Rant: Don't Stress Over Choosing Your Thanksgiving Wines!

Every year countless people stress over which wines to pair with their Thanksgiving dinner. These people also worry that their holiday might be a failure unless they have the correct wines. The media contributes to this worry, with countless articles about the "proper" wines to have on Thanksgiving. The holidays can be stressful enough without having to worry about the wine, especially when those worries are generally needless.

Cast your memory back to last year's Thanksgiving. Can you remember which specific wines you had with dinner? Can you remember the specific wines you had with Thanksgiving dinner two years ago?

I'm sure that nearly everyone won't be able to remember except maybe in the most general terms. Maybe they recall having had a Pinot Noir or a Riesling. They are unlikely to recall the specific producer or much else about the wine. What they are more likely to remember is the good (at least hopefully it was good) time they had, the family and friends that shared their table. They might remember that the food and wine was good or bad but the specifics may be foggy.

Do you really need to worry about specific Thanksgiving wine recommendations? I don't think so. The more I ponder the question, the more I realize that all you need for Thanksgiving are some good wines, the varietals and/or blends being much less important. As long as they do not blatantly clash with the meal, then they should work just fine. And few wines are going to so blatantly clash. Drink wines you'll enjoy and don't worry so much about "perfect pairings."

A Thanksgiving meal is diverse, with many different flavors, from savory to sweet, and many different textures. No single wine is a perfect pairing with all these different dishes. So you need wines that people will enjoy in of their own right. I don't think many hosts are seeking the "perfect" wine pairing. They simply want something that people will enjoy and which won't greatly detract from the food.

Plus, who will remember the wines next year?

We must also remember that any wine shared with good friends and family is likely to taste better, or at least seem that way, than one drank alone. The circumstances of the day, the good feelings, the fond memories, the thanks for the past year, will all lead to your wine seeming better. And it's all those surrounding circumstances that people will most remember about Thanksgiving. The wine will always take the back seat.

The wine is simply an extra, not a necessity. It pales in importance to everything else about the holiday. Like the Whos from "The Grinch Who Stole Xmas," there should still be joy even if all of the food and wine have been taken away.

I will bring a variety of wines to my Thanksgiving feast, a mix of sparkling wine, white, red and dessert wines. In general, I'll pick interesting and delicious wines that I feel people will enjoy. I won't spend much time worrying about pairing them with specific dishes and foods, although I will consider which wines might clash too much with the various dishes. I want wines that will make people smile, that will enhance the spirit of the day.

If you want some assistance with selecting wines to make your guests smile, then come see me at the Victoria Hill Wine, Spirits & Gourmet shop in Melrose. I can show you plenty of delicious and interesting wines which would work well for your Thanksgiving table. I can show you different wines rather than the traditional pairings. Everyone else might bring the standard wines, so why not stand out by bringing a more unique wine?

Consider wines, both whites and reds from Croatia, Greece, Uruguay, Peru, Lebanon, Hungary, or Georgia. The shop has wines from around 25 different countries. Consider Unoaked Chardonnay from Australia, Pinot Noir from New Zealand, or Bonarda from Argentina. Pick up some Bubbly, from Cava to Cremant, Grower Champagne to Mexican Sparkling Wine. If you want something domestic, consider a White Pinot Noir from Oregon or Gewurtztraminer from California. Try an Orange Wine, a skin-contact white wine, which goes well with roast turkey. You should also consider Sake for your Thanksgiving table, which is actually a very food friendly beverage, and we have a diverse selection from Sparkling Sake to Junmai Daiginjo. If you want more Natural Wines, the store stocks over 300 such wines. For after-dinner consumption, consider Port (Ruby to White) or Sherry.       

Please also check out our weekly Wine Tastings, held on Thursday nights from 5-7pm and Saturday afternoons from 1-4pm. During the upcoming tastings, we will be showcasing numerous wines which will be fitting for Thanksgiving. Come see me and taste something different.

Whatever you do for Thanksgiving, enjoy yourself and appreciate all that you have, rather than worry about what you do not.

(This is an expanded/revised version of a post originally from 2009. My basic sentiment has not changed one iota since that time and I felt it was important enough to raise it once again.)