Why's it always gotta be Pinot? Some Thanksgiving Pairing Alternatives
Every year since we’ve been married, we’ve had two Thanksgiving dinners. The first consisting of ham, chicken, collard greens and sweet potato pie. The second is more traditional Thanksgiving fare: turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, squash, mashed potatoes and gravy. Not wanting to insult either family, we eat a full serving at each house, and then slink home to wallow in gluttonous misery.
The conventional wisdom is that you pair Pinot Noir or bubbly with turkey dinner. And…we agree. We typically go with a Burgundy or Oregon Pinot. Both can be a bit pricey, though. We’d recommend looking at a few alternatives that deliver the same subtle fruits, earthiness and tang with a better price/value ratio.
When Beaujolais is mentioned, most people think of Beaujolais Nouveau. It’s light and fruity and doesn’t have much gravitas. Not the kind of wine you want to pair with a hearty meal. Beaujolais Crus, on the other hand, have more in common with their neighbors in Burgundy than you’d expect. They’re far more complex than Nouveaus and have a kind of dry, brambly flavor with hints of tart citrus and bitter greens underneath. It’s a complex wine that feels like a Burgundy’s rustic cousin. We’re big fans. Our favorite Cru right now is Cote de Brouilly. We’ve heard Moulin-a-Vent is pretty good, but we haven’t had a chance to try it yet.
A good Beaujolais Cru runs somewhere between $15 and $25. That’s way less than you’ll spend for a good Burgundy or Oregon Pinot. Some other alternatives in that price range are New Zealand Pinot and Nebbiolo (yeah, that’s the grape they make Barolo from). Both of those wines have light blackberry and cranberry notes, earthy qualities and a tangy kick at the back, with enough acidity to cut through the thickest of gravies. The Nebbiolo tends to be warmer and richer, FYI.
We’d stay away from California Pinots for the most part. They’re big, fruity and excellent. Just not what we’re looking for with a turkey dinner. If you’re having duck, on the other hand…
For a bubbly pairing, we prefer a domestic brut offering. They’re great with salty foods, cut right through the fat, and will do yeoman’s work keeping your palate clean as you dance from side-dish to side-dish. We had a Roederer a couple of weeks ago that would be perfect for this. Why domestic instead of champagne? We find domestic is less tart.
We’ve gone on and on about wine pairing with turkey. What about that other dinner? The one with a spiral cut ham and collard greens? That’s a bit trickier for us. We’re the only wine drinkers at that dinner. We usually have sparkling cider. It’s fun and the kids love it.
Let’s just pretend, though, that the ham-dinner is with a bunch of winoes like ourselves. The spiral ham and collard greens call for something different than the cavalcade of light red wines discussed above. Once again, bubbly would work just fine, but we think the perfect pairing here is fino sherry.
We’re unabashed sherry lovers. There. We said it. It feels good to get it out in the open. *WHEW*
You might be concerned that sherry is going to be overpowering, but that’s not the case at all. A fino sherry is bone dry and full of light nutty and oaky notes with a pleasing salty finish. It’s honestly one of our favorite food wines and it stands up amazingly well to the smoky saltiness of ham and collard greens.
We hope we’ve given you some good wine pairing ideas for this Thanksgiving. If you go with any of our recommendations, let us know how they work out. You can always find us on Twitter at @WineSnubs or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/alsowinesnubs.
