We decided to do things a little differently for our Thanksgiving Special. Instead of talking about things we don’t know, like my Mom’s secret Green Bean Casserole recipe, we decided to bring in our friend Joe Todd to help you enhance your Thanksgiving by sharing his wisdom and knowledge of wine. Many young professionals may find themselves in situations where they want to class things up, so here are three ways you can pair the right wine with the right food this holiday.
Why Have a Good Meal When You Could Have a Great Meal?
By Special Guest Writer and Wine Connoisseur Joe Todd
Getting into the wine industry right after graduating college opened up the flood gates for more learning. I’m learning something new everyday about the wines that I sell and just wine in general, everything from taste profiles, what regions produce the best grapes and what wines go best with different types of food.
In regards to food pairing, the combination of food and wine can really help to enhance your dining experience. With the right pairing, the wine should enhance to the food, and the food should enhance the wine. With Thanksgiving upon us, I thought it would be helpful to give some ideas and options of what types of wines would be great to pair with your holiday meal.
Because a holiday meal is so diverse, with an array of different types of food at one course, you should look for a few wines that will really cater to an array of foods. You do not want go with a red or white wine that is too far on either end of the spectrum; the key is balance. For this occasion look for a wine that has a good level of acidity, low to mid alcohol levels (11-13.5%), and has a lighter body style.
Bubbly
Because Thanksgiving is a celebration, Champagne, sparkling wine, and Prosecco are perfect fits for your holiday meal. A celebration is not the only reason for them being a great choice though. The higher acidity in Champagne and sparkling wine lets it pair with heavier, starchier foods like potatoes and turkey with dressing. Also, the low alcohol does not over power the food and mask the flavor like a high-alcohol wine would do. Another benefit of bubbly is that the bubbles themselves are a nice palate cleanser between eating the different choices of food on your plate. Bubbly is a great choice to either start off the meal or drink all the way through.
Pinot Noir
For a red wine, pinot noir would most likely be the drink of choice for a holiday meal like Thanksgiving. This wine is a great match because of its diversity. Low-alcohol Pinot Noirs are a great match because they are light in body and will not overpower the food. The subtlety of the wine allows it to pair with most of what’s on the table because of its light bodied style. A good Pinot Noir will not have big tannins, a huge amount of alcohol or sharp, dark flavors. A Pinot Noir will pair great with most things on the table, but especially ham and even turkey. There are “bigger” style Pinot Noirs out there for sure, but steer clear of those for this meal.
