It’s one of my favourite times of the year! Not only because October is my birthday month, but because Thanksgiving is one of my favourite food-and-wine holidays. AND it’s Libra season, when calm and balance are key. Now if only we could get past this darned Mercury retrograde…
Here are my top Thanksgiving wines for 2021!
Paul Mas Réserve Viognier
I seem to recommend a viognier every Thanksgiving! There’s just something about this mid-weight wine with yummy peach characteristics that seems to go perfectly with Thanksgiving fare.
🍷 While viognier traditionally comes from the Northern Rhône Valley, the 2019 Paul Mas Viognier from the Nicole Vineyard in Languedoc is a sure thing for any meal. Pale yellow, and fresh and floral on the nose, this wine boasts a gorgeously rich mouthfeel brimming with food-friendly acidityAcidity is an important part of a wine’s structure that prevents a wine from being “flabby”. It’s what gives you that tingling sensation on your tongue and makes you salivate.... More and flavours of lilies, white peach, a hint of lime, minerality and a touch of pear. In other words: DELICIOUS.
🍽️ This is the perfect poultry wine. Its acidityAcidity is an important part of a wine’s structure that prevents a wine from being “flabby”. It’s what gives you that tingling sensation on your tongue and makes you salivate.... More and fruity/floral flavours match pretty much any food it’s paired with. I even tried it with shrimp stir-fry, and the textures of the food and the wine were in perfect complement, while the wine’s fruit components perfectly offset the stir-fry’s umami flavours. YUM.
🛒 Where to buy: LCBO (Vintages). $14.95!
Nyarai Field Blender’s White 2020*
Earlier this year I did a video review of this delicious wine:
View this post on Instagram
🍷 Coles notes version: With this blend of vidal, chardonnay musqué, sauvignon blanc, viognier and gewürztraminer, virtual winery Nyarai Cellars brings together all the best characteristics of these grape varieties.
- Bright acidityAcidity is an important part of a wine’s structure that prevents a wine from being “flabby”. It’s what gives you that tingling sensation on your tongue and makes you salivate.... More from the vidal
- Smooth, round texture and perfumey notes from the chardonnay musqué
- Citrus flavours from the sauvignon blanc
- Pear and floral qualities from the viognier
- Honeydew melon and honeyed notes from the gewürz
🍽️ This wine’s texture and flavours make it an excellent Thanksgiving wine match for turkey or ham (or spicy Asian fare!)
🛒 Where to buy: Online, directly from the winery. $17.95
Redtail Vineyards Act Natural*
Have you heard about this amazing winery in Prince Edward County? If not, please allow me to fill you in, because you are missing out.
Redtail has been around since 2008, but has started truly making a name for itself in the last few years. With winemaker Lee Baker at the helm, Redtail produces a wide spectrum of wines, striking a glorious balance (Libra season, remember?) between traditional Burgundian classics (i.e. pinot noir and chardonnay) and fun alternative wines.
Just a few weeks ago, Redtail Vineyards released their second vintage of “Act Natural“, a minimal-intervention pinot gris sourced from a certified-sustainable vineyard in Niagara. It sat on its skins for two days, then was fermented and aged in stainless. Minimal intervention means minimal sulphur was added, and the wine is unfined and unfiltered.
And look at the gorgeous colour! Pinot gris is technically a white grape, but it often turns a pinky-grey colour as it ripens, giving this particular wine a gorgeous salmon-pink hue.
🍷 Tasting this wine, the first thing that hits you is a fresh acidityAcidity is an important part of a wine’s structure that prevents a wine from being “flabby”. It’s what gives you that tingling sensation on your tongue and makes you salivate.... More that quickly makes way for flavours of wild strawberry, peach, watermelon, apple, grapefruit and rhubarb. Be sure to let this wine sit for a while after it comes out of the fridge. Serving it too cold dulls its fabulous complexity.
🍽️ This pinot gris is bone dry, and its acidityAcidity is an important part of a wine’s structure that prevents a wine from being “flabby”. It’s what gives you that tingling sensation on your tongue and makes you salivate.... More makes it very food-friendly. This would be a great start to any meal or paired with savoury appetizers made with fresh herbs. It also has enough heft to carry through to the main course (if there’s any left in the bottle).
🛒 Where to buy: Online, directly from the winery. $25
BONUS
Here’s a fun little music video the winery made in celebration of Act Natural’s 2020 vintage release. Vocals by winemaker Lee Baker himself!
Lavau Côtes du Rhône 2018
Every September I seem to go on a Côtes du Rhône kick as the temperatures start to drop. Last year I figured out what the heck Côtes du Rhône Villages is, and this year I discovered M. Chapoutier’s delicious Belleruche wines. Côtes du Rhône is one of those wines that practically goes with anything, so when I happened upon this Lavau Côtes du Rhône in my local Vintages section, I knew I had to try it.
🍽️ This is a full-bodied blend whose red fruit, woodsy and spiced characteristics won’t overpower the foods you pair it with. It is really nice with tomato-based dishes but would also work extremely well as a Thanksgiving wine if grilled or roasted meats are on the menu.
🛒 Where to buy: LCBO (Vintages – stocks are running low!). $14.95
Henry of Pelham Old Vine Baco Noir
🍇 Baco noir is a hybrid grape that was originally bred in France in the early 1900s. Because it is partially vitis riparia, it can withstand cold temperatures, so it’s no wonder the grape found its way to North America in the 50s. Perfectly suited to Ontario’s soils and climates, baco noir is now one of the region’s shining wine stars. Baco noir wines are darkly coloured, full-bodied, silky smooooooth, lush, and bursting with dark fruit flavours. They are also relatively low in tanninTannins help form a wine’s structure, but generally only in red wines. Tannins come from the grape’s stems, seeds and skins, and to a lesser extent from the wood in... More, which means they can be consumed quite young and make an excellent food companion.
Henry of Pelham is a leading producer of baco noir in Niagara and has some of the oldest plantings of the grape in Ontario. This particular baco is dubbed “Old Vines” because the grapevines are at least 20 years old (keep in mind it is a fairly new wine region in the grand scheme of things).
🛒 Where to buy:
If you’re wondering “Hey Mel, where’s your tasting note for this wine?”, we’ll be tasting this perfect Thanksgiving wine at next week’s Happy Hour, so you’ll have to attend to get my notes and taste this wine for yourself! Have you signed up yet?
In the meantime, let me know what you’ll be opening for Thanksgiving in the comments below.
Happy Thanksgiving and happy wining!
*Wines marked with an asterisk were provided as samples by the winery. No other compensation was provided. All opinions are my own.
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