Thomas Cottrell is Bellevue Club’s wine consultant and the owner of La Cantina Wine Merchants.
“What’s the best wine to serve with Thanksgiving dinner?” There may be a question I get asked more often, but I can’t think what it might be. Even the wine merchants’ old favorite, “Isn’t Zinfandel a white grape?” comes in a distant second. There are several reasons why this particular question is most asked. First, we all eat a large meal on Thanksgiving, and many of us have wine. For some of us it’s one of the few times of the year we do drink wine. So the question is bound to come up.
Second, when folks drink wine only occasionally, the range of wines that pleases them tends to be narrow. Aunt Emily may not know what she likes, but she definitely knows what she doesn’t like. You, as her host, need help. Third, it’s a difficult repast to marry with wine. There are two kinds of meat, red and white, each of which are very different in flavor and texture. And don’t get me started on the side dishes: Brussels sprouts and green beans, cranberry sauce—with orange no less; rich gravy, shrimp cocktail, stuffing with or without pecans or oysters or ... You begin to see the dimensions of the problem. Over the years I’ve changed my mind, several times, as to what works best with this celebration. Initially, I thought that the best wine I could afford would be a perfect match. In those days the universal idea of best wine was red Bordeaux, so I tried the most expensive one I could manage, and discovered that it didn’t work very well. The tannins in the Cabernet Sauvignon clashed with the turkey, not to mention a few of the side dishes. I’ve never used it since.
Next, we tried Gewurztraminer—domestic, French and German—and they worked pretty well. There was no clash with the meat, and the fruitiness, sometimes even sweetness, of the wine worked well with almost everything. But I later concluded that I wanted something more, so we tried Chardonnay: A big mistake. I think the problem is the oak in most of them; it just seems jarring when paired with the white meat. Maybe if the turkey is smoked. For a few years we did nothing but sparkling wine. It’s a good answer, especially the slightly richer, fruitier blanc de noirs. I particularly like to
have a bubbly at the beginning of the meal, but we finally realized that we wanted red wine with our Thanksgiving. One that works well is Pinot Noir. My favorite is good red Burgundy; I just can’t afford it most of the time. And I’m not one who buys expensive wine for guests unless it will be appreciated. Aunt Emily, Uncle Alfred, and my brother-in-law will definitely not appreciate Grand Cru. Which leads me to my current favorite: Beaujolais. But not the Nouveau stuff, mind you. Yes, the French release the stuff exactly one week before Thanksgiving. And yes, the delightfully fruity quaff will work well with just about everything on your holiday table. But spend a few dollars more and get a real, traditional Beaujolais—perhaps one of the Crus, such as Morgon or Julienas. They have more depth and complexity to them, not to mention richness. You’ll be pleased, your wine-knowledgeable guests will be pleased (well, maybe not the snobs), and even non-
red-wine drinkers will be happy. Beaujolais is always my recommendation of choice when looking for an introductory red. So that’s what I’ll be serving this year on the fourth Thursday: bubbles to start and Beaujolais with the main course. Cheers!
