Thanksgiving wine inspiration: US wines to choose
Decanter has your Thanksgiving covered with a selection of great US wines recently reviewed by our experts.
Following some paired-back Thanksgivings over the last couple of years, many are looking forward to celebrating in style this time round and indulging in a few delicious glasses.
Whether you’re planning a large family gathering, a party with friends or simply a quiet observance at home, we have the right wine to accompany your traditions.
Below, you’ll find a selection of US wines reviewed by Decanter in the past 12 months, and available at various prices, intended to offer some inspiration.
For those planning to celebrate with some or all of the traditional dishes, we’ve also included an excerpt from an article previously written for decanter.com by wine expert Ray Isle on how to choose a Thanksgiving wine.
He recommended opening bottles that will make whoever is around the table happy, rather than necessarily obsessing over precise food pairings.
For instance, Thanksgiving dinner probably isn’t the time to convince a long-established Bordeaux lover that an ‘orange-hued, skin-fermented Ribolla Gialla is a better idea with the roast bird’, he said.
Yet wine geeks at the table might be thrilled at the prospect of Jura Savagnin, Isle wrote. He suggested thinking about wine in terms of three broad categories of taste, namely ‘old school’, ‘moderately adventurous’ or ‘off the wall’.
You can find more specific wine and food matching advice here, as well as in our wine and turkey pairing guide.
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Excerpt from an article originally published on Decanter.com in November 2015 by Ray Isle, who is executive wine editor at Food & Wine magazine in the US.
Writing about Thanksgiving wine pairings is, for wine writers, almost as much as yearly ritual as Thanksgiving itself.
Like Thanksgiving, there are traditions involved. For example:
- Stating that turkey in and of itself doesn’t taste like much and therefore one should consider the plethora of side dishes on the table;
- Noting that Pinot Noir and Riesling have been anointed by sommeliers (and many others) as go-to wines that pair with anything;
- Noting that since turkey-day is a deeply American holiday, wines from the US are the appropriate option.
Nothing wrong with all that. However, my suggestion is actually to more or less ignore what’s on the table.
Most Thanksgiving dinners involve a mass of different foods heaped together on a plate: roast turkey, gravy, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, and the list goes on.
One bite may be turkey (white meat? dark? with gravy? without?); the next a brussel sprout (roasted? steamed? buttered?); then yams with marshmallows on top (in our house, at least; see above tradition).
Worrying about pairing a specific wine with all that seems a bit far-fetched.
Instead, I’d suggest that Thanksgiving wine choices are really more about pairing wines with people.’
When it comes to who is present, Isle suggested thinking about wine in terms of three broad categories of taste, namely ‘old school’, ‘moderately adventurous’ or ‘off the wall’.
Thanksgiving wine inspiration: Tasting notes and scores by Decanter experts
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Hermann J. Wiemer, Brut Blanc de Blancs, Finger Lakes, Seneca Lake, New York State, USA, 2017
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Nathan K, Tuller Vineyard Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes, New York State, USA, 2019
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Wente Vineyards, Riva Ranch Chardonnay, Monterey County, California, USA, 2019
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Frog's Leap, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2020
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J Lohr, Riverstone Chardonnay, Monterey County, Arroyo Seco, California, USA, 2020
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Broc Cellars, Love Red, North Coast, California, USA, 2019
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The Hilt, Estate Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County, Sta Rita Hills, California, USA, 2019
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Limited Addition, Eola Springs Vineyard Gamay, Willamette Valley, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon, USA, 2021
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Costco, Kirkland Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, Washington, USA, 2020
90
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Delicato Family Vineyard, 3 Finger Jack Old Vine Zinfandel, Lodi, California, USA, 2019
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