, enticing aromas and flavors and experience shows that equally bold and aromatic wines are splendid choices to accompany such a grand menu.
A recent tabulation shows that there are 10,761 wine producers in the United States, a 69% increase from the 6357 wineries in 2009 and a twenty-four fold increase since 1970. Even outside of California, Oregon and Washington, there are 4,544 wine producers. Depending on where you live in the United States, you might find good sources of wine just down the road from where you live.
California is clearly the most important wine producing state, with over 4000 wineries and over 80% of total US production with Oregon and Washington completing the west coast triumvirate. You might be surprised to know that currently all of the 50 states have at least one winery within their borders. It’s not nearly as well known that Texas and New York both have over 400 wineries and Michigan, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio all have over 200 wine producers. Missouri, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, Texas, Illinois and North Carolina all boast over 100 wineries within their borders. While West Coast wines may dominate the shelves, with a little effort you can find local wines that will be fine companions for your holiday dinner.
The very nature of a Thanksgiving feast makes it difficult to pick one wine that can match all the flavors. Because there is a veritable riot of aromas and tastes offered up on the table a single wine cannot possibly match that degree of variety. So, I like to recommend wines that have rich aromas and flavors that can pair well with a variety of dishes. Keep in mind that many traditional Thanksgiving recipes are rather sweet. Think of candied yams and the like. Thus, wines with residual sugar can pair beautifully with the traditional Thanksgiving spread. White, rosé and red wines can all be delicious when paired with the rich flavors of a Thanksgiving meal, so it’s a good opportunity to indulge in your favorite hue for this festive occasion.
One easy way to start your celebration is with a sparkling wine. You can try a traditional blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from producers on the west coast, but you could also explore outside of that range. Wine producers throughout the US create delicious sparkling wines that would be a great start for your Thanksgiving feast. From New York, the Ravines Sparkling Riesling is a drier style and the Montezuma Vineyards Sparkling Diamond Pet-Nat gives a slightly sweeter twist on bubbles. The Grace Brut Rosé from the Mawby Winery of northern Michigan or the Brut Ombré Rosé from The Illinois Sparkling Wine Company would be fine companions to a holiday spread. Likewise, you can add elegance to your holiday table with the sparkling rosé called Shimmer from the Cannon River Winery in Minnesota or the delightful bubbly called Sparkler from the Parallel 44 winery in Wisconsin. The Brut Rosé from Gruet Winery in New Mexico is widely available in the United States as well.
Chenin Blanc is the grape of Vouvray in France, where it makes a favorite wine for Thanksgiving dinners. Good Chenin has a tantalizing aroma with a lovely combination of floral and fruit scents and its vibrant acidity is balanced by a touch of sweetness. In the USA, Chenin Blanc from California’s Clarksburg region can also be a spectacularly good companion for the holiday feast. Wineries like Dry Creek Vineyards, Pine Ridge, Vinum Cellars and Silt Wine Company source Chenin from Clarksburg and make fruit-forward, refreshing wines. Beyond Clarksburg, Washington State’s cooler sites allow wineries like L’Ecole No. 41 and Kiona to craft quality Chenin as well. Too, Texas is proving to be a source of quality Chenin, with wineries like Carter Creek, Fall Creek Vineyards and Messina Hof producing attractive wines. Even in Idaho, the Snake River Valley Chenin Blancs of Sawtooth Winery and Telaya Wine Company show great promise.
Chardonnay might seem like a less adventurous choice for a holiday gathering, but there is a reason that the grape is so popular. Good Chardonnay offers bold fruit and a rich texture that appeals to our senses. A Thanksgiving spread is an excellent foil for the robust flavors of a good Chardonnay. Thanksgiving is a good opportunity to splurge on a Chardonnay just a bit better than your everyday selection. Generally, more expensive Chardonnays are richer and fuller-bodied than their less pricey competitors, due to the time spent in barrel which imparts a creamy, vanilla-like character to the wine. California is the largest source of US Chardonnay with Sonoma County, Monterey County and Santa Barbara County offering scores of fine bottlings. Outside of the Golden State, you might consider CrossKeys Vineyard in Virginia, Walter Scott in Oregon, Woodward Canyon in Washington, Wölffer Estate Perle Chardonnay from Long Island in NY and Fox Run Vineyards in the Finger Lakes.
Riesling is always high on my list of Thanksgiving wine recommendations. American Rieslings have improved greatly over the past few decades. Rieslings provide vivid fruit aromas often along with slightly sweet flavors. Keep in mind that sweetness is not an undesirable characteristic for Thanksgiving wines. The traditional menu is laden with rich, sweet, and spicy flavors that are much better served by a slightly sweet wine than a bone dry one. Try one of the several Rieslings from Brooks or Trisaetum in Oregon or the Poet’s Leap Riesling from Long Shadows Vintners in Washington. In northern Michigan, Bel Lago and Left Foot Charley offer a range of delicious Rieslings. The Finger Lakes of New York have become synonymous with fine Riesling. Try wines from Hermann J. Wiemer, Weis Vineyards or Boundary Breaks to enjoy the central New York terroir.
New grape varieties are worth considering for your Thanksgiving table. Grape breeding programs at the University of Minnesota and Cornell University have bred varieties in recent decades that can fulfill the need for sustainable grape varieties. Hybrid white grape varieties like La Crescent, Traminette and Vignoles can all provide delicious adjuncts to your holiday fare. A La Crescent from Carlos Creek Winery in Minnesota or Elmaro Vineyard in Wisconsin would be a fine introduction to the grape. From the state of Missouri, good Thanksgiving choices are a Traminette-Vignoles blend from Les Bourgeois Vineyard and the tropical fruit and peach-laden Dry Vignoles from Adam Puchta Winery.
One of the best domestic red wines for Thanksgiving is a good Zinfandel from California. Red Zinfandel is available in a wide variety of styles, from light and lively to deep, intense and concentrated. You can pick the style you like the best for Thanksgiving, since the spicy, berryish style of the Zinfandel grape seems to harmonize with holiday menus both on the lighter and fuller-flavored ends of the spectrum. You can seek long-standing producers like Ridge, Cline or Ravenswood. Lesser-known wineries like Carol Shelton, Jeff Runquist Wines and Macchia Wines offer exceptional Zinfandels as well.
Pinot Noir is the choice of many for a Thanksgiving red wine. The United States has an abundance of fine Pinot Noir producers. Oregon is virtually synonymous with quality Pinot. You can make this a geographic comparison by sampling wines from the many AVAs in the Willamette Valley. Try wines from the Dundee Hills alongside Yamhill-Carlton District or Eola-Amity Hills wines to discern the differences. Many outstanding Pinot Noirs come from cooler California sites – the Sonoma Coast, Anderson Valley, Russian River Valley, Carneros, and Santa Maria Valley among others. Pinot Noir can be found in many different styles ranging from bright, juicy, berry fruit driven wines to big, lush, and vanillin-oak laden. Consider the intensity of flavors to be found on the table to determine the style to match your menu.
Other more unusual reds to consider are those of Rhône Valley varieties like Grenache and Syrah or Italian origin grapes like Barbera and Teroldego. Those who seek Thanksgiving accompaniments of a lighter style might consider sampling a good Gamay, most famous as the grape of Beaujolais. There has been a surge of interest in Gamay among Oregon producers and there are many renditions available. From the heartland, cold-hardy red grapes like Frontenac, Petite Pearl, Marquette and Verona can offer roundness and depth for your holiday table.
That just scratches the surface of vinous possibilities for your Thanksgiving experience. There is much more to consider than the wines mentioned above—even though quite a few were mentioned. Search out a local gem to accompany your autumnal feast and discover a new treasure or look to the traditional regions. Either way, treat yourself and your guests to a strategically planned menu of food and wine. The gustatory rewards will be memorable.