In a year that has been anything but normal, I’m seeking tradition for Thanksgiving dinner. I’ve learned that Thanksgiving is one of the most enjoyable wine holidays of the year. Besides offering a huge array of flavors, it’s the one holiday of the year where people who don’t normally drink wine will give it a try.
My mission is to find wine that is unique, delicious and pairs well with many different foods. I seek wines that are not aggressive with tannins and heavy flavors, which can overpower the more delicate dishes. My preference is wines with good acidity and mineral qualities and distinct fruit flavors that enhance the entire meal.
As I do every year, I headed to Leon’s Gourmet Grocer. Its deli offers all the traditional Thanksgiving favorites, and does them well! If I did not know better, I would think it was my mother’s cooking. Tender, juicy, white-meat turkey, real mashed potatoes and gravy, tasty stuffing that is sticky and not dry, and cranberry orange relish that is fresh (almost crunchy), with powerful flavors that delight the palate.
People are also reading…
For wine I started with Masseria Frattasi Falanghina del Taburno, 2018, $18. From the hills of Campania in southern Italy near Naples, this winery has been recognized as one of the region’s best wineries. Falanghina is a white variety indigenous to this area. The wine is pale yellow in the glass. Floral aromas mixed with pineapple and mango scents. It is fleshy on the palate with flavors of ripe pear, citrus and zesty white fruit. This wine has an alluring tart finish. 88 points.
Next, I tried Domaine du Clos des Aumones Vouvray, 2018, $17. This winery is located in the famed Loire Valley of France, which is the widest and perhaps most diverse wine region in that country. I’ve tried many wines from this region that have great minerality in part because of the limestone and chalk soil types there. This wine is pale yellow in the glass with light aromas of clover, vanilla extract and lemon meringue. It is firm and bright on the palate with mineral. The wine awakens the palate with unripe Macintosh apples, cinnamon pear and lime. It’s a fun and unique wine. 87.
The final wine was Porter Creek Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, 2017, $45. It is made from estate-grown fruit in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley by Alex Davis, who is a throwback in California winemaking. He works each vintage from the farm to the winery to the bottle. Alex was trained in viticulture and winemaking from some of the best in Burgundy, France, and his wines reflect that heritage. His Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is a gorgeous ruby red in the glass and offers deep, rich aromas of black raspberry, earth and toasted vanilla. The wine is rich and elegant in the mouth with ripe, vibrant red fruit, raspberry and strawberry. The wine has bright acidity that sings on the palate. Each sip is more pleasant than the last. Burgundian in style, the wine is superb; it is a great representation of California winemaking. 91.
With the traditional Thanksgiving feast, the Domaine du Clos des Aumones Vouvray steals the show. It enhances every dish on the table and clashed with none. I classify this wine as a food accelerator. It lifts up the more bland and simple flavors of the turkey and mashed potatoes but also jump-starts the brighter flavors of the cranberry orange salad and the earthy flavors of the green bean casserole.
There are a lot of cool wines in the world. I hope you try something new and exciting to make your Thanksgiving great.