This Thanksgiving it’s all about the food, but where you have food, you must have wine. We explored a few perfect pairings for the season’s biggest feast and are happy with our selection this year. We’re highlighting easy to make dishes and their perfect wine pairs.
Let’s begin with two great side dishes that can decorate the table, as the bird takes the main stage in the center. We love the clean flavors of crisp green beans with orange zest. This low calorie, easy to prepare dish, is the perfect veggie compliment to any Thanksgiving meal. For this dish, we recommend a crisp Pinot Grigio. For a great choice of Pinot Grigio we recommend Robert Mondavi, which has a pear aroma and is citrusy on the palate, this will play beautifully with the orange zest in the green beans.
Another choice is this comfort classic, which for a long time has been proven to be a great compliment to any feast. Of course we are talking about mashed potatoes! To elevate your potatoes this year, we’re going with a goat cheese and chives rendition. This is a creamy and flavorful way to wow guests who love mashed spuds. Once you try this version, it will be difficult to eat them any other way. To enhance the creaminess and tang of the goat cheese, we’re selecting a Fumé Blanc, from Ferrari Carrano. This wine is delicious! It features aromas and flavors of pink grapefruit, pineapple and lemon-lime, and a touch of minerals. It has a bright acidity and crisp freshness, and its slight complexity pairs perfectly with this dish.
Now on to the main event! Turkey will make its way into countless homes on the 28th of November. This long-held tradition deserves to be paired with only the best wines. We decided to explore both a white and red option, to open the space for lovers of both grapes.
For those guests wanting to pair the turkey with a white wine, we’re recommending a glass of Chardonnay from Stags Leap Winery. This selection has a bright and complex body that features lemon, peach and tangerine flavor profiles, complementing the flavors of the turkey to perfection.
If red is more your taste, we recommend a Pinot Noir. This selection is light and soft on the palate, thus contrasting well with the heavy main course. For a perfect Pinot Noir, may we suggest a glass of Miner Family Gary’s Vineyard Pinot Noir.
Since the best part of Thanksgiving can often be the sweetest, we explored two dessert option pairings. For the more traditional folks, we know it has to pumpkin pie! This dessert brings countless memories of Thanksgiving and holidays from our childhood. Now that we’re older, we can enjoy this classic with a glass of Riesling. Its aroma and semi-sweet taste make this the perfect marriage. For a memorable experience, pair your slice of pie with The Caves at Soda Canyon’s Waugh Riesling.
Our second dessert pairing is an easy and timeless dish that everyone loves. We are pairing vanilla custard with Moscato. Vanilla custard is simple enough to make and can be a great vessel for interesting add-ons, such as chocolate shavings, cinnamon, granola or dried fruit. This couple marries perfectly for Moscato is light and sweet. Its aromas and flavors of honey suckle ripe peach will also bring out the flavors of dried fruit toppings. Moscato’s slight acidity balances well with the cream of the custard. For a great Moscato, try Beringer Vineyards’.
We are very excited for the upcoming holidays! The best thing about pairing food and wine is having a Coravin handy to pour the right amount of wine without opening the bottle. Having options at the dinner party table is great, but it also means that not all the wine may be consumed; there is always that lone wolf who chooses the bottle no one else chose. For that reason, and many more, Coravin is the perfect pair to your holiday feast!