Red wine for Thanksgiving
 

I really should have posted this earlier, oh well...

Anyway, I'm pretty much a wine noob. I've only recently begun to tell the difference between the tastes of the different types of wines. I've found I'm partial to granache and merlot and not terribly fond of cabernet sauvignons (I only drink red, I've never found a white I liked). I'd like to bring a bottle to Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow - most everyone in my family prefers red and the one white holdout always brings his own. I looked online but mostly found very general guides - zinfandels, syrahs, and pinot noirs supposedly go well with turkey. My family seems to be somewhat picky about wine, so this is causing me some anxiety. I know most of the bottles they bring will be in the $20 to $25 range, which is fine with me.

Anyone have a favorite red they will be pairing with dinner tomorrow?

I usually have white wine on Thanksgiving, but if you're going to bring a decent red, I'd go with pinot noir, syrah or zinfandel. I've been really impressed with Dutton-Goldfield 2006 zinfandel. It's powerful, but would go well with the strong, spiced flavors of things like stuffing, yams, cranberries, and green bean casserole.

A good $10 bottle of wine I enjoy is a Menage a Trois, which is a California table wine.

I would even just go into the wine shop if you have one nearby (not the grocery store), and tell them exactly what you said here. They're usually much more knowledgable about food pairings and specific wine blends you might enjoy based on the favorites you've listed here.


Yellowtail has a granache shiraz blend, if I'm not mistaken.

White wine is typically paired with turkey. Being a vegetarian I drink a lot of white because it's easily paired with vegetables. I would savor my red for drinking sans meal. However a lot of people are straying from traditional pairings and going with "Drink what you like." With the innovation within the wine industry, it's a-ok.

Since you don't seem to be going the route of White Wine I agree with WillRavel. You can't really go wrong with Pinot Noir. Of the red wines it goes really well with fish or poultry. It won't overpower your mouth. The bird will have a fighting chance to tickle your tastebuds. I also like to call it the gateway red for white drinkers. Oregon has the best pinot!

amonkie's suggestion of asking a wine expert at a wine shop is a great way to go.

Don't forget dessert wines!!!!! Look for something with a bit of acidity to complement the richness of pumpkin pie. Anything that brings out the spices in a pumpkin pie are a plus too. I don't tend to drink wine with dairy desserts...cheesecake....so I would just have coffee, cleanse my palette and then go for a port!

Just drink what you like. You'll never please everyone. If your family is willing to experiment, maybe grab something you've never had. If they are really wine people, they will be open to this idea.

YAY WINE!

Pinot noir goes with anything. Really.

Even peanut butter?

This will require extensive experimentation. I volunteer.

Hah! Who wouldn't volunteer to drink a bunch of good pinot noir?

Unfortunately, we left to run our pre-Thanksgiving errands before I had a chance to read these replies. I ended up calling my dad for advice and he suggested I bring a zinfandel. My family is pretty open to trying new things, so I found a higher rated one he'd never heard of and he asked I bring two bottles because he wanted to try one at home. We'll see how it goes.

Liquor is controlled by the state here so there are no friendly local shops to go to - there is one wine only store in the entire Salt Lake valley (which has a population of over a million). It is quite a jaunt from my house, but there is a new store by my house has a pretty decent selection. I have decided I'm going to devote some time to exploring different types of wine to broaden my horizons. If I can find the wine you mentioned, monkie, I'll definitely give it a try. Thanks all!

I personally like Zins (I am assuming you aren't referring to white zinfandel) but some people find them a little peppery. I also echo Snowy's love of pinots, particularly from the russian river valley of central california's coastal area. They are very smooth.

Have a glass for me, please. I had surgery and am on painkillers, so I can't imbibe.

GG: If you're looking to get into wine, check out Wine Library TV and 3 Wine Guys. :)

Too late, sorry, but when we were on a California wine tasting trip, Korbel was pushing a red sparkling wine for turkey... ah, here we go: Korbel Rouge Sonoma County sparkling wine - Wineglobe.com

i dont think many whites go well with turkey. i prefer a red burgundy (a pinot maybe but not likely to be from kali or a bourgeuil.) or a malbec. my favorite ten dollar wine of the moment is a malbec---viu manent.

Viu Manent Winery

they make a range, but i kinda like the 10 dollar one.
it improves if you let it breathe a little..

The wine I chose was a success and was enjoyed by all who tried it. I appreciate the comments and suggestions and plan on trying them all if I can find the wines. roachboy, it's funny you should mention a malbec because my dad told me on Thursday I should pick one up, he thinks I would like it. I'll look for the kind you recommended next time I'm at the store.

Interesting. Do you generally prefer your wines to be more or less sweet?

will-->drier.
i'm not opposed to whites at all btw---i like them with seafood, mostly.

I'm guessing you'd probably want a strong chardonnay if you were to have a white wine with turkey.