Thanksgiving 2019: Picks and Pairings

In preparation for Thanksgiving, Delectable caught up with a few wine lovers in the community. For those who have planned their Thanksgiving meal, you can compare notes. For those who are still preparing, you can gather last minute ideas. These Delectable users gave us insight into the wine they plan on serving, wines and foods they hope to pair, and even what Thanksgiving dish they would be! ************************************************************************************************ Sharon B was born into a military family, which gave her the opportunity to travel and live in places where most people have not. She has lived in Ethiopia, Iceland twice, Japan and Scotland. She spent 4 years in the Navy and met her husband (of 34 years) in Adak, Alaska, where they were stationed. They settled in the beautiful state of Florida and have lived here for the past 24 years. Their children are grown and out of the house which leaves them lots of time to spend with each other. They also have one beautiful little granddaughter who is 18 months old. After the military, Sharon’s career turned towards law enforcement. She is currently working at her second law enforcement agency and has been an executive secretary for over 24 years supporting what these hard working, tough men and women do! She enjoys traveling, cooking, reading and drinking delicious wines! She hopes to travel back to France to visit the wine region, which is on her bucket list! Lisa Marie aka “Beachin Wino” lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia with her husband Fred. Lisa is a wine enthusiast who also enjoys traveling, gardening, cooking, reading, and refinishing classic furniture pieces. Lisa is blessed with 2 grown children Alex (31/Virginia Beach) and Katie (26/Miami). Lisa is entering her second year of retirement (R.N.) and she has really enjoyed updating her 30 plus year old home inviting her to tap into her more creative side. James Forsyth's interest in wine began at a very young age through no choice of his own: Bordeaux and Tuscany were regular family vacation destinations. However, it was James’ choice to join his high school’s Oenology Club (yes, you read that correctly), where he began formally learning about wine. Combining his passions for wine and entrepreneurship, James co-founded Vinous with Antonio Galloni and focuses on a wide range of activities, from technology to strategic initiatives to events. James says, "As an active, near obsessive, Delectable user (as well as being part of the Vinous team), I asked to be part of this feature to say THANK YOU to the wonderful Delectable community. I love seeing what others drink and hearing their perspectives. Thanks for inspiring me to go out and find many wines that I would not have heard of otherwise." ************************************************************************************************ Delectable (D): What are you planning on drinking/serving this Thanksgiving? Sharon B (SB): Since I will be the one preparing the Thanksgiving meal this year (as always) I am going to open a Chateau Lafont-Fourcat white Bordeaux blend to start the day off while preparing the meal. This wine is creamy, crisp and refreshing with lots of zesty flavor, a great opening wine. Eventually, as dinner is being served, and I am stressed to the max, I will open the 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau, which is tradition for me because it is such a fun wine. I have always enjoyed the Nouveau with its fruit forwardness and ability to pair just perfectly with our meal. After dinner, and once my guests have gone home, I may open a nice sweet Giorgi Costarosa Rose while I settle into my food coma watching football. This wine is nice and light with tastes of sweet melon on the palate, a perfect way to end a very thankful day. Lisa Marie (LM): A recent trip to some Virginia wineries has me really excited about what’s happening with Virginia wines particularly with red wine. Since I did not open those wines in October (Virginia Wine Month), I thought it would be fun to share some of these wines with the family. There will be six people at our table this year and four of us share the same wine style. James Forsyth (JF): We are spending Thanksgiving with my wife's mother. She loves all things Chardonnay , so we'll have a few different ones on tap throughout the day. This year we won't scale any great heights but some good everyday wines from Cali's Central Coast and the less glam bits of Burgundy will be present. ************************************************************************************************ D: Are you planning on pairing different wines/drinks with certain courses/dishes? SB: I feel like the white Bordeaux will go great with appetizers while standing around in the kitchen visiting with my guests and preparing the rest of the meal. Once dinner is served, I will open the Nouveau which will pair very well with something new I am trying for dinner this year. We will have turkey and ham, which is tradition in my family, but I am also cooking a turducken for the first time! My family doesn’t seem too keen on the idea but we will see how it goes! LM: I am a drink what you like kind of girl, so I often ignore the rules of food and wine pairing. Since my turkey recipe calls for a cup of white wine, we will begin there. I plan to open Michael Shaps Odette . This is a six varietal white blend ( Riesling , Muscat , Traminette , Viognier , Petit Manseng , and Seyval ). This will be enjoyed with appetizers (TBD) and conversation. When we sit down to dinner (traditional turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, etc.), I will open Virginia’s Heritage wine. This is meant to be a special treat as well as a conversation starter (anything to avoid politics!) Virginia’s Heritage wine is one that was produced in commemoration of Virginia’s 400th Anniversary in wine. It is the effort of Virginia Vintner Chris Pearmund. He had 16 Virginia wineries donate a barrel of their finest Bordeaux style red. The wine was aged in 32 wine barrels in the Effingham Manor winery. It was bottled in August to produce 10,000 bottles, each representing the original 10,000 vitis vinifera vines planted in Virginia in 1619. Virginia’s Heritage (NV) is a blend of 44% Merlot , 25% Petit Verdot , 10% Cabernet Franc , and 9% Tannat . The next offering will be a bottle of Rosemount of Virginia Kilravock Red. If the four of us winos are feeling thirsty we could make this a vertical blind tasting (2015 vs 2016 vintage). JF: We are the essence of simplicity this year. No curation. Just a bottle or few (mainly Chards) on the table and tons of good food. ************************************************************************************************ D: If you were a Thanksgiving dish, what dish would you be? SB: I love sweet potato casserole! That’s what I would be. I love the idea that you can eat something that could be dessert but is part of the main meal. LM: Turkey, because it’s all about the leftovers and turkey sandwiches with my homemade cranberry sauce! JF: At Thanksgiving I'm usually the only British thing at the table. So I'm going to choose the Brussels Sprouts as they too are originally from Europe.