Turkey Wines!
By David Keck:
With Thanksgiving almost upon us, we thought we’d answer the annual question of what to drink on this best of all holidays—any holiday built on giving thanks for the bounty of the year and consuming audacious amounts of food and drink is obviously the best. So what do you pair with turkey? And stuffing, and cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes, and, and, and…? Thanksgiving is traditionally one of the hardest holiday meals to properly pair, because the diversity of food options leads to the question: what are you actually pairing? To answer that question, there a couple of follow-up questions: Is there a dish that drives your personal Thanksgiving experience? Are you craving stuffing? The turkey itself? The veggies (or maybe you’re actually vegetarian and it’s all about veggies!)? This year is bound to be different with less travel and ability to see family, so what better year to treat yourself to an amazing bottle of wine? If you need one of the wines recommended and want some Turkey-Day-specific shelf-talkers, let us know and we’ll make it happen!
Rosé All Damn Day!
Rosé is one of the most versatile styles of wine out there—it can have some of the richness and structure of the red grapes used while also having brightness, acidity, and a refreshing quality that can be ideal at the table with a lot of rich food.
LIMITED ADDITION GRENACHE ROSÉ 2019
This wine has all the ripeness and character of truly badass Southern Rhône Grenache, except it’s from Oregon and it’s more….pink. Not a lot more pink, though! Perfect to stand up to turkey and stuffing but not overpower the rest of the table. Truly an ideal wine for the holiday at a very reasonable price (your guests will need a few bottles, right??).
COMMANDERIE DE LA BARGEMONE 2019
Definitely in the Provençal vein of Rosé, this is actually from Aix en Provence where it’s a bit more common to include some Cabernet Sauvignon (which they do). Not the light, easy drinking coastal style, this wine has the weight to stand up to food, but will also add some lightness to the meal.
Bubbles Pair with Everything!
BERTRAND DELESPIERRE SAIGNÉE DES TERRES AMOUREUSES ROSÉ 2012
Ok, this is obviously a holiday price-point, but finding a bottle of grower-champagne (they grow their own grapes) that is a dark, delicious rosé made in the saignée style (literally ‘bled’ in which the juice is gently bled off the skins of red grapes) from all 1er cru vineyards, well, this is worth it. It is ripe, rich, has the intensity of top-notch fruit, but bubbles and acidity so will be absolutely delicious with everything on the table. Treat yo’self.
GROCHAU JOYRIDE PINOT NOIR ROSÉ 2018
From one of our favorite producers, this sparkling rosé is crazy affordable, soft, juicy, and has all the Oregon Pinot Noir character one could hope for. Perfect for leading into the meal, but this wine will definitely be perfect throughout and also great for sipping after the meal.
I Want Red Wine!
Alright, we hear ya! The holidays (and this weather) call for something a little richer, heartier, something that means serious business. Here are some options.
SOTER NORTH VALLEY PINOT NOIR 2017
From this iconic producer in Oregon, all fruit from the north part of Willamette Valley. A touch of oak, rich enough to say ‘bring on the meat’ while also charming acidity and a lifted, floral character. And a price that affords a few bottles for the table.
JOSEPH SWAN TRENTON ESTATE SYRAH 2011
Joe Swan may have planted the first Pinot in the Russian River Valley, but his son-in-law Rod makes some pretty friggin’ amazing Syrah. It’s smoky, meaty, chewy, and has almost a decade under its belt to soften it up and make it perfect for food. We’re prettystoked to have some of this in stock right now. #SYRAHVOLUTION
If you want some Syrah with a bit more meat and intensity—try the Amavi Syrah 2017 from Walla Walla—ripe, dark fruit and a bit more oak.
SADIE FAMILY POFADDER 2019
Normally we allocate this wine out as we only get a couple of cases a year, but we’ll just go ahead and make it first-come first-served for the holiday! It’s not inexpensive, but Eben Sadie is undisputedly one of the most innovative and famous winemakers in South Africa and indeed, the world. This wine is varietal Cinsault. Yeah, you heard us, 100% CINSAULT. It has the pepper and pretty red fruit of that grape variety, but also the weight and intensity of the vintage. Eben says this is ‘a small dog that bites you.’ Perfect for a holiday! One of our favorite wines from a truly iconic producer.
MORIC BLAUFRÄNKISCH 2017
We wrote a love-letter to this grape variety last week, but this wine is truly perfect with ameal. Dark fruit and spicy, but not too much ripeness, lovely with pretty much anything calling for red wine. Really. Super classy and probably new to you and your guests, so a fun new bottle.