Thanksgiving, Cognac, and Chateau Montelena
Top 9 Thanksgiving Wine Pairing Guidelines
I’m on PTO this week and dining for Thanksgiving this year. Do you want to take a break too? Take a look at my Thanksgiving Dining Around the World Article. Two other newsletters which have gotten some of the most impressive number of “views” are included here - in case you missed them. If you are hosting Thanksgiving dinner at home and looking for pairing suggestions, see my Top 9 Thanksgiving Wine Pairing Guidelines below. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving Restaurant Recommendations Around the World: Take a Break This Year - Top 9 Wine Pairing Guidelines for Your Dinner at Home or Eating Out, November 19, 2024
Cognac vs. Armagnac: France’s Premier Brandies. What are the Affordable and Luxury Choices, November 12, 2024
Chateau Montelena: On Retelling the 1976 Paris Wine Tasting: Results of the Judgement of Paris, July 9, 2024
Top 9 Thanksgiving Wine Pairing Guidelines
Here are my Top 9 wine pairing suggestions for Thanksgiving. Remember, these are not hard and fast rules, just guidelines:
Tip # 1: Serve what you like to drink, not what you think you must serve.
Tip # 2: Be festive. Serve a sparkling wine as a welcoming aperitif.
Tip # 3: Match the weight of the food with the weight of the wine.
Tip # 4: Use bridge ingredients in a recipe (cheese, fruit, nuts) to make wine more compatible with vegetables, salad dressings, and spices. A Sauvignon Blanc or still rosé wine works well with lighter ingredients.
Tip # 5: Avoid heavily tannic wine with turkey and spicy casseroles. Pinot Noir is always a good choice for roasted white meats as it has lighter tannins. Dry Rosé works well, too. Keep that special Cabernet Sauvignon in the cellar/shelf, as the tannins will fight the spiciness of the food.
Tip # 6: Red Zinfandel’s flavors of plum, pepper, jammy blackberry, and tobacco can hold up to a smoked or deep-fried turkey.
Tip # 7: A Garnacha/Grenache based wine, domestic or international, works well with ham, especially those honey-based hams, or if served with cherry sauce. The raspberry, baked cherry, and spice notes are a perfect pairing.
Tip # 8: Full-bodied white wines like Chardonnay and Viognier pair well with heavier sauces, root vegetables, or cheese.
Tip # 9: Dessert wines should be sweeter than the dessert, or the wine will taste flat/sour.
Happy Thanksgiving.