It’s autumn and that means grape harvest. It also means Thanksgiving. Pair the two together, and you get a great Thanksgiving dinner of which any gourmand would be proud!
Take a timeshare rental vacation to northern California’s amazing Wine Country in the autumn. The days are warm, the nights are crisp, the vineyards are beautiful in orange and gold, and the grapes are plump and inviting.
Although the grape harvest is in September and October, the locals think November is the prettiest time of the year when the fall colors of leaves and vines enrich the beauty of the countryside.
While there you can purchase the wines for your Thanksgiving table, whether that will be at home, with relatives, or at your Napa Valley timeshare using your own kitchen.
However, choosing the correct wine to go with the variety of tastes, textures and aromas that are part of a Thanksgiving dinner is not for the faint-of-heart. Sommelier Stacy Slinkard offers this advice:
1. Sparkling Wines. From appetizers, to white and dark turkey meat, mashed potatoes, yams, herb-filled stuffing, cranberry relish, pickled this and peppered that, all the way to pumpkin or pecan pie – is there truly a single wine that can take you seamlessly from start to finish?
Enter, sparkling wines – an increasingly popular pairing partner. Sparkling wines bring both elegance and food-pairing versatility to any meal, but with Thanksgiving these wines really shine.
2. White Wines.
Riesling: A white wine that can be dry or fairly sweet, excellent with any dishes that are spicy, salty or sweet, and is the top pick white wine for pairing with Thanksgiving dinner. Riesling’s innate flavors of apple, apricot, honey and its clarifying acidity give it a significant pairing edge with the likes of sweet potatoes, turkey meat and spice-laden or herb-filled stuffing.
Gewurztraminer: This white wine tends to have the aromatic gusto and spicy palate appeal that give it a solid standing with turkey and gravy, bringing out the best in both.
Pinot Grigio: Capable of handling garlic and onions, herbs and rich, flavorful, high-fat dishes, this white wine is a natural for the demands of Thanksgiving Day.
3. Red Wines.
Pinot Noir: This red wine is a traditional favorite for Thanksgiving. Pinot Noir’s subtle earthy undertones tend to show well with the traditional flavors of turkey and stuffing.
Zinfandel: A fuller bodied red wine that ups the intensity from a Pinot Noir, but still maintains a balancing effect on many traditional Thanksgiving side dishes. This would be a great wine pick for those looking for a heartier red wine with the capacity to accommodate spice, bitter, and sweet flavors.
Cheers! Giving Thanks never tasted so good! Napa timeshare rentals start at just $143/night.
Source: Thanksgiving Wines
Photo Credit (top): thanksgivingwallpaper.blogspot.com
Photo Credit (1): wine.lovetoknow.com
Photo Credit (2): whitewines.net
Photo Credit (3): wine-vignettes.com