Thanksgiving Wine Pairing Guide
It’s Thanksgiving time again, and we must admit, this is our favorite meal to pair wines with. This year we are expecting to have a full table, with many of our winemakers from Austria joining us, so the pressure is on to pair the wines just right.
In our previous Thanksgiving wine pairing guides, we have covered the whys of which wines to pair, as well as provided a comprehensive list of wines from around the world that would work well with each course. So having done that in the past, we decided to get specific this year and share with you our Thanksgiving menu, complete with the recipes and the exact wines we will be pairing with each course.
If you have a fireplace, get it roaring (or gently burning, depending upon the weather outside). No fireplace? Candles. Lots of candles. But be sure they are unscented! Nothing distracts and detracts from the smells of the roasting turkey like an artificially scented colonade. Of course the table should already be set, and this year we will be keeping things simple by using some grapevine leaves that have turned orange, gold and red, along with a few dried tendrils, in lieu of a larger centerpiece. If you don’t live near a wine growing area (there are wine vineyards in all 50 states now, though), many florist shops carry these leaves this time of year. Otherwise, any sort of lovely turned leaf will do.
UPON ARRIVAL
When our guests arrive, we always like to kick things off with a glass of the sparkling stuff almost before they have a chance to take off their coats. The idea is to welcome them right from the start with the festive mood that will carry the evening. We’ll be pouring the Altenburg Brut. This is a beautiful sparkling wine crafted from a cuvee of Blaufrankisch and Zweigelt with just a touch of rose color. Unfortunately, this is the one wine in this guide that you will not be able to get yet. It’s a new wine we are importing, but the boat has not landed. It will be here in time for Christmas and New Years toasting, though! So be sure to check back.
PRE-DINNER NIBBLE (AKA APPETIZER)
It’s very important not to go overboard here. There is a huge dinner ahead, and the last thing you need is to fill your guests up on the appetizers. On the other hand, they probably came hungry, and there are often kitchen delays, so you don’t want them standing around with growling stomachs.
We will be setting out two of our easy favorites: roasted parsnips and a spiced warm nut mix.
With that we will be pouring two lighter-styled white wines; a Riesling and a Gruner Veltliner. These will lead us into the meal, when we will then move on to those with a fuller, more complex body as well as our red wines.
The first two wines:
Bottle: $16.99 / Case: $203.88
Hogl Terrassen Spitzergraben Riesling Federspiel 2006
Bottle: $19.99 / Case: $203.88
THE MAIN EVENT
We do things in a pretty traditional way, but with a few twists. Here is our menu this year:
-Roast Turkey - Brined and Rubbed
(this involves some smoked paprika - amazing for both the flavor and the color it lends)
-Savory Cinnamon Raisin Stuffing
-Simple Mashed Potatoes
-White Trash Yams
-Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Pears
-Cranberry Sauce
-Chipotle Corn Bread
And here are the wines we will be pulling the corks on. They were chosen not only for the perfect way they will pair with these dishes, but also because each one is drinking just beautifully right now.
Bottle: $36.99 / Case: $443.88
Gritsch Singerriedel Gruner Veltliner Smaragd 2005
Bottle: $27.99 / Case: $335.88
Bottle: $31.50 / Case: $378.00
Melusine Gruner Veltliner 2005
Bottle: $67.50 / Case: $810.00 - free shipping by the case
Bottle: $31.99 / Case: $383.88
Wenzel Kleiner Wald Pinot Noir 2004
Bottle: $38.50 / Case: $462.00 - free shipping by the case
Bottle: $49.99 / Case: $599.88 - free shipping by the case
Moric Alte Reben Neckenmarkt 2004
Bottle: $80.00 / Case: $960.00
Keep things simple. For our table, the sweet wine is the true dessert- but Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be complete without a pumpkin pie. Our recipe changes the crust so that it pairs better with the wines.
-True Pumpkin Pie with Ginger Graham Crust
-Cheese selection highlighting blue cheeses
Heiss Cabernet Sauvignon/Blaufranksich Ice Wine
Bottle: $29.99 / Case: $359.88
Tschida Muscat-Ottonel Schilfwein
Bottle: $54.99 / Case: $659.88
Wenzel SAZ Ruster Ausbruch 2001
Bottle: $86.99 / Case: $1043.88 - free shipping by the case
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Would you say that Blaufrankisch is like a Pinot Noir? I like Pinot Noir, but want to try something different that is like it.
Hi K.L.,
If a Pinot Noir-ish wine is what you are after, I would not suggest you go with the Blaufrankisch (lovely as it is). The profiles of the two types of wine are quite different.
However, we do have wines from a grape called St.Laurent which is described most often as being like a “wild” Pinot Noir. I think this will be right on the money for what you are after.
Try the Braunstein Goldberg St.Laurent, and have a great Thanksgiving!
Here’s a funny addendum to that last question. While I have never thought of Blaufrankisch is being like a Pinot Noir, I may be in the minority with that opinion. Here is a review from S. Irene Virbila, wine critic at the Los Angeles Times, who today recommended the Moric Blaufrankisch 2005 as a wine to pair with your Thanksgiving (& all holiday) feasts:
“The 2005 Moric Blaufränkisch from Burgenland in eastern Austria has enough stuff to match any course in the intricate holiday meal. Stump all the wine aficionados at the table with this superb example from the Moric line of wines by Roland Velich, a Burgundy-obsessed producer who is showing that the ancient Blaufränkisch grape (known as Lemberger in Washington State and Kekfrankos in Hungary) can produce fascinating reds in white wine country. Very similar to Pinot Noir, this Blaufränkisch has a beautiful aroma of berries and sweet spices coupled with lean, elegant fruit. This wine is alive: Taste the way it changes in the glass.”
What wine should I pair with turkey smoked on the grill?
Hi Susan,
Not to sound like a broken record, but it’s Blaufrankisch again. This is the wine we ALWAYS drink with our summer BBQ. The spice in the wine pairs up in such a great way with the smokiness (and, by the way, I am suddenly thinking that a smoked turkey might be the way to go this year).
For a pre-picked selection of wines, take a look in our flights section (or just do a search) for “BBQ Red Flight” and, for some white wines, the “Gruner Veltliners for Grilling”.
Cheers!