What I’m Drinking for the Holidays (Thanksgiving Edition)

It should be easy, when you own a wine shop, to pick the wines for holiday dinners and special occasions, but it’s not. It’s like having the whole world available to you - how on earth are you supposed to pick? All these perfect wines, and just one meal to curate?

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is the hardest because it’s where my split personality shines brightest. Here’s the dilemma:

My family, for Thanksgiving, cooks a traditional 1950s-type meal, resplendent with cornbread soufflé (spoon cornbread as we call it), sweet potato casserole with the marshmallows on top, mushy green beans, store-bought rolls, and the non-negotiable overindulgence of from-the-box stuffing (my favorite). For this type of meal, you’ll need a different set of wines than if you were serving the Bon Appetit version of Thanksgiving Dinner, which is always my desire, but never at the expense of the old-fashioned version. Someday I’ll have the energy to do both, but I doubt it’s this year. So, let me tell you what I’m bringing to my family’s house, and then let me set the table for my fancy imaginary dinner.

At my house this year, my mom and I will start cooking in the morning while watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I’ll refuse breakfast because I don’t want to get too full for dinner, but inevitably, snacking will soon ensue. Bubbles are a requirement for this tradition. PSA: We absolutely do not cut them with orange juice - we tried once but it really takes all the joy out of it, leaves pulp on your pretty glassware, and gives you an unnecessary boost of blood sugar that’s already preparing to be in tumult for the rest of the day. Be a pro: skip the OJ, go straight bubbs. We’ll be having something light, so if we don’t finish it, it can also pair with our meal later in the day. Literally any bubbles will be perfect, but we’ll be opening Champagne Lelarge Pugeot Tradition NV ($57). This is a zero-dosage, zero-sulfur added, crisp, organic sparkler that will keep you feeling good all day. It’s focused because of the limestone soils it grows on and the quality winemaking, but it’s also pinot meunier dominant. Meunier is a favorite champagne grape because it’s a little more fruity and savory, so this will also stand up beautifully with your dinner.

Then, as guests arrive, we’ll offically start snacking. One of my favorite appetizer wines is also a sparkler but otherwise couldn’t be more different. Buglioni "Il Vigliacco" Brut Rosé 2018 ($28) is a dry sparkling rosé from northern Italy, that is just excellent with savory snacks, especially cheese and charcuterie. We make a killer (1950s-style) swiss and almond and cream cheese dip every year, and this is a perfect little pairing.

Honestly, my imaginary fancy meal would start the exact same way, with the Lelarge Pugeot and the Buglioni.

At the dinner table, it is one of my most favorite feelings in the world to have several bottles open simultaneously. It screams indulgence and hospitality, and just gives me that warm feeling inside that there’s enough wine to go around and bring folks together, making everyone happy. Whatever bubbles are left over from our morning lounging can stay. When we need to crack a new bottle, it’ll be the Champagne Laherte Freres Rosé de Meunier Extra Brut NV ($68) or the Medivol Crémant de Limoux Brut Blanc NV ($20) depending on if we want to lean into the fruit forward acidity of the Laherte Freres or the rich creaminess of the chardonnay in the Medivol. Cool weather always makes me want to crack a bottle of the Medivol! For white, I’m bringing our Pataille Bourgogne Aligote 2020 ($29). Aligoté is the other white grape of Burgundy and leans more toward Chablis than Macon. I LOVE a good rich Chardonnay this time of year but know that my dinner guests this time think they don’t, so I’m saving those nice bottles of Chardonnay for when I get to sit and drink with Heidi (see my fancy dinner suggestions below.) The Aligoté will be a bit full bodied to pair with our mashed potatoes, but will also be crisp and mineral driven enough to please a table of sauvignon blanc drinkers.

For my Bon Appetit-inspired meal, I’d serve fresh haricot verts tossed with earthy chanterelle mushrooms and home-fried shallots. To pair with this, I’d open our Château Climens "Asphodele" Grand Vin Blanc Sec 2019 ($45). This wine is a 100% semillon from Bordeaux - full and rich, reminiscent of pure honey, but completely dry. With my whipped brie mashed potatoes, I’d serve our Domaine Jean Pascal et Fils "Les Enseigneres" Puligny Montrachet 2020 ($68) - an epemeral, almost lifechanging white burgundy.

Rosé is an excellent wine to have on the table, I think at all meals, but especially at Thanksgiving. It will please white or red drinkers, it’s an excellent food wine, especially with hard to pair vegetables, and will elevate your turkey to a place on par with everyone’s favorites - the sides. I’m bringing this fun new wine from Slovenia, Gonc Winery "Anna" Rosé 2021 ($20). It’s light and juicy and dry which everyone loves, but there’s some cool undertones of blood orange and wild strawberries. Another favorite is Mary Taylor Saint-Pourçain Rosé 2020 ($18) which is made of 100% free-run gamay, making it the obvious and perfect choice for dinner.

In my imaginary meal, I’ll make a small turkey with a brown butter gravy and cranberry mostarda. A wine that I save up for every year, and put aside for this one occasion is a Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc. We have an incredible Aussie version of this wine - the Powell & Son Roussanne/Marsanne 2018 ($53) which already has a bit of bottle age for you. You’ll find this wine to be rich and creamy and dry without the oakiness, and you’ll wonder how you could ever drink anything else with turkey again.

And no Thanksgiving is complete without stuffing, but to pair with the acidic punch of the turkey’s mostarda, I’ll make a sage and savory rustic stuffing. I have a slightly chilled bottle of Maloof, Johan Vineyard Rouge de Gris 2021 ($28) to pair. This wine is an enigma - it’s pinot gris, which is considered a white grape, but it has pink skins so can sometimes produces pink or copper-colored wines. This producer is making it into a red wine style by doing a full maceration of the grapes on their skins. Looking like a dark rosé, it has more savory, red-wine notes, the full, gorgeous perfume of a pinot gris, and the refreshing punch of a rosé.

For red, I have no choice or desire to do anything other than gamay or pinot noir. I’m always a gamay girl, especially with dinner, and Thanksgiving is a nice enough holiday to open a little bit nicer bottle of Pinot. I’m still hoping that this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau ends up on our shelves before Thankgiving (an early Christmas miracle!) but if not, I’ve picked the Domaine du Granit, Fleurie Les Garants Vieilles Vignes 2015 ($45) as my showstopper this year. The nouveau may scratch an itch, but standout Beaujolais Cru can really enhance your meal. For our small family gathering, this is sharable. For larger crowds, do the nouveau on the table and kinda-hide your nicer bottles of Cru like this one ;) For pinot, I’m picking a stellar U.S. wine - Eyrie Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir 2019 ($52). I’ll decant this one before we sit down, and I don’t think anyone will mind if it distracts us from our food for a minute. I love the earthiness balanced with the fruit in this one and think it’ll make for interesting discussion comparing it to the Fleurie. If we need more, I always have a bottle of Les Champs de l'Abbaye Bourgogne Rouge 2018 ($37) on hand as the perfect easy red burgundy.

As I savor the last bites of my magazine-worthy meal, I’ll dip into the red wine. Here, I’ve chosen the Chanin 'Sanford & Benedict' Pinot Noir 2020 ($82). I always want a sip of red at dinner, but this one will be so good that I’ll enjoy drinking it sans food, relishing in the wine and good after-dinner conversation.

Finally, we’re progressively dining and going to a friend’s for dessert. She already knows and loves my favorite sweet wine, Tokaj-Hetszolo Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos 2004 ($69) so I’m going to bring something different this year: Vieira de Sousa 10 Year Tawny Port ($52). This is a great pairing for desserts of all kinds, but I especially love it with pecan pie. And, because it’s a fortified wine, this open bottle will last you through the whole holiday season (if you drink it slow enough!).

If you’re not imbibing this holiday season, we have an elegant new option for you - Copenhagen Sparkling Tea Company’s Lyserod ($34). It’s an organic, complex blended tea designed to taste like a high end wine but without the alcohol. What I love about it is that it’s not a wine with the alcohol removed, it’s its own thing and it does its own thing just right. It comes in a gorgeous wine bottle so you can enjoy the indulgence of the holidays without the hangover.

In short, make sure you have PLENTY of bubbles, as they’re perfect with every part of your meal and really set the stage for this being a special occasion. I stick with fuller bodied whites to go with the heavier, creamier foods, and lighter bodied reds to lend a freshness to the meal and keep you from falling asleep on your plate. Always pick a dessert wine to enjoy after dinner because if you’re like me, you may just be too stuffed to have a piece of pie! Regardless of what you’re eating and drinking this holiday, I hope you enjoy!

P.S. For leftover turkey sandwiches, the Les Vignerons D'Estezagues, Taparas Cotes du Rhone Blanc 2021 ($20) is perfection.

Thanksgiving Wine Suggestions

*Also, don’t forget that you always save 10% on 4-packs of wine at Book + Bottle!

Sparkling

Champagne Lelarge Pugeot Tradition NV ($57)

Champagne Laherte Freres Rosé de Meunier Extra Brut NV ($68)

Buglioni "Il Vigliacco" Brut Rosé 2018 ($28)

Medivol Crémant de Limoux Brut Blanc NV ($20)

(Non-Alcoholic) Copenhagen Sparkling Tea Company’s Lyserod ($34)

White

Pataille Bourgogne Aligote 2020 ($29)

Château Climens "Asphodele" Grand Vin Blanc Sec 2019 ($45)

Domaine Jean Pascal et Fils "Les Enseigneres" Puligny Montrachet 2020 ($68)

Powell & Son Roussanne/Marsanne 2018 ($53)

Les Vignerons D'Estezagues, Taparas Cotes du Rhone Blanc 2021 ($20)

Rosé

Gonc Winery "Anna" Rosé 2021 ($20)

Mary Taylor Saint-Pourçain Rosé 2020 ($18)

Maloof, Johan Vineyard Rouge de Gris 2021 ($28)

Red

Eyrie Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir 2019 ($52)

Les Champs de l'Abbaye Bourgogne Rouge 2018 ($37)

Domaine du Granit, Fleurie Les Garants Vieilles Vignes 2015 ($45)

Chanin 'Sanford & Benedict' Pinot Noir 2020 ($82)

Dessert

Tokaj-Hetszolo Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos 2004 ($69)

Vieira de Sousa 10 Year Tawny Port ($52)