A plump, golden brown turkey set in the center of the table. Trays loaded with stuffing, cranberry relish, mashed potatoes, green beans and the like surround the bird, with silverware arrayed and a stack of plates awaiting eager hands. Meanwhile family and friends ignore the waiting feast as they bicker over the proper wine to serve alongside.
Hardly a scene from Norman Rockwell, but it can happen.
You see, while the Thanksgiving table brings together familiar faces, it also pits those who favor reds against fans of whites. Sticklers for precise pairing joust with those who just don’t care. Adventurous sorts face stiff resistance when they offer to pour Montepulciano or Marsanne.
On most evenings, wine selection is a simple matter. Come that fateful Thursday in November, however, and options are often forced beyond the question of what works best with roast turkey.
No wonder so many people slip away to the beer cooler.
Fortunately, stocking a few different red and white varietals will ease much of the anxiety. Of course, because turkey is such a mild tempered bird — at least after blistering in the oven for a few hours — wine selection is important.
“The challenge is choosing wine that’s not too sweet and not too dry,” observed Susan Feiler, owner of the Lake County Wine Studio in Upper Lake. “Stay away from Cabernet Sauvignon and many Sauvignon Blancs.”
Most experts suggest a food friendly Pinot Noir, a dry Riesling, Zinfandel or mannered blends, although recommendations also range toward more exotic varietals — Grenache, Gewurztraminer, Sangiovese, Montepulciano or the like.
Beau Moore of Moore Family Winery generally serves his Bottle Rock Red. If not, he prefers to pour Six Sigma’s Tempranillo.
A fruit basket of aromas on the nose, Six Sigma’s Tempranillo offers plush comfort of ripe cherry and plum on the palate, laced with just enough earthy spice to complement gentle white meat.
“It’s a phenomenal wine,” Moore said. “It’s worth it for Thanksgiving.
But the Moore Bottle Rock Red is a staple. Yes, the blend involves a little Cabernet, but this is tempered by a touch of Syrah, Zinfandel and anything else he can find in his vineyard, right down to Charbono.
“Everything we grow is in there,” Moore said. “It’s a good family experience.”
The Moore Bottle Rock Red is a clever, enjoyable food friendly wine that speaks with the authority of Cabernet Sauvignon, cloaks itself like Syrah yet treads delicately on the finish. It is so nimble that, like a prized Pinot Noir, it would pair beautifully with Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
The acidic Charbono gives a light, lean feel that winemakers look for when pairing a bottle with the traditional turkey dinner.
“A wine with good acidity is a great match for turkey,” said Chacewater winemaker Mark Burch.
For this reason Burch is willing to break the rules and serve a Gregory Graham Sauvignon Blanc, in part because the Graham mellows the chirping tropical notes, balancing sweetness and acidity.
For Burch, it’s an easy decision, considering the Gregory Graham Sauvignon Blanc has earned golds, double golds or best in class in every competition entered — although “easy” might be an overstatement, considering the popularity of the Gregory Graham Grenache.
“It’s an all around people-pleaser,” Feiler said of the Grenache. “If you don’t know who might show up for dinner, this is certain to please.”
On the nose it bursts with festive aromas. Juicy raspberry and ripe red cherry carouse over a light toss of strawberry. These bring out a shy aspect in the varietal’s spicy nature. Hints of cinnamon turn shy and back into a corner. Instead, a mellow hint of melon rind and a trace of earthiness appear, looking on from the edges.
A sip confirms the wine’s fruit forward zeal. Splashes of berry and cherry excite the senses. It’s a light and refreshing red wine that begins mid-palate to fade into a diaphanous strawberry — fine, almost ethereal.
But Burch also offers his own Chacewater dry Riesling, traced with vanilla and the burly quality from oak staves that once contained unrefined honey. Ripe, cleanly slice flavors of stone fruit yield to huskier notes and a remarkably long finish for such a crisp yet intricate wine.
The Chacewater Dry Riesling takes full advantage of the grape’s prized — sometimes mystifying — versatility. Yet it is mellow enough to sidle along with turkey rather than rush ahead and claim triumph over the bird.
“Our Dry Riesling would be a perfect match,” Burch noted. “It’s non-competitive — and it gives you a little acidity.”
Dustin Fults of Fults Family Vineyards opts for Rose, especially when preparing a glazed turkey or ham.
“Rose is a little on the lighter side, but there’s more depth to it than Sauvignon Blanc,” he said. “It would be fun.”
His Thanksgiving lineup therefore includes the Fults Family 2 Girls Rose, which trickles with sweet spice and biting cranberry cooled by a soft melon note. He might also open a bottle of Langtry’s Marsanne — one of the more unique turkey-friendly wines available.
“It’s like a Chardonnay, but more floral and with spicy undertones,” Fults pointed out.
In general winemakers seek light and lean, yet also complex and spicy when it comes to Thanksgiving pairings. For this reason Fults also prizes the Catfish Vineyard Zinfandel from Steele Wines.
“It has that peppery, jammy component I like in a Zin,” he said. “It’s a real treat to have on the table.”
A Viognier from R Vineyards also received praise from several winemakers. It lures you with aromas of drying honeysuckle, peaches clinging in an orchard, apricots stewing on a well-used cast iron stove in a kitchen lined with baskets of ready mango and fallen blossoms. It casts a spell, compelling you to sit and admire its charms from afar.
On the palate the 2015 Viognier appears creamy, almost languid. Baked peaches and peppery mango recline in the rich cushion. Lighter notes — split balsa and sun drenched honeysuckle call on even denser aspects, including a hint of cured apricot and a crackle of bitterness. The finish is laced with vanilla, completing the expression of elegance.
This is a cultured Viognier.
“It has the varied flavors and it has some spice to it,” R Vineyards’ David Rosenthal observed. “It goes really well, even with pumpkin pie.
But Rosenthal also heeds the tried and true call, picking up a bottle of Six Sigma’s Pinot Noir — an award winner and one of the few standout Pinot’s produced from Lake County grapes.
Feiler appreciates the dry, crisp aspect of Brassfield Estate’s Gewurztraminer, recommending the wine as well for its unique character.
The scent of Sliced lychee rises to the nose, along with apples cut under a summer sun. This is followed by a bouquet of heather and floral aromas. Lurking behind the fruit and flowers are subtle complexities — soft balsa, candied petals and a stick of cinnamon untouched by a grater.
It is a beautiful wine even before you take that first sip.
An engaging progression takes place on the palate. The wine opens with the soft lychee and apple flavors, lured in by deep breaths, sapped of plunging sugars. The flavor begins to intensify, however, with canteloupe, tropical fruit, dusty spice and earthy confection — Turkish delight is common in the profile of great Gewurztraminers — develop and take hold.
The emergence of rose petals and other floral attributes indicate the finish. The languorous essence of lychee and white fruits return for a bow, along with soft nips of spice. And this cordial, inviting entente lingers.
“It’s in its own category,” she said.
Two wines from Sol Rouge — the Gypsy Rouge red blend and Gypsy Blanc white blend — drew praise from Feiler for their Thanksgiving-friendly nature.
The Gypsy Rouge leans on Grenache and its red berry pleasantries, at just over three quarters of the blend. But it also includes Mourvedre (13 percent), Syrah (4 percent, Counoise and Cinsault (3 percent each) and a trace of Petite Sirah for a deep, inky color.
On the nose Gypsy Rouge tempts with a jumble of red fruits and mixed berries. The jingle of strawberry leads, but the rest is a tossed basket — all ripe and fresh. But there are perilous shadows under all the cheer. Split acacia, raspy clove, nettles and black peppercorns conspire in the background. In between, an offering of roses and a hint of Christmas spice yearn for a truce.
The Gypsy Blanc showcases the traditions of Chateauneuf du Pape.
The wine is a blend of Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier. It presents honeysuckle and white stone fruits on the nose, but a dry, earthy spice follows, along with used vanilla, tamed of its fermented spirit.
On the palate, the Gypsy Blanc revels more intrigue — a dim room with a crystal ball.
The first impression is pleasantly baffling, reminiscent of butterscotch, yet without the cloying sweetness. As you begin to decipher this, the threads unravel, leading to a stew of tropical fruits and seared peach, traced with light honey. Above this rides a floral note, which yields to gentle white pepper on the finish.
“This is one that someone who would want a Chardonnay would appreciate,” Feiler noted.
Oh, there are dozens of other great options, from Smiling Dogs, Boatique, Beaver Creek, Wildhurst, Cache Creek, Shed Horn, Shannon Ridge … Perhaps a Sangiovese from Rosa d’Oro, a Montepulciano from Don Angel, the Rose of Mistaken Identity produced by Laujor. Maybe Fore Family’s GSM.
Feiler recommends a Malbec and Barbera blend from Olof Cellars for its charming cherry flavors or the Highlander red blend from Chacewater that performed so well at a recent Thanksgiving themed tasting at the Lake County Wine Studio.
Really, just about every Lake County winery produces at least one bottle that will silence any Thanksgiving day pairing disputes.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
