Last night I tasted through 50 wines (blind) paired with Thanksgiving turkey and dressing. Organized by the legendary Ziggy the Wine Gal, we met at Zazu with a small crew of winemakers, sommeliers, and cork dorks-- All for the sole purpose of finding the ultimate Thanksgiving wines.
Our group discoveries and specifics will be aired on Ziggy's radio show, so I'll keep my lips sealed, but I was shocked at one major thing (my thoughts, and not the groups).
After about 12 examples, I couldn't find a single CA Pinot Noir that worked with the spread. Sure they may work with the bland bird, but they clashed train-wreck style with the fixins. Our unnamed examples left me confused as to who the heck started this myth that these wines pair well with Thanksgiving Dinner (and what were they drinking?).
In a non-shocking discovery-- Riesling will become your Thanksgiving bff and you'll like it! If you can un-brainwash your dining companions about Riesling (and the thought that residual sugar is always a bad thing), this is your home run, pull yer pants down juice! Crazy with the turkey, dressing, and that cranberry freaky-sauce. If uncle Larry starts complaining about Riesling, tell him "No, you grow-up!" and then stand-up and slap him with your grandma's hand!
Load up on good Riesling (have a good wine merchant help you- stick with off-dry, or dry), grab some bubbles, good rosé, Chardonnay, and leave the Pinot Noir and bigger reds for every other occasion that doesn't involve turkey, stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce.
(*Please keep in mind, palates differ, and you may love sippin' on the nasty, while eatin' the ol' gobbler. It just doesn't work for me)
