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Check out our updated 2006 Thanksgiving pairing guide with wine ideas from around the world

It’s turkey time again!

This is one of my all-time, favorite meals of the year. In my book, it has it all: a gorgeous roasted bird, varied seasonal side dishes, and great wine pairing options. And, oh yes, pumpkin pie.

It might surprise you that perhaps the best suited wines for your very American holiday meal are the wines of Austria. And I’m not just saying that because that’s what Winemonger is all about.

Everybody knows that the red wine you want to be reaching for is Pinot Noir. In particular, you want a high-acid, low-tannin version with loads of red-skinned berry notes, to complement not just the turkey but all of the usual side dishes: your potatoes, your sweet yams, your cranberry sauce. A perfect Pinot for this lineup is the Gsellmann & Gsellmann 2001. With its nice zip of acidity and fruit bomb profile, it’s just what you want on your dance card.

What you may not know is that there are two white wines which top chefs and sommeliers are talking about as the PERFECT plan for turkey day: Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. In the November issue of Sunset Magazines’ wine guide, Tysan Pierce, the sommelier at the Heathman Hotel in Portland, is quoted as saying “You want a wine with a decent whack of acidity, to cleanse your mouth from that battery of flavors,” and she, along with Shayn Bjornholm (a Master Sommelier at Canlis restaurant in Seattle) go on to specifically pick out Grüner Veltliner and Riesling as two of their top picks for the Thanksgiving table.

One way to incorporate the Riesling pairing more fully into your meal is to make a Riesling gravy for your bird. Food and Wine magazine had a superb recipe in their November 2004 issue for a brined turkey with Riesling gravy, and I have seen some variations on the gravy recipe elsewhere as well. Otherwise, you’ll find a very basic version of the Riesling Gravy recipe at the end of this article, along with the perfect Riesling to do it (Högl Terrassen Spitzergraben).

We also have an offbeat option you should consider: Neuburger. That’s the name of the grape, and it makes a super white wine with lovely fruit notes, a full body, and then a hint of nuttiness that would work so well with all of your autumnal dishes. Try the Gritsch Mauritiushof 1000-Eimerberg Neuburger Select 2003.

If you’re the radical sort who goes backyard bonanza and deep-fries or BBQ’s your bird, I would recommend a slightly heartier red built just for that kind of treatment: Blaufränkisch. This is also a great choice if you’ve chosen a wilder bird to grace your table, such as pheasant or goose.

Here is another interesting recommendation that comes straight from one of our winemakers, Mattias Gsellmann. He suggests pairing his 2001 Beerenauslese with your turkey. Yes, this is a sweet wine. Yes, it’s a bold idea. But hey, those pilgrims were a pretty bold bunch, right? And didn’t they try all sorts of new dishes brought to the table by the Native Americans? So I say giving this a go is in the true tradition of the meal. And if it doesn’t float your Mayflower, just hold on a course because it will absolutely do justice alongside your pumpkin pie.

Which brings me to the pie. Oh the joy that is pumpkin pie! We generally recommend letting a great sweet wine stand alone at the end of a meal, but pumpkin pie is one dessert that can let the wine shine, especially if the pie has not been made too sweet. So when you bake your pie, cut back the sugar just a bit, and then serve it with a glass of Trockenbeerenauslese or Ruster Ausbruch. A scoop of vanilla ice cream is welcome, too!

So there you have it. And in order to make having it at home that much easier, we have put together two Thanksgiving Wine Flights at discounted prices, with a bottle of Pinot at the heart of each. Order one if you’re just having a small family gathering. Order both if you’re expecting guests! And then add some of our other recommended bottles if you still need more.

Thanksgiving Flight #1
Donabaum Spitzer Point Grüner Veltliner Smaragd 2002
Gsellmann & Gsellmann Pinot Noir 2001
Wenzel Riesling Beerenauslese 2002

Thanksgiving Flight #2
Hogl Loibner Vision Riesling Smaragd 2003
Gsellmann & Gsellmann Pinot Noir 2001
Gsellmann & Gsellmann Beerenauslese 2001

Other recommended white wines:
Gritsch Mauritiushof 1000-Eimerberg Neuburger Select 2003
Högl Terrassen Spitzergraben Riesling Federspiel 2003
Gritsch Axpoint Grüner Veltliner 2003
Donabaum Loibner Garden Grüner Veltliner 2002

Other recommended red wines:
Wenzel Bandkraften Blaufränkisch
Feiler-Artinger Umriss Blaufränkisch

Other recommended dessert wines:
Pasler “C” Trockenbeerenauslese 2001
Velich Welschriesling Trockenbeerenauslese 1999
Feiler-Artinger Pinot Cuvee Ruster Ausbruch 2001

Riesling Gravy Recipe

• Pan juices from a roasted turkey
• 4 tbs. flour
• 1 1/3 cups Riesling
• 2 ½ cups Turkey or Chicken stock
• salt and pepper

1. After your turkey is done roasting, remove it from the pan to rest on a cutting board or large platter.
2. Strain the pan juices into a medium saucepan.
3. Skim the fat off the pan juices, reserving about 4 tablespoons.
4. Mix the 4 tbs. of fat with with 4 tbs. of flour until it is a paste. Set aside.
5. Put the roasting pan over a couple of burners set to medium. Add 1 1/3 cups of Riesling to the pan & bring to a simmer, scraping up all the tasty bits from the bottom and sides of the pan.
6. Strain the wine and bits, adding it to the other pan juices in the medium saucepan.
7. Bring the combined juices to a simmer and reduce by about half.
8. Add 2 1/2 cups of Turkey or Chicken stock
9. Whisk in the fat/flour paste
10. Keep simmering and whisking until it is smooth and has reached the desired thickness (about 10 minutes)
11. If your gravy becomes too thick or tastes too floury, add more stock.
12. Add salt and pepper to taste.