Gewurztraminer and Zinfandel, oh my!

The most common question I hear this time of year is what wine to drink with Thanksgiving dinner. Whether it be turkey or stuffing or ham or collards, everyone is pondering what wine will work well with the variety of flavors that are being served on everyone’s table.

It came about a long time ago that Gewurztraminer was a perfect white to drink and Beaujolais or red Zinfandel were great reds to pair with Turkey Day menus. While I agree that all of these are fantastic wines, I also believe there are a plethora of other great wines that work well with stuffing and such.

Take, for example, Riesling, the king of white grapes, in my humble opinion. Whether it be from the Pfalz region of Germany or Clare Valley in Australia or Bio Bio in Chile, Riesling can be made in a variety of styles, all absolutely delicious and versatile. Some names to look for are Muller-Catoir, Lengs & Cooter and Cono Sur.

A fun red to try with your holiday menu is Malbec from Argentina. Full of plums and mocha, this mild red enhances turkey and ham in the best possible way. It’s also a total crowd pleaser that will appease Merlot and Cab drinkers alike. Some delicious Malbecs that I love to enjoy are Las Perdices, Tilia, Ben Marco and Crios by Susanna Balbo.

Of course, whatever you like to drink is normally what will work well at your table, but it’s always fun to drink outside the box. Don’t be afraid to experiment. With wine, the more you drink, the more you learn about what you like.