Alternative Thanksgiving Wine and Food Pairings
In this blog the wines I have chosen are not the usual suspects to pair with Thanksgiving festive fare and all can be ordered and delivered all over the country via wine.com.
Labrusca Rosso by Lini 910 $16.99 – festive fizz
Food Pairing: Amazing on its own, with charcuterie and cheese apps and fantastic with turkey and cranberry sauce. You could even serve it with a berry infused dessert at the end and it would be amazing. This is the real all rounder wine.
Alt: On Wine.com I also saw that they did have a Lambrusco by Cleto Chiarli which is fab. However if you look online/ go to your local wine store just make sure you look for DRY lambrusco. The sweet stuff is often bulk made/ commercial rubbish.
Terre Brulee, Chenin Blanc, Swartland, South Africa 2019 $15.99 – perhaps the best value wine of the night – the sauvignon blanc and chardonnay bridge
Food Pairing: Fishcakes,Cooked egg dishes like quiches, frittatas and omelettes, Onion tart, Mild cheeses like Caerphilly and white-rinded cheeses like Brie so long as they’re not too ripe. Due to its bright acidity and fruity ripeness this would enhance the driest of turkeys and add an extra zing to your veggie sides.
Alt: Definitely look out for other South African Chenin blanc. If they come from old vines in the Swartland – even better! And if you want to try this grape in other styles then the Loire Valley is the place to try it. Vincent Careme ( the winemaker from Terre Brulee) makes stunning Chenin blanc in the Loire Valley. A fun drinks party option is Chenin from the Vouvray part of the Loire valley. You can find bone dry options, slightly sweet and also the most luscious of dessert wines. I would love to plan a whole 7 course feast with different kinds of Chenin blanc – it is so versatile!
Yalumba Samuel’s Collection Eden Valley Viognier 2017 $22.99 –luscious and exotic
Food Pairing: Mezze ( falafael, humous, cumin spiced dishes), Roast root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips and sweet potatoes, creamy and buttery cheeses, dishes with ginger, saffron and coconut, chicken salads with apricot, peach or mango . For Thanksgiving it will make turkey sing, is a fab app wine with a range of cheese and would be delicious with turkey curry leftovers the next day or turkey salads. .
Alt: There is actually a cheaper version from Yalumba called Yalumba Y Series on Wine.com for $10.99. This is a steal if you love those opulent fruit flavours combined with orange blossom freshness. I also am a huge huge fan of the Australian wine producer D’Arenberg and on Wine.com they have his ‘The HERMIT Crab’ for $14.99. It is a blend of viognier and Marsanne and I ADORE it as it has the luscious apricot from the viognier but also the freshness and structure from the Marsanne. I will be ordering this asap especially as it is on sale! For comparison try a Viognier from the Rhone – which are more restrained on the fruit and have brighter acidity. The spiritual homeland for this grape is Condrieu – but they are super expensive! For great value Viognier from just outside of the Condrieu ( therefore a quarter of the price) – look for wines from here: https://www.rhonevaluewines.eu/en/categorie/northern-rhone/collines-rhodaniennes-en/
Ernest Vineyards Eugenia cinsault rose 2019 $21.99 – Complex and savoury Rose
Food Pairing: goats cheese salad, ratatouille, spicy crudo, butternut squash based dishes, smoked cheeses, raclette, pastrami and cheese sandwhich. For thanksgiving it would be great with charcuterie apps and with smoked turkey salad for next day leftovers.
Alt: I think Rose in general is an awesome shout for Thanksgiving but I wanted to show off something with a bit more personality than most provence Roses. Cinsault as a grape tends to display red berry fruit alongside an earthy rusticity – it’s used in a lot of Provence Rose blends. Garnacha rose from Spain will be darker in hue but not sweet!! It will offer plenty of red fruit, perfme and more obvious structure. Pinot noir rose – will focus more on red cherry, cranberry bright berry fruit. On Wine.com I saw Pinot noir Rose from Margerum Winery and Sanford which are both very fun and expressive for Thanksgiving.
Valdiguie Pax Quail Run vineyard 2018 $25.99 – the funky purple glitter in mouth one!
Food Pairing: Incredibly versatile – from charcuterie, cold ham, seared tuna/ salmon, bacon, camembert, brie to grilled veggies and baked sweet potatoes and squash. It would be great with charcuterie apps at Thanksgiving, nut roasts, veggie bakes and cranberry sauce.
Alt: Valdiguié makes a dark-purple wine with effusive floral aromatics and flavors of red cherry, blackberry, and pomegranate accented by black pepper and clove notes. Some fun alternatives which aren’t quite as funky as this one would be from Love Red from Broc Cellars and Wild Flower J Lohr – both available on wine.com. Love Red would be fresher, more perfumed and bright whereas wild flower would be more mellow, rounded and a fun combination between a merlot/ pinot blend!
Espelt old vines garnacha 2017 $13.99 – Crowd pleasing red
“Some of the best-value examples are made by the Espelt family winery from ancient Garnatxa vines.”
– JANCIS ROBINSON
Food Pairing: Sausages, veggie bakes, lentil based dishes, casseroles, caramelised root vegetables, anything with paprika and pimento. For thanksgiving this is great to sip throughout the day on its own, meaty apps, fantastic with Thanksgiving spread and I think the slight fig newton aspect would mean it could work with pumpkin pie which is sweet/ savoury…. or enjoy with dried fruits and cheese!
Alt: Look out for other old vine Garnacha vines from Spain. The most expensive and arguably impressive Garnacha comes from Priorat in Catalunedya but there are plenty of great value offerings from other parts of Catalunya which have access to the oldest clones of Garnacha in the world and often to high altitude mountains which helps balance fruit with freshness. I also noticed a Campo Viejo Garnacha on Wine.com from Rioja. This will be much less intense and will be lighter in body but should still have a lovely combination of dark/ red fruit, sweet spice from the oak and soft tannins.