Holiday 2024 Wine Guide

What to drink when you are entertaining, Thanksgiving and beyond

Whether you are picking out wines for Thanksgiving, or doing a general holiday season stock up, this list should get you going. A few things I think about with wine this time of year:

1.     Holiday food is heavy, your wine shouldn’t be. Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Christmas, these are eating and cooking affairs that can (and should) last hours. This is the time to reach for lower alcohol wines that will be with you for the duration of the marathon and across the finish line.

2.     Save the really good stuff for another night. I know it’s tempting to break out special bottles on the holidays, the single vineyard pinot you picked up on your girls’ weekend in Sonoma or that Bordeaux from your boss for hitting your sales targets. Now is not the time for that wine. Because we all have an Aunt June* with a bottomless wine glass who will drink four-fifths of that bottle before you are halfway done with your first glass. It is not Aunt June’s fault. She doesn’t savor wine the same way you do. Or she has a hole in her stomach. The point is, serve good wines, but not too expensive, wines that will please a crowd but that you won’t feel too bad if one person gets carried away, because you have another one at the ready to take its place.

3.     Three is all you need. Sparkling, white and red. White, rosé and red. White, light red, heavier red. Choose three and there will be something for everyone.

4.     On Thanksgiving wine pairing: Overly sweet, too much starch, competing flavors – the American Thanksgiving dinner has evolved into something today that is the opposite of anything balanced. There is no need for your wine selections to get in the scrum trying to elbow their way to dominance. With reds, avoid anything too tannic or oaky. Look for medium bodied wines with good acidity to cut through the fatty, heavy flavors on the plate. Anyone who has ever had Champagne with French fries or potato chips knows that sparkling wine has a near magic ability to elevate weightier dishes and cleanse the palate. On the opposite end of the spectrum, save those easy drinking Alberinos for a summer pool party. This time of year, and Thanksgiving specifically, calls for whites with more body and aromatics – think Rhone varietals, Chenin Blanc, or Gruner. Just make sure it is dry… last think you need is an off-dry or sweet wine competing with the sweet potato casserole.

*Not my real aunt.

For more tips, from wine glasses to the magic formula for how many bottles to buy based on your crowd, check out “How to Buy Wine for a Dinner Party, Big or Small”.

Read on for my full list of reds, whites and sparkling wine for this holiday seasons, available in full to paid subscribers.

Reds

Kobal ‘Roots’ Blaufränkisch, Haloze Hills, Slovenia 2022

Once, on a trip to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, I visited a wine bar with over 70 wines by the glass, all coming from Slovenian wineries. For a country with a population of less that 300,000, they boast in impressive diversity of grape varietals and have no fear of experimentation, making this a fascinating place to taste wines. Made from organic grapes and natural yeast, this Blaufränkisch, this wine may get lumped in with that vague term, “natural wine”, but it received just enough sulphur to stabilize it, meaning I’ve never had a cloudy or off-tasting bottle. With great natural acidity and seven months in neutral oak, this has enough body to pair well with ham or turkey, or even a star veggie side like a stuffed roast pumpkin. This is a great alternative if you are looking to go outside the usual turkey pick of pinot or cru beaujolais.

$22.99 at Whole Foods, also at online retailers like Plum Market

Zuccardi Concreto Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina 2022

What if you are looking for a fuller bodied red (because that is what you like to drink) but want to avoid harsh tannins and punchy oak? How about a 95-point James Suckling rated malbec aged in concrete vats from Mendoza? Vanguard Argentinian winemaker Sebastián Zuccardi makes this wine from some of his stoniest soil, then ages it in 100% concrete vats. His rationale, “Why would I want to cover all that magic with oak?” The result is brimming with violets, plummy fruit and chalky minerality. This is a phenomenal value for the price. Drink now and put some away. Recommend opening at least 30 minutes before serving.

Available at Cardiff Seaside Market, Wine.com, and WineAccess.com from $34

Sulzfeld Pinot Noir, Weingut Burg Ravensburg, Baden, Germany 2021

It’s hard to picture and American Thanksgiving without pinot. What if the pinot is not from America? If we are looking for value for money I still think you can get a bit more bang for your buck looking abroad. Also you are less likely to run into the pesky problem of heavy handed oak. This pinot from the oldest winery in Germany (like really old… established 1251), would be a gem of an addition to any holiday table. With a bright and pretty nose, cherry fruit and cranberry notes mingling with smooth tannins and crisp acidity. Super alongside a charcuterie board, with the ham and turkey, or the day after, cleaning up leftovers in a chopped salad. Because with all that cooking and family time, come Friday, you will really have earned that drink.

At Caves Wine Shop from $23 also at Wine Connection in Del Mar and Wine.com.