Bogus Gold

Thanksgiving arrives tomorrow. As we all know the central feature of this holiday is The Meal. In most American families this is the most elaborate and important meal of the year. People break out their once-a-year china, crystal, and silver. They spend hours and sometimes days preparing the food. And, inevitably, they buy wine.

That last one can be perilous, as the majority of wine-purchasers on this holiday are not typically wine drinkers. In most of America wine remains a "special occasion" rather than everyday purchase. Marketers in the wine industry circle these hapless consumers like sharks. All too many fall victim.

Where do people unfamiliar with the world of wine typically turn for advice? To holiday-themed wine advice columns of course. Yet over the years I have found two standard formats for such columns, and both are flawed.

The first type is the "information overload" column. Suddenly the wine novice who was wondering whether to buy red or white is expected to master the intricacies of special vineyards, vintages, and very specific bottlings of wine they have never before seen at their local merchant. Not helpful.

The second type runs too strongly in the opposite direction and offers bad advice. For example, "Turkey is poultry, so you want a white wine - like Chardonnay."

Here is some advice I hope will be a bit more practical.

I'm going to assume the meal in question will be the traditional: roast turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, etc. If you're going in some crazy individual direction, bon appetit - but you're on your own for wine pairing advice.

First, forget worrying about whether you should buy red or white wine. Those color categories are too broad to be useful. Besides, in my experience it's a good idea to have one of each so your dinner guests have a choice. So let's go within each color and talk about some considerations:

White:

Far and away the most popular white wine in America is Chardonnay. Unfortunately, Chardonnay does not pair well with this meal (or really any meal with strong flavored gravy). Other popular varietals, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio also pair very poorly.

Personally, I find Riesling to be the ideal white wine for Turkeyday. Avoid the sweeter desert-style bottlings, and find a nice crisp, dry one. My personal choice would be a Kabinet from the Pfalz region of Germany. But there are plenty of others out there, domestic and foreign, which would fit the bill as well. Other decent varietal options include Chenin Blanc and Pinot Blanc.

Another option more people should consider is a "table wine," which is simply a blend of different white wine grapes. Something like Oakley Four Whites, Folie a Deux Ménage à Trois White, or Sokol Blosser Evolution would all compliment the meal quite nicely.

Red:

This can also be problematic as the most popular American red wine - Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot - do not pair well with this meal. Another popular American wine - red zinfandel - is hit or miss, and mostly miss. Lighter red zins can be decent fits. But most red zin these days comes in a dark, jammy style making it no better fit than Cabernet Sauvignon. For similar reasons, avoid Aussie Shiraz and California Syrah.

Following the model above, we'll start with some varietals you could look for. Unlike white wine, I have no clear favorite here. I typically go with something versatile for all sorts of food accompaniment duties: Barbera and Cabernet Franc might be more difficult to find, but hard to beat. Pinot Noir is another decent choice, though more variable. For a little international flair, there's nothing wrong about going with Italian Chianti or Spanish Grenache.

Blends are more problematic, as the most popular - Bordeaux or Rhone style blends - are more suitable for heavier meals. Again, I'd go the "table wine" direction here. Something like Niebaum Coppola Rosso, or Ca'del Solo Big House Red.

My last piece of advice is not to worry too much about any of this. Having wine that compliments the meal is a treat, but not a deal-breaker. I sat through many a Thanksgiving meal in my younger days accompanied by Chardonnay and Merlot. They didn't pair well with the food, but they didn't ruin the meal either. Happy Thanksgiving.