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Mission Impossible: Red Wine for Thanksgiving

This year I decided I wanted to have red wine with my Thanksgiving dinner. In the past, I’ve usually opted for whites and, indeed, even on this site have unabashedly recommended them. Look, for instance, at my past feature, What To Serve With Turkey. And if you absolutely need to have whites or you positively eschew reds (you know those headaches), indulge yourself. Go for a good Riesling or a Pinot Blanc, maybe even a more fruity white from the Loire. Or why not just open that bottle of Champagne you’ve been saving for a special occasion? After all, it is Thanksgiving. Just make sure you choose whites that have enough flavor and acidity to stand up to the food. But for me, it’s RED.

The reason I want red wine is because I’ve realized that we’re eating more than just turkey. There’s the stuffing with sausage, and herbs, and nuts, and maybe even fruit. (Ms. Stewart has been pushing those dried cherries lately.) There’s the gravy. There’s the sweet yams and sometimes even candied sweet potatoes, and of course, we can’t forget the Brussels sprouts. And what if there’s wine’s most difficult culinary foe: the artichoke? It makes almost any wine bitter.

Now you see why choosing a red that works with Thanksgiving dinner takes some thought. First off, we want a wine that will go well with both the dark and the white meat, one that will support the former yet not overwhelm the latter. We also want a wine that will fit in with all of those flavorful trimmings. Consequently, it should have sufficient body (alcoholic strength) to stand up to the many flavors, but not be so full bodied that it declares victory over the palate. It should have adequate fruit so that it complements the meat as well as the side dishes, but not be too fruity or sweet so that any sides like green vegetables taste relatively bitter (or that you think Aunt Betty’s cranberry sauce found its way into your glass). Moreover, it should have mild tannins to support the wine’s fruit and sufficient acidity to cut through the fats. Finally, it should be so well structured that as its flavors linger on the palate, perhaps with a hint of spice, you give thanks for the winemaker.

Although finding an appropriate red wine for this holiday meal may sound like a mission impossible, it really isn’t. It’s just a matter of some time and thought—a small effort compared to what you’re probably already doing to make your guests feel welcome and comfortable around your table.

For this feature, we selected eight wines and tasted them all first without any food and then again with a turkey stuffed with a sausage based stuffing and accompanied by a sweet cranberry jelly.

1998 Borsao, Campo de Borja ($4.99)

Deep cherry, almost magenta, in color with good legs, this wine has a sweet nose that’s big and floral. On the palate the wine is dry and full bodied. Its strawberry flavors are straightforward and uncomplicated. The wine has a nice finish with just a hint of cedar. This wine was wonderful with the food. The meat and dressing seemed to temper the wine’s sweetness and enhance the berry flavors. It’s an unbelievable bargain at this price.

1997 Torres, Sangre de Toro, Penedes ($5.99)

Garnet or maybe even red cherry in color, the wine has good legs. The nose is somewhat musty with hints of grass and cherry. On the palate it’s medium bodied and dry with mild tannins and black pepper flavor. It’s a little short on the finish. To be enjoyed, this wine needs food. It complemented our turkey dinner and seemed to go equally well with both the dark and white meat. In addition, its dryness cut through the sweetness of the cranberry sauce.

Non-vintage, Paul Avril, Le Petit Vin d’Avril ($7.99)

Brick colored, the wine has good legs. Its nose is earthy with some hints of vinyl (like a new shower curtain). Its flavors are pastille and licorice like. It’s rather soft bodied despite an alcohol content of 13%. It has an herbaceous aftertaste that seems to linger. I think this is more a food wine than one for sipping and in fact its flavor was enhanced by our dinner.

1997 Chateau Valcombe, Cotes du Ventoux, Signature ($8.99)

Garnet in color with nice legs, the wine has an earthy nose of wet leaves. Full bodied with a good mid-palate, it’s packed with the flavors of plums and dried figs with some hints of wood. This is a well-structured wine with good acidity, plenty of extract, and a nice finish. This wine was great with our meal and would go especially well with sweet and sour onions. Definitely one of the stars of this tasting.

1996 Bonny Doon, Grenache Village, Navarra Grenache ($10.99)

Deep ruby in color with beautifully long legs, the wine has a bright red berry/boysenberry nose. On the palate it delivers plenty of luscious flavor with distinctive notes of sweet prunes and only the mildest of tannins. It’s wonderfully fruity and finishes well. With our meal, this wine was like another good quality cranberry sauce. Try this wine.

1997 Boniface Mondeuse, Vin de Savoie “Les Rocailles" ($10.99)

This wine is garnet in color. It has long, long legs and a big sweet fruity nose with hints of pepper. Its entry is smooth and silky and on the palate it’s dry with clear notes of pepper. Its flavors linger. For red drinkers, this is a must with turkey at least for the first couple of helpings. I know I’ll be serving this one at my table.

1997 Kenwood, Pinot Noir, Russian River ($14.99)

Translucent ruby in color with good legs, this wine has a sweet jammy nose of rose petals and cherries. It’s rich on the palate and its flavors of sweet red currants with underpinnings of crushed pepper burst on the palate. Yet it’s not overpowering. The wine has a lovely finish with hints of spice. It added relish to our meal. If you like Pinot Noirs like I do, you will enjoy this wine.

1997 Isole e Olena, Chianti Classico, DOCG ($17.99)

Deep garnet in color with long legs, this wine has the classic Chianti nose of iris and earth. It’s full bodied and well structured. Along with the fruit, there are enticing tobacco flavors. This is a textbook Chianti and one of the best in its class from what is reportedly the best Chianti vintage ever. Pure elegance.

TableWine is a personal website and does not sell any wine. However, many of the wines we review are purchased from our local wine merchant, Wine & Spirit World. Their web site may help you locate a good number of our selections.

If you have any suggestions for future tastings, drop us a line at the address below.