It is incumbent for every wine writer to compile a list of various wines that will go with the trimmings of a Thanksgiving dinner, which is a tedious exercise in an effort to cover so many bases.
As I’ve noted before, no one wine can match up with everything from spicy stuffing and sweet potatoes with marshmallows to Brussels sprouts and pumpkin pie with nutmeg.
So this year I’ve decided to give you my own bucket list of favorites, any one of which I’d drink with a turkey dinner because I know the bird itself should be the main consideration.
One basic rule should be that sweet and vegetables’ flavors will compromise the big, tannic flavors of Cabernet Sauvignons, as well as the more voluptuous Grand Cru Burgundies. High alcohol wines above 14.5% will neither enhance nor be enhanced by the taste of the turkey meat, especially white. And while white wines may have their place with the appetizers and are amiable enough to serve with turkey and vegetables, you could choose any of ten varietals, from Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio to Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc with the same result.
So here are some of my favorites, chosen on how splendidly they match with the turkey itself.
My first choice would be an Aloxe-Corton, the stepsister of the always pricey Corton, which can easily cost $500 and much more. A good Aloxe-Corton, with slightly less body, matures faster and costs as low as $40, like the bottles from Bouchard Per & Fils, and rarely rising above $90, like Louis Latour 1er Cry Les Chaillots.
Also from Burgundy are the delicious aged Beaujolais––not the unfinished party wine called Beaujolais Nouveau, but the top tier Cru from specific villages: Saint-Amour, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Moulin-à-Vent, Morgon, Régnie, Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly, Juliénas and Chénas, each expressive of the Gamay grape, at about 13% alcohol, with the fruitiness that marries perfectly with turkey dinner (even cranberries), and costing $20-$50 a bottle. Producers to look for include Domaine Jean Foillard, Louis Jadot and Georges Duboeuf.
As I’ve had more than occasionally written, my favorite New World Pinot Noirs come from Oregon. There are some superb examples out of California’s Sonoma Valley, but many tend to be overripe and often don’t taste much at all like Pinot Noir. For all reasons viticultural and professional, Oregon keeps the varietal in fine balance without sacrificing body or the grape’s true flavors. Many cost under $60, so look for those by Aeris ($15) and Patricia Green Cellars ($50. The top of the line and very much worth it is from Beaux Frères ($70).
Syrah can also work wonders for turkey, provided it’s not too tannic, as it so often is from Australia. I very much like the Syrah produced in Washington State’s Columbia Valley by Itä ($48), which at first glance looks very dark, but, with only 13.3% alcohol its acids, sugars and aromas are of medium body, as is the case in the better Walla Walla vineyards.
And after the turkey is removed from the dinner table and the desserts come out, I can think of nothing lovelier than to match a fine Port to pumpkin pie or pecan pie.
Dow’s 2018 Late Bottled Vintage ($30) is so well priced for this delectable wine from the Symington Family Estates. Late Bottled indicates it is a single-vintage aged in oak for four to six years before bottling, making it ready to drink upon release and not be kept for months. It is, therefore, more accessible than traditional vintage and not as massive or need years more to mature.