In charge of bringing the wine? In charge of picking wine at the restaurant? Just looking for something tasty to pair with your Thanksgiving feasts? Below are EASY tips to find a wine for your Thanksgiving table - no matter what it looks like this year.
Ask: The simplest way to figure out a Thanksgiving wine that will please is to ask! Ask what your host, friends, family enjoy drinking. Ask what foods are on the menu. If visiting a restaurant, review the offered holiday menu in advance.
No Rushing: If you are enjoying a Thanksgiving meal in a restaurant this year, do not feel rushed to place your wine order - whether a glass or bottle. Take your time to see what you and the table would like to drink. Order when you are ready. If you need to, ask for assistance from the wait staff.
Medium to Full Body: Thanksgiving foods are rich, dense and flavorful. A wine that is too light in body will get lost after one bite of sausage stuffing or rich yams. Seek out wines (white, rosé or red) with medium to full bodies.
High Acidity: Wines that are higher in acidity tend to pair well with food as a general rule of thumb. With the rich foods of Thanksgiving, a higher acidity wine will be best. The exception - if you are serving spicy dishes. High acidity wines paired with spicy foods can come off as an unpleasant burning sensation.
Proteins, Sauces and Side Dishes: When selecting a wine, we often think of the protein only. Also consider side dishes and sauces on the table. For example, the common rule of white wine with chicken works...less so when the chicken is in an earthy, thick mushroom gravy when a red wine may be better suited.
Head Held High: If you bring or select a wine that your fellow guests do not enjoy, keep that wine loving head up high. Everyone enjoys different types of wine. If you know the guest well and are on good terms, ask them why the wine or the pairing didn't work. The more you know, the better you'll get at it.
There are more detailed articles to get more specific for selecting wines on the internet. The goal of this short list is the easy stuff to think about. 2020 is already pretty complex. Let's keep the wine simple and delicious this year shall we? Even in these difficult times there is still plenty, maybe even more than usual, to be thankful for. And no matter the wine served, we will be thankful for it.
~Cheers & Ears
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