Thanksgiving is Thursday and if you’re still wondering what to bring to your multi-course celebration, I have an idea: bring wine. It’s easy, and it’s always appreciated.
Last year, a friend of mine who works at a grocery store shared with me a story about a customer looking for pumpkin pie mix on Thanksgiving Day at 4 p.m. Were they really expecting that to work out? Don’t be that person. Bring the wine.
But what wine? Lily Bollinger, the matriarch of Bollinger Champagne, once said: “I drink champagne when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise, I never touch it ― unless I’m thirsty.”
What she meant, I believe, is that champagne (or sparkling wine) goes with everything. And Thanksgiving dinner can be a bear to pair, because very few wines are going to “pair” with every single one of its courses, which, of course, aren’t coursed; they are all delivered together. Good luck with only one wine pairing with turkey, much less turkey with gravy, stuffing, green beans and cranberry sauce. You will drive yourself crazy.
But don’t fret, there’s a school of food pairing thought that believes that if everything is uniquely balanced unto itself, it doesn’t have to be paired with everything else. I mean, isn’t that the entire basis for sushi? Or hors d’oeuvres? Or tapas? Furthermore, instead of trying to drink what someone else tells you to drink, try drinking what you already like instead. If Thanksgiving was about experimentation, it wouldn’t just be turkey, now would it?
I’ve taken the liberty of assembling four local wines for your Thanksgiving feast, each appealing to a different palate. All are delicious on their own and just as delicious when washing down a mouthful of turkey, gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce.
Have a happy holiday and never drink and drive.
• 2020 Skywalker Vineyards, Blanc de Blancs, Marin County sparkling wine, $85
Blanc de Blancs means “white from whites” and usually indicates a 100% chardonnay when speaking of champagne, and in this California sparkling wine that holds true. This wine is made from all Marin County chardonnay grown at the legendary Skywalker Ranch in Nicasio. Crisply pear/apple tartness is balanced nicely by toasty brioche and ferried to you on tight little bubbles. While $85 might seem like a lot, it’s for a holiday, and if you can’t splurge on Thanksgiving, then when can you? I also will not make any “Star Wars” jokes about this wine. I will do that not.
Kendric Vineyards is known for its Marin County varietals. (Photo by Jeff Burkhart)
• 2020 Kendric Vineyards, Marin County Chardonnay, $28
I first tasted this 100% malolactic chardonnay in August, and I immediately thought it would be perfect for Thanksgiving. No one should be afraid of malolactic fermentation. Sure, it’s overdone in some California chardonnays, especially when paired with aggressive oak, but it’s also the backbone of almost …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
