Getting ready for the holidays is stressful, especially if you’re hosting.
You want everything to be perfect but have no time to ensure that will happen. The guest list is ever changing, and you need to figure out which wine will go with the turkey and all the other yummy side dishes everyone will bring. It’s enough to make you want to lock the doors and just sit on the couch eating grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.
But you know if you did that, you’d miss out on all the fun the holidays bring. Sure, it can be stressful leading up to the big dinner, but when you sit down and enjoy your meal, you know it was well worth the time and energy it took to get there, especially when you have a delicious glass of wine to toast the year and all the wonderful events it brought.
To help take some of the stress off you this Thanksgiving, we have already tried several wines that we think will be a big hit at the big meal. Our practice holiday was a lot like our real holidays, with Krista’s parents, Jim and Pat Lee, and her brother John Lee coming to town for a surprise visit. They joined us at the tasting along with Krista’s sister, Kara Lee; Kara’s fiancé, Jason Maxfield; and our wonderful neighbors, Herb and Karen Matthias.
We started the evening with Korbel Sweet Rosé California Champagne ($10.99), a wine Krista was unsure about at first. We’ve had plenty of sweet, sparkling wines in our lives and have found ourselves moving away from them as many lack character and are cloying. And, in fact, Krista’s mom said after her first sips that it reminds her of the kind of wine she used to drink at weddings.
But Kara instantly liked it, and even Krista’s dad, who generally sticks to beer, thought it was pretty good.
John – also not a wine drinker – and Jason, who is, agreed that it would be good either before or after the meal.
“I would think maybe as a dessert,” John said. We would find out later he was right – it made a nice counterpoint to the pumpkin pie.
We thought it made a really great aperitif, too. As you’re slaving over a hot stove, trying to make sure everything miraculously finishes on time, a cool glass of this will hit the spot. Although it is a sweet sparkler, it has enough acids and even some hints of yeast to make it clear that it is a cousin of the drier sparklers we usually drink.
With the meal, we tried three whites and three reds, all recommended by experts at local wine stores. And that may be the real lesson here: When in doubt, ask an expert.
We started with Starling Castle 2006 Riesling ($12.99), recommended by Cap N’ Cork. This is not your typical sweet, blue bottle Riesling. It was almost lemony and was interesting and complex, with lots of acids to go well with food. If your crowd is a mixture of sweeter drinking people and those who prefer drier wines, this could be a good fit for both over a turkey dinner. It was easy drinking and didn’t clash with anything.
“I like it with the cheesy potatoes,” Kara said, which pretty much means this is a winner for her and Dan.
We tried two Gewürztraminers, New Gewürz 2007 North Coast Gewürztraminer ($10.69) recommended by Belmont Beverage, and Pfalz Vertikal 2007 Gewürztraminer ($9) recommended by WineTime. If you drink Gewürztraminer a lot, you may be surprised by the taste of the New Gewürz – it was flowery to a degree, in which it tasted like you were actually drinking flower petals.
“It tastes like the stuff you have on the table at home. … Potpourri,” Herb said. Dan and Pat loved the floral smells and tastes, and Krista appreciated its unique flavors, but this one is likely too challenging for most to serve at an important holiday meal unless you know everyone is up for a bone-dry, complex wine.
The Vertikal received better reviews as it was smoother and less challenging – Dan thought it was similar to the first but without all the florals and just a bit easier going. It was great with the turkey, and the least-expensive wine of the tasting.
“I think it’s good … especially with the turkey,” Karen said.
Coincidentally, all three wine stores recommended pinot noir for the red. The first we tried was Coppola Silver Label 2007 Monterey County Pinot Noir ($15.99) recommended by Cap N’ Cork.
This is a nice wine to sit and enjoy with or without a meal. It was smooth and rich and had nice cherry notes with hints of butter and cream. For the money, it’s one of the best pinot noirs we’ve had in several years, and with the turkey, the wine exploded with flavor, making the turkey even richer and more succulent.
“It’s very buttery and creamy,” Jason said. “I really like that.”
It also went nicely with Krista’s homemade pumpkin pie, made with pumpkins she grew this summer.
The next red was Louis Latour Domaine de Valmoissine 2007 pinot noir ($11.98) recommended by Belmont. This is a hearty pinot noir, a trait not usually associated with such a delicate grape. While it was good, it overpowered the turkey and might make a better match with steak. It was also very much in the French style; while the Coppola from California was fruity and flamboyant, this was more reserved.
The final wine was Bouchard Aîné & Fils 2007 pinot noir ($16) recommended by WineTime. This one, too, had some buttery tastes, which made it go wonderful with the turkey. (If you’re noticing a trend here, that buttery wines go well with turkey, you’re right. In the past when we’ve had big, buttery chardonnays in this tasting, they’ve always matched perfectly with a roasted bird.)
Although both were excellent, Dan liked this wine even better than the Coppola pinot, as it seemed to have even more going on but for the same price.
We think there are two lessons here: First, when in doubt, ask an expert. While some people liked some of these wines more than others, none of them was the dud we’ve had in other tastings. Remember, wine stores have a lot of competition, and it’s in their best interest to steer you to a good wine.
Second – and this is the important one – you don’t need to stress and worry over what to serve with Thanksgiving. Not only have we done the drudgery of tasting all these different wines for you, but if there’s one thing we’ve found over the years, it’s this: Buy something you like. If it goes well with the turkey, all the better. If not, save it for afterward. A chance to give thanks is a celebration, not a chore.
Cheers!
