The Pilgrims Drank Wine - By Michael Mohammadi (see below for Greg’s beer recs)

Thanksgiving is my favorite day of the year. I love it’s simplicity- no gifts, costumes or expectations, just a celebration to give thanks for good health, friends, family and, despite the hard times, our great country (yes, the USA).  Even with a troubled economy, conflicts abroad, and  the Detroit Lions being 0-11 (as well as University of Michigan finishing 3-9 for their worst record ever)…Thanksgiving day is still a time to spend time with loved wines, to eat, drink and give thanks for what we do have.

Despite what Greg will say below, Thanksgiving dinner is a time to open a few good bottles of wine.  I will admit that while enjoying football during the day (the Lions will most likely be 0-12 by 5:00 PM) I generally have a beer or two, but once the bird is roasted and the table is set, it’s time to grab a bottle of Champagne and a few miscellaneous wines.  Beer, while tasty, just doesn’t have the complexity and finesse to bring together all the components of a Thanksgiving feast.  (Sorry Greg!)  Combine that with the fact that the Pilgrims were drinking wine with Turkey on the first Thanksgiving ever (reference needed!), Turkey day is a day for wine, plain and simple.

While I’m a huge fan of wines from around the world (more than 2/3 of my cellar is Italy and France), I have a strict USA-made wine policy for Turkey Day.  That said, Champagne is the one exception!  There are good sparkling wines made in the US (a few outlined below) but when it comes to the best bubbles, they’re still being produced in France.

The list below is organized to give you an idea of which styles of wines will go best with your custom feast.  I’ve also suggested a few of my favorites, some of which I’ll be opening this Turkey day up in Connecticut.  If you can’t find these particular producers, no worries- just keep an eye out for the styles of wines I’ve suggested and I can promise you that you’ll be very happy with how everything turns out (unless you over-cook your bird- for great tips on that, read about how Greg makes his here).

As always, wine and food are great, but it’s all about family, friends, and giving thanks for how fortunate we are.  Without further ado, I present to you my wine picks for ANY Thanksgiving feast!

Champagne: If I had the choice, I would begin EVERY meal with a glass of Champagne.  It’s fun, it’s festive, it preps the palate and tastes great.  Below are two of my recent favorites which can be found for under $50.

• N.V. Edmond Barnaut Grande Réserve Brut – This is a vintage-Champagne in disguise, great complexity, fresh, and a long finish.
• N.V. Boizel Brut Rose – Rose is a perfect choice for pre-meal as well with your meal!

White Wines:

Gewurztraminer: Spicy, dry but the fruits give the perception of sweet, medium to full bodied, great acidity and some with great acidity- that about sums it up! Gewurztraminer and turkey is an outstanding pairing, and it tends to go well with just about anything on the Thanksgiving table. This is a great choice to bring together red and white wine drinkers.  Highly recommended is the Wiemer from NY State- it’s simply delicious and will go great with most any cuisine!

• $15 – 2007 Montebruno Gewurztraminer (Willamette Valley, Oregon)
• $25 – 2006 Hermann J. Wiemer Gewürztraminer (Finger Lakes, NY State)

Riesling:  Riesling is another easy pick for Turkey and it’s sides.  Find one with good acidity, minerality, and lively fruits.  Keeping it in the US, I’d go with something from NY State, Michigan (my home state) or Washington State.

• $15 – 2006 Herman Wiemer Dry Riesling (New York)
• $20 – 2007 Chateau Grand Traverse Old Peninsula Riesling (Michigan)
• $25 – 2006 Hence Cellars Riesling Columbia Valley (Washinton State)

Red Wines:

Pinot Noir: Pinot Noir is light enough to go with breast meat but can have the structure and complexity to stand up to dark meat, stuffing and even that green bean casserole. I recommend something from Oregon which is more old world in style and has the balance and earthiness to go with a nice roasted bird. My turkey preparation this year includes a truffle butter rub (under the skin) prior to roasting and a no-brainer pick for me is an earthy, sour cherry/raspberry loaded Pinot from the Willamette Valley (Oregon). That said, if you like the style of California Pinot Noir, there are a ton to choose from.

• $15 – Clone 5 Central Coast Pinot Noir (California)
• $25 – 2006 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (Oregon)
• $50 – 2006 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Sonoma (California)
• $75 – 2005 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Jerusalem Hill Vineyard (Oregon) – My favorite US-made Pinot Noir of 2008- it’s rich, opulent, spicey, complex, and shows great balance.  A bit young at this point, but a quick decant and you’ll be good to go.
  

Red Rhone Varietals: Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre and Cinsault.  A blend works great, or something with mostly Syrah works too.  I like blends with some earthiness, medium fruits and spice.  Below are three excellent choices, but if I had to pick one, it’d be there Tablas Creek which is an outstanding wine and has everything I just mentioned, including great acidity to match your feast.

• $15 – Rosenblum Petite Sirah Heritage Clones (California) - Not a Rhone varietal (Petit Sirah) but it fits the bill here- great fruit, complex, balance and lots to enjoy with dinner!
• $25 – 2006 Herman Story “Nuts and Bolts” Syrah (California)
• $35 – 2005 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel (California) - Just trust me, if you can find this, it’s more than worth it.  I highly recommend seeking this out.  It’s very Rhone-esque in fruit, structure, and acidity.
  
• $45 – 2005 Domaine Serene Rockblock Syrah Del Rio Vineyard (Oregon)

Honorable mentions: Domaine Chandon Sparkling Wine, Oregon Pinot Gris, California Zinfandel- both excellent choices.

And before you go on to the beers, keep in mind that regardless of your Thanksgiving dinner beverage, just enjoy your time with loved ones and friends and be thankful for how fortunate we all are to have a great meal to enjoy.  I’d like to also give thanks to Wikipedia commons, for always giving me great images for this site for free!

Cheers and best wishes!  – Michael

Beers & Turkey: An American Tradition (by Greg Bissonette):

You may be tempted to get a series of wines to eat with your Thanksgiving day Turkey, but for those of you who really want to bring out the flavor of that bird, there is an alternative.  Beer!  Americans have been making beer since colonies existed here, making it as American as… well, apple pie!  Given the immense varieties of beer on the market, you may want to think about which type would work best with your holiday bird.  Depending on how you make your turkey, you will probably make a nice, savory animal with a crispy skin and some delicious gravy and stuffing.  This bready/crispy caramelized combination, in my mind, lends itself towards two possible beer styles:  Golden Ales and Brown Ales (with a few, minor alternative suggestions).

In the Golden Ale category, if you make a turkey and gravy that has a bit more fat and oil than usual, you may want a little more hops to bring the acidity up a tad.  I recommend the Clipper City Golden Ale.  This really is a great overall food beer, but in particular case, the good balance of malts and hops will make this an exception pairing with turkey.  If you want to go with the warming, malty sensation, I recommend looking overseas towards our brewing brethren in Belgium, and going with some Belgian Blonde Ales.  Skip any French Blonde Ales you see, they could afford to sit and learn a thing or two from their Northern neighbors. Leffe and Duval are outstanding Ales, and I can really see them working well with some nice juicy cuts of white breast meat from the turkey and the crispy skin (that people will say not to eat for ‘health reasons” but I will say to go right ahead and chow down).   These unique malt profiles with slightly more bitter flavors from the hops will help the sweetness of the turkey stand out.

In the Brown Ale category, you have several options.  You can go with the English styled nut browns, like Newcastle, but I personally prefer Samuel Smith’s nut Brown Ale over Newcastle.  Here across the pond, there are several options, like Wolaver’s Brown Ale, Troegs rugged trail nut brown ale (though this may be a show stealer… Troegs always has a bunch of interesting things going on with their beer, it may detract from the turkey, depending on how you cooked it).  I should also point out that a good Amber ale, like Old Dominion’s Amber ales, will also work well with the turkey, since they have a nice malt profile and are low on the hops, really letting you get in on some of the flavors of the bird.

Of course, what Thanksgiving feast would be complete without dessert.  Pies, cookies, more pies and even more pies!  When it comes to dealing with sugary desserts, I think it’s time to head to the stouts, and with this in mind, two in particular really go well with just about any dessert.  Weyerbacher’s Old Heathen, and Old Dominion Oak Barrel Stout, even Founder’s Kentucky Breakfast bourbon Imperial Stout, if you are extremely fortunate enough to be in a state that gets this alcohol and also to find a store that has it in stock.  If you can find either of these in the bottle (you may have to search a bit), they are well worth it for dessert.  Ice cream, pies, cookies, whatever you have, they’ll work nicely with it.  However, for the apple pie, I might recommend sticking with a Brown Ale if you have it, just to keep the flavor styles balanced (though you might also want to try a bit of Irish Whisky with the apple pie.  Anything but Tullamore dew will work.  But don’t drink this whiskey, it makes me ill whenever I have it, even if I were to sip it).

So please, go out, be with friends and family, open some beer (and some wine if you have to) to go with your meal and enjoy yourself.  It’s the holiday time, and this is time best spent with family and loved ones.  Cheers.