Originally published on November 19, 2008.
Cranking on getting the Frankly Wines e-commerce site up and running (I’m falling behind on the homework my developer keeps giving me). So instead of writing a long, typical post on Thanksgiving Day wines, I’m going to do daily suggestions.
But first things first…if you’ve read even 1 of the annual columns that talk about Turkey Day wines, you know the meal is a wine pairing nightmare. Turkey is bland, there are gobs of highly varied, very different side dishes, too many different palates to please, to go American or not to go American blah blah blah….So the most important rule is…just drink whatever you want. If you’re looking for a reason to pull out the fancy stuff, pull it out. If you’re looking for a reason to stick with the cheap and cheerful stuff, know that most people at the table will be too stuffed to pay attention to the wine anyway. There’s a reason to justify almost any choice you make. My suggestions are just suggestions and wildly influenced by what I like to drink (and full disclosure, what I like to sell.)
Thanksgiving Wine for the Traditionalist: Teira Zinfandel
A lot of people like to drink American wine on this American holiday and Zinfandel is generally considered one of the most American of grapes. (Actually, the wine geneticists think Zinfandel may actually be from Croatia, but we won’t tell.) Zinfandel can be a very big, very full-bodied, very powerful wine – the type of wine that can beat a turkey over the head and turn it to mush.
But the Teira is a Zinfandel with a bit of elegance. No one would consider this a light wine, but it’s balanced enough that it won’t put the poor turkey to shame. All the flavor you want in a Zin, without all the weight. (Tastes great, less filling!)