With Thanksgiving approaching, what wines are you planning on opening?
Since many people don’t prepare the traditional Turkey meal, what are you eating if it’s something non-traditional?
Cheers.
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Ordered a Sabelli-Frisch mixed case to ship the week before:
- dry Riesling
- White Zinfandel blush
- Zweigelt
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I haven’t had white Zinfandel in a very long time and I should give it a try again soon. Have you tried the one from Sabelli-Frisch before?
Riesling is always an enticing white wine option for me and I will open a bottle or two this Thanksgiving.
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Both of his White Zins are great but my preference is the Mariedam.
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EDWC Indie Bookstore light red, from this week’s release. And then maybe a '77 Taylor Fladgate with pie.
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New here - sorta; have been lurking since 2010 or so, with the occasional post on the old board under “Michael K.,” but couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to port that old handle over to the new board and didn’t have enough invested in it to really care too much about that fact - but I’m part of a fairly large community here in Portland, OR and we’ve taken to some fun traditions for wine on Thanksgiving. Here are the rules:
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Keep It Light. The day is so heavy with food and drink, that the lighter and fresher - and lower in alcohol - the better. This way, we can start early and go late without too much tryptophanic encumbrance. Riesling is always good for this.
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Go Big. There’s so many of us - 7 families, 20+ kids - that we don’t fit around the same table, but we all like to drink the same thing. It sorta binds us together communally in a really cool way. Magnums and - gasp - even boxes can be great for all of our separate tables so we’re all drinking the same thing at roughly the same time.
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Keep It Easy. I’m the only wine geek in the group, although there are few others who very much appreciate a great bottle. But we’ve found - just like at a wedding - it’s the gathering that’s the important part, not the wine. Special bottles are great, and one or two will definitely get opened, but most of what we find ourselves drinking and wanting to drink on Thanksgiving are quaffable wines that aid conversation instead of anchoring it.
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Be the Cranberry. I’m not much for cranberry sauce, but I recognize it’s importance: like The Force or The Dude’s rug, it’s really ties everything together. I don’t know a single wine that pairs properly with brussels sprouts, turkey, and candied yams, but I do know that cranberry sauce works to build bridges between all those things. I look for red wines that work that same way - enough verve and bright juiciness that they can sort of bounce off and buoy all the disparate pairings. Gamay, obv, is great, but so is Cinsault, Pelaverga, Ploussard, and Kadarka. Most of those will be on my table, alongside some big hocks of Riesling, something pink and sparkling, and - because life’s no fun without breaking some rules, and also to celebrate 'murica - a few bottles of Ridge and Bedrock Zin.
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Probably a bunch of deNegoce wines for the family—will keep a personal bottle of some good stuff for myself.
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Might bring Ode To Denise and a Goodfellow pinot noir to my parents’ house.
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DuMol Chardonnay
Lamborn Zin
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Mag of 2015 Trimbach Riesling and some Cava.
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While cru Beaujolais is always the right choice for a mixed group of people who may or may not care about the wine, I try to stick with American producers for the American holiday.
Sandlands (Chenin, trousseau, and zin) are tentatively on deck for us. If I’m feeling fancy, will have Oregon Pinot like Belle Pente or Eyrie and perhaps a California or Oregon sparkler.
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Probably some Beaujolais (Clos de la Roilette Cuvée Tardive, Griffe du Marquis), something from my Goodfellow “care package” that recently came, and some off-dry Riesling because no one in my family of non-wine nerds can resist it.
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Love this.
For us 4:
A champagne - probably Rogerie Grand Vie
Goodfellow Pinot Gris
And then either Goodfellow Pinot TBD or Bedrock OVZ… or both.
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I’ve found when it comes to family gatherings… less is more.
My parents will just sort of nicely say it’s good, but won’t go any farther if it’s a wine that tastes unfamiliar to them. Perhaps this year I’ll try and bring a Rosso di Montalcino instead of Burgundy.
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Ours is a traditional holiday and is always with my wife’s side of the family, about 35 total, most adults at this point. We’re the only geeky types but her siblings and cousins always enjoy what we open so we usually bring a mixed case of nice reasonably priced bottles and open as needed. This year we will likely go with Stefania Grenache Blanc, Lewis Vin Gris (my wife’s favorite “rose”), Montelena Zinfandel and to keep my sisters-in-law happy a decent cab sauv or bigger merlot (like a Pride).
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Dry cider, Hudson valley, to start. Riesling (ravines A and Herman Wiemer), Zin, and 1 bottle Beaujolais (just to honor Lafayette).
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A 2009 Drappier Grande Sendree and a bag full of Jack in the Box Tacos.
I hate everything about a traditional thanksgiving meal. There is a reason when a movie is bad they call it a turkey. It ain’t because it’s delicious! The sides are even worse. Candied yams? I don’t want fucking marshmallows and syrup on my veggies. Did a pregnant woman invent that dish? Green bean casserole is boring, fruit shouldn’t be jellied, canned, and jiggle when you serve it, and the dessert is Gerber in a crust.
I am highly cognizant that my replacement meal can only be considered food if you take that word and lock it up in a cage and torture it, but festering hot garbage bests a traditional turkey dinner every time.
I have been trying to convince my friends to do a potluck, where everyone brings their favorite comfort food, and nobody has ever been interested. Tradition or something. Tradition, is far as I am concerned, is it just an idea that nobody has ever had the vision to challenge.
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I apple cider-brine a turkey, my wife makes bacon stuffing, no marshmallows in sight, and it’s the best holiday the US celebrates (ignoring the uncomfortable cultural implications). Fight me. 
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Bud, you lost me as soon as you referenced opening a non-american wine, ha!
On a serious note, i adamantly disagree with you on the food stuff. I freaking LOVE traditional Thanksgiving fare, and would literally eat it every day if it was healthier for you. Turkey? Yes please! Stuffing? Hell yeah! Mashed potatoes? All freaking day!! And pumpkin pie (with cool-whip of course)?? It just doesn’t get any better. Not sure where things went sideways for you on Thanksgiving, but you’re welcome at our house anytime and maybe we can open your eyes to the magic that is a ‘traditional’ T-day meal. 
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Ok, I do like the mashed potatoes and gravy, but it isn’t special. We used to eat it three times a week growing up. If you’re going to have a holiday that is entirely food centric, it should be special. Thanksgiving food is weeknight fare eaten in absurd quantities.
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