This column is written by the team at Arrowine & Cheese (4508 Cherry Hill Road). Sign up for the email newsletter and receive exclusive discounts and offers. Order from Arrowine’s expanding online store for curbside pickup or in-store shopping. Have a question? Email thenose@
I’m going to make it easy for you. The typical Thanksgiving dinner is a culinary hodgepodge and a sommelier’s biggest challenge. So the goal here is to wash it all down deliciously.
Don’t get me wrong. I love Thanksgiving dinner! My Mom, the Goddess of Thanksgiving, rocked it better than anyone. Her green bean casserole, believe it or not, was delicious. Mom’s stuffing was a delightful moist conglomeration of steer liver, onions, butter, toasted bread, and Bell’s Seasoning. I can still taste it. Her twice-baked stuffed potatoes were to die for, with their crusty paprika-laced exteriors that encased a garlicky, velvety, creamy lusciousness. And then there was her home-orangy-tangy cranberry sauce, OMG!
Here’s the key to selecting your perfect Thanksgiving wine. Any “sweetness” on the Thanksgiving table will clash with a “bone-dry” wine. Cranberry sauce is “sneaky.” It changes the entire dynamic of the meal. Every year for the last 44, I have risked life, limb, and liver to find the Holy Grails of Thanksgiving Wine.
Check out shoparrowine.com, place an order and let us do the rest. We will even bring it to your car! We have designated free parking just behind Arrowine. What could be easier?
This list is foolproof. If you can’t make it to Arrowine, use my suggestions as a reference.
And the envelope please…
- Le Berceau Blanquette de Limoux NV, France: $14.99
Every celebration should start with a fizz. And at $14.99, this dry and complex Methode Champanoise hits the nail on the head.
- 2021 Domaine du Pas Saint Martin, Le Vent Dans Les Saules, Anjou France: $19.99
This 100% Dry Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley is brimming with opulent flavors of sliced apples, spiced pears, tangerines, and a vibrant palate-cleansing mineral finish.
- 2021 Domaine Billard Bourgogne Aligote, France: $19.99
The “Other White Burgundy” on the nose is kumquat and nectarine, with just a hint of lemon zest. The palate adds lime and Japanese yellow plum with a refreshing cleansing and mineral finish.
- 2020 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis, Sainte Claire: $31.99
This wine has soul; it’s richly flavored, mineral, and complex. The palate has laser-like flavors of wet stone, crushed seashells, and fresh sweet butter. The finish is long and lingering.
- 2021 Margerum M5, Los Olivos, California: $25.99
This White California Rhône Blend is a “no-brainer” for Thanksgiving. A skillful and brilliant blend of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, and Picpoul Blanc with aromas of apricots, white florals, and flavors of apple and peach nectar with a zippy finish. Poetic.
- 2021 Valle de Inez Pinot Nor San Luis Obispo, California: $21.99
Doug Margerum crafted this complex, bargain Pinot. It has structure and complexity and is drier than most — a “serious” Pinot from California at a price.
- 2021 Ken Wright Cellars, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon: $29.99
This wine is a textbook Willamette Pinot. It checks all the boxes and more. Lots of cherry fruit, smooth and sensual. A delight to drink, delicious.
- 2021 Domaine Laurent and Romain Pillot Bougogne, France: $24.99
My go-to Bourgogne for over 15 years, no one does it better, and a price that is impossible to beat for the “Real McCoy.” Supple, medium-bodied, and loaded with crystalline strawberry/mineral fruit. A winner.
- 2021 Melville Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills, California: $44.99
Complex and satisfying, Melville delivers. Lots of cherry/strawberry fruit and well-integrated oak make this supple Pinot a stand-out.
- 2020 Lafond Lirac “Roc Épine” Rhône Valley, France: $22.99
If you like a gutsy Côtes du Rhône, this Lirac is richer and more complex. This wine is spicy, smooth, and a joy to drink!
Happy Thanksgiving from the Arrowine Family to yours,
Doug Rosen
Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash