A bottle of red; a bottle of white. …
On Thanksgiving, what wine you choose to complement your gobbler all depends upon your appetite.
“The conventional wisdom — and you'll see a lot of it out there — is people picking Pinot Noir,” said Chris Zaborowski, owner of Westport Whiskey & Wine. “I've seen too many articles written, from The Wall Street Journal to other places, where people are on the Pinot Noir bandwagon.”
Zaborowski adds that Pinot Noir is looked upon as a Thanksgiving must because “a lot of Pinot Noirs have really good, red, fruit flavors and there are some really very pleasant, easy-drinking ones. … Everybody says turkey is one of the hardest meats to match up with wine because the bird by itself is a fairly dry meat.”
But in Zaborowski's mind, and the opinions of other Louisville wine experts, Pinot Noir is one of several turkey-appropriate tipples. At Zaborowski's Thanksgiving table, guests traditionally enjoy a white, a red and a fruit wine.
On the red side, Zaborowski favors Syrah-Grenache blends such as Cotes du Crows from Morgan Winery in Monterey, Calif.
“If you're making a savory turkey with a lot of spice and herbs, I think Syrah- and Grenache-type wines work really well with that,” he said.
On the white side, he says a good Gewurztraminer is always appropriate for Thanksgiving.
“We tend a lot to use Gewurztraminers because of the spicy character,” Zaborowski said. “The ones we use will have just a small amount of residual sugar to it because that will balance out the acidity in some of the side dishes.”
Zaborowski's inclusion of a cranberry wine — he recommends one from Kentucky Orchard in Camp Springs in Northern Kentucky — further proves that Thanksgiving wine rules aren't set in stone. Other successful sips Zaborowski has tried on turkey day are Cabernets and Merlots.
John Johnson, owner of The Wine Rack on Frankfort Avenue, thinks you should look at the big picture when choosing Thanksgiving wines.
“You've got so much on the table, you shouldn't be too concerned about trying to match the wine with the turkey,” he said. Johnson also suggests having a red and a white at the table.
He refers to the types of whites he prefers with the hearty meal as “off-dry whites,” including Gewurstemeiner and Viognier. Some of his top Viogniers are from Australia's Four Sisters winery and the Gerard Bertrand Reserve Speciale label. Rieslings, Pinot Grigios and light Chardonnays are also tasty possibilities, he adds.
Johnson strongly suggests avoiding super-earthy wines and overly tannic selections.
“Really dry wine is really tannic. They kind of give you Velcro-mouth,” he said. “A big, young Cabernet Sauvignon or Bordeaux can be very tannic. It's going to dry your mouth out. You want to do something with light to medium body with a lot of fruitiness to it. … I think it's fun to do U.S. reds because they're fruit-forward and it's a U.S. holiday.”
He also is a big fan of Syrah-Grenache blends for the feast, and adds that a nice Rosé will also do.
Kenny Andreozzi of the Wine Market on Bardstown Road says that what's more important than obsessing over a particular grape or how wine-literate you'll look, is finding a blend that balances the meal.
“At Thanksgiving dinner, everything is rich and can be buttery,” he said. “Wines with good acidity can cut through the richness.”
Vouvray, a wine from France's Loire Valley, is perfect for Thanksgiving, Andreozzi says. He prefers Vouvrays from Le Pigeoulet.
“It's got just the slightest bit of sweetness and it's really wonderful with turkey and stuffing,” he said. “It'll go well with the veggies, the greens, the yams. …”
With so many intoxicating options, picking a proper Thanksgiving wine doesn't have to fill you with dread before you've filled up on food.
“I'm a big fan of ‘drink what you like,'” Andreozzi said.
Reporter Tamara Ikenberg can be reached at (502) 582-4174.
