Netscape Forum Poll: Best wine with turkey

[Robin Garr]

With the Thanksgiving holiday coming up in the U.S. and winter feasts just ahead throughout the Northern Hemisphere, the annual frequently asked question recurs: What's the best wine match with roast turkey and the traditional trimmings? We seek <i>your</i> advice in this week's Netscale WineLovers Community poll.
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Well for the first time I "othered." Our first choice is Barbera. For the sake of American Chauvinism prefer those from Mendocino or the High Sierras, but this year it will probably be Italian. Second choice is a claret style Zinfandel. We also do White Zin or Rose' for the girls. After dinner number one son-in-law and I usally destroy a Tobin James Zin such as Dusi or French Camp.

[Robin Garr]

Well for the first time I "othered." Our first choice is Barbera. For the sake of American Chauvinism prefer those from Mendocino or the High Sierras, but this year it will probably be Italian. Second choice is a claret style Zinfandel. We also do White Zin or Rose' for the girls. After dinner number one son-in-law and I usally destroy a Tobin James Zin such as Dusi or French Camp.

Carl, I've often thought that turkey - especially with the sweet and savory mix of flavors that usually accompany it on the Thanksgiving table - is a peculiarly difficult wine match. It's hard to find a wine that goes well with both the earthy, oily dark meat and the more delicate (and too often dry) white meat. That's why I tend to go to Riesling (or Chenin Blanc) or Pinot Noir, because of their high levels of food versatility. Barbera, with its high acid profile, seems to me like a good pick with the thigh or drumstick but maybe not quite so well-suited with breast meat, but maybe a New World model would be a little softer.

Ordinarily, we'd have gone with an Italian red or Sancerre or other SB. But, it seems I've started taking another look at Gamay. One of Jim's (Florida Jim) post last week piqued my curiosity about Cru Beaujolais. Gamay is a varietal I had consigned to the round file due to the Nouveau fad.

We attended an AWS wine tasting this weekend that included an entire Thanksgiving spread. All the members brought a couple of bottles of wine to share. I had purchased a couple of 2005 Fleuries.

One of the best red wine / turkey matches I've ever had. Outside of PN, I've always thought most reds have a tendency to overpower turkey. The Fleurie was a juicy, low tannin quaff with a fantastic nose and great acid streak.

I'll definitely go back for more this week. And will be serving it for future Holiday dinners.

Richard

If it's just turkey as on a cold February night, an off dry Riesling is hard to beat, though Vouvray and Sancerre do very well, as does a CDR Blanc.

But, North American Thanksgiving, be it in October or November is a lot more than turkey. In our house it will be cornbread and chestnut stuffing, wild rice and mushroom stuffing, candied sweet potatoes, peas and pearl onions, various salads, and whatever else the kids bring. This calls for much more than what my colleague on another forum refers to as a "Sissy White."

....But, North American Thanksgiving, be it in October or November is a lot more than turkey....

Agreed. One should look for a Thanksgiving Dinner wine and not a Turkey wine. Usually I serve my home made Steuben Rose from the current vintage, almost like a Nouveau, but things are later this year due to the weather, so it may not be ready on time, in which case, I'll have to find something different.

[Robin Garr]

One of the best red wine / turkey matches I've ever had. Outside of PN, I've always thought most reds have a tendency to overpower turkey. The Fleurie was a juicy, low tannin quaff with a fantastic nose and great acid streak.

Very well put, Richard. This is exactly why Beaujolais (even the Nouveau, which is timely and very fresh on Turkey Day) is one of my standard reccos.

Hi Robin,

I just had this discussion with my son and he prefers pinot. I think that riesling goes best with the white meat and pinot noir (light to medium burg style, not CA style) goes best with dark meat. Since I usually eat the white meat I prefer riesling, even though pinots are my favorite wines. Solution: serve both if you have enough people at the table to drink them up, which is usually not a problem at Thanksgiving.

I voted "Riesling", but a nice Alsatian Gewurztraminer goes pretty well with turkey also.

I voted "Riesling", but a nice Alsatian Gewurztraminer goes pretty well with turkey also.

My sentiments exactly, Sam!

Crus Beaujolais is an excellent choice.

Because of what Robin points out about the turkey and the fixings, the meal is not easy for wine pairing, and when that happens I go for wines like Riesling for white, Pinot Noir for red. The Crus B falls in the P Noir camp.

The real problem with the tday dinner is the sweets and gravies combined on a plate with meat and various types of vegetables. That is the reason we stopped eating the traditional tday dinner years ago. Anyway, the only part of turkey that excites me is the neck.

I'd rather give thanks while eating and drinking what I truly enjoy. In the past it's been rack of lamb with CdP; osso buco with Montalcino; venison with Gewurztraminer; boar with Barolo; ostrich with Sagrantino; duck with Pinot Noir.

Anyone inclined to toy with breaking the tradition can start slowly--with a wine under screw cap perhaps...

My favorite Thanksgiving pairings have all been named. For reds I like Beaujolais Cru or Beaujolais-Villages or Pinot Noir and for whites my first choice is Gewurztraminer with Riesling as my second choice. This year I may contribute a Nuits-St-Georges Cotes de Nuits (running out of my supply of Beaujolais Cru) and a Gewurztraminer. Possibly also a sparkling rose' or sparkling red.