Since everyone agrees that no single wine can be “perfect” at the groaning Thanksgiving table, why not choose a wine that fits the holiday in a different way–one that you are thankful for being able to enjoy?
I am in the process of finishing a book on the history of wine, and the biggest thing I’ve learned while writing it is how lucky we all are. Not all
that long ago a great deal of wine tasted unpalatably shrill and sour, much of it being either oxidized or infected by bacteria. Today, no matter whether you’re paying $7 or $70, it’s nearly impossible to buy a seriously flawed wine. We may argue, as the writers at Wine Review Online are wont to do, about the merits of different styles, but it’s inarguable that wine drinkers today are blessed with more good wines at all price levels than ever before in human history. Surely, that’s something to be thankful for.
Thinking specifically about Thanksgiving dinner, I’m firmly in the camp that advocates drinking American wines on what–after all–is our country’s national feast. So while I’m very grateful for all sorts of imported wines, everything from luxe Champagnes to more humble but delicious offerings (like the riveting bottle of Beaujolais Blanc–yes blanc–that I enjoyed the other week), I’ll confine myself to recommending a few domestic wines that should enhance the holiday. Though made from different grapes and evidencing different styles, these represent the surge in quality that should have us all giving thanks.
The first is Chateau Ste Michelle 2009 Dry Riesling ($9), which won the Critics’ Challenge Competition last May, and which offers outstanding value. Twenty years ago, Riesling of this quality was simply unavailable from the United States, no matter the price. Today, more and more excellent examples of the varietal are coming onto the market all the time. Many hail from the Pacific Northwest, but fine Rieslings now also come from eastern states like Michigan and New York.
Speaking of the east, my second recommendation is Michael Shaps 2008 Viognier ($32) from Virginia. This winery (and winemaker) consistently turns out some of the best examples of this particular varietal made anywhere–and that includes France. The wine exhibits a seductive floral bouquet, followed by rich peach and apricot fruit flavors, without ever seeming hot or heavy. For hundreds of years people dreamed of being able to make world-class wines on the eastern seaboard. It’s happening now.
My red recommendation is Lang & Reed Cabernet Franc ($22) from California’s North Coast. It tastes of raspberries and plums, with a kiss of vanilla and a sharp tang of green herbs, and while medium-bodied has plenty of flavor to hold its own with even the least wine-friendly Thanksgiving dish (think candied yams). This is an example of a California wine with a truly individualistic personality, something I sometimes wish were more common in the Golden State, where the wines these days are invariably good but perhaps too often indistinct.
While I easily could come up with many more specific recommendations for Thanksgiving dinner, my larger point is that, for those of us who love wine in all its fascinating forms, this is an age of unparalleled riches. We sometimes may lament not being able to afford this or that wine, or regret missing out on a particular bargain, but it makes sense at this holiday to give thanks for the bounty we have–more high-quality wines from more place and at more different price-points than ever before.
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