Wine Suggestions for Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is almost upon us, so it seems like a good time to suggest some wines for your turkey dinner.

Many people seem to feel that choosing a wine (or wines) for a turkey dinner is difficult. My response is that there are usually so many different dishes on the table that almost any wine will pair nicely with something! If you choose a wine that you like, you will probably enjoy it with your Thanksgiving dinner as long as it doesn’t wipe out the food flavours.

However, I do have a few classic pairings to help get you started. Any of the aromatic varietals usually work well with turkey: Riesling (dry or off-dry), Gewürztraminer, or Alsatian Pinot Gris come to mind. Lighter reds (such as Pinot Noir, Syrah or Grenache from the Old World, or Gamay) often work well without  overwhelming the flavours of the food.  Rosés are another option, but avoid the sickly sweet, overly fruity ones and go for a drier version.  The Joie Rosé would be great (I know that Firefly Fine Wines & Ales still has some magnums), but there are many other choices.

For something really different, consider a sparkling red. The Australians virtually swear by sparkling reds with turkey dinners. These wines are almost uniquely Australian (Sumac Ridge now makes one too) and not well known in British Columbia, but there are some available here. If you want to splurge, try the E&E Sparkling Shiraz ($69.99 in the government stores): this is made from the famed still wine – always a treat – so this is both an excellent Shiraz and a fun sparkling wine. There is also a Black Chook Sparkling Shiraz ($23.90 in private stores) that I expect will work well.

These are really just some off-the-cuff suggestions. I’m working on a list of wines to enjoy over the Hanukkah/Christmas/New Year season. Look for it in late November.

Happy Thanksgiving!