Natalie MacLean's Thanksgiving Wine Picks
Wine goddess and author Natalie MacLean has made her picks for wines for this year's Thanksgiving feast. MacLean, the author of the book Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass also has some simple rules for Thanksgiving wine pairing:Starting off with a Champagne, Prosecco or other sparkling wine sets a festive note and makes a great aperitif.
Red wine or white wine with the turkey? You can do either. A crisp white like a Riesling or Pinot Grigio works but a juicy red like a Zinfandel also works well (it sort of mimics the berry note of the cranberry sauce). You can also go for the practically fruit juice appeal of this year's Beaujolais Nouveau.
You can also match your wine to the sides, offering other wines such as a buttery Chardonnay to complement the stuffing and veggies or a Sauvignon Blanc to add a little pep to a palate numbed by too many cream sauces. .
She suggests a late harvest wine or ice wine to pair with dessert to add the perfect finishing touch. In my experience, I have found that a Port or a late harvest Zinfandel works well with pecan pie while a late harvest Chardonnay can work with pumpkin pie.
After the jump, her top picks for reds and whites for the table.
White Wines
2006 Ironstone Vineyards Obsession Symphony Sierra Foothills, California, $14.95.
2005 Babich Black Label Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand, $14.00.
2005 Studert-Prum Riesling Spatlese Qmp, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Estate BtlD., Germany, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, $23.95.
2004 Freiherr Heyl Zu Herrnsheim Riesling Spatlese Qmp, Baron Heyl Nierstein, Estate BtlD., Germany, Rheinhessen, $23.95.
2005 W. Gisselbrecht Gewurztraminer Reserve Speciale AC Alsace, France, $15.95.
Red Wines
2006 Kim Crawford Pinot Noir Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand. $19.95.
2005 Maison Champy Bourgogne Signature Pinot Noir AC, Burgundy, $18.95.
2005 Domaine Bouchard Pere & Fils Beaune Du Chateau Ac, 1er Cru, Burgundy, $41.95.
2004 Rosenblum Annette's Reserve Zinfandel Redwood Valley, California, $55.00.
2004 Aldegheri Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso Sant'ambrogio Doc, Italy, Veneto, $19.95.
What's your pick for the Thanksgiving table? I'm a Zin with turkey fan and I'll be going with one of my faves, 2005 Seghesio Old Vine Zinfandel, Sonoma County which sells for around $30.
2006 Ironstone Vineyards Obsession Symphony Sierra Foothills, California, $14.95.
2005 Babich Black Label Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand, $14.00.
2005 Studert-Prum Riesling Spatlese Qmp, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Estate BtlD., Germany, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, $23.95.
2004 Freiherr Heyl Zu Herrnsheim Riesling Spatlese Qmp, Baron Heyl Nierstein, Estate BtlD., Germany, Rheinhessen, $23.95.
2005 W. Gisselbrecht Gewurztraminer Reserve Speciale AC Alsace, France, $15.95.
Red Wines
2006 Kim Crawford Pinot Noir Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand. $19.95.
2005 Maison Champy Bourgogne Signature Pinot Noir AC, Burgundy, $18.95.
2005 Domaine Bouchard Pere & Fils Beaune Du Chateau Ac, 1er Cru, Burgundy, $41.95.
2004 Rosenblum Annette's Reserve Zinfandel Redwood Valley, California, $55.00.
2004 Aldegheri Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso Sant'ambrogio Doc, Italy, Veneto, $19.95.
What's your pick for the Thanksgiving table? I'm a Zin with turkey fan and I'll be going with one of my faves, 2005 Seghesio Old Vine Zinfandel, Sonoma County which sells for around $30.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Natalie MacLean Nov 19th 2007 4:44PM
Thanks so much Deidre for posting my Thanksgiving picks! I hope you'll join my monthly e-newsletter ... it's free :)
Happy holidays!
Natalie
www.nataliemaclean.com