It’s that time of year again! Two back-to-back holidays that call for delicious wines to be paired with copious amounts of food. It’s also that time of year when you make a last-minute dash to the wine shop because you forgot to stock up for your guests or, if you’re like me, you need to find a couple bottles to take to your family’s house because you once again failed to contribute to the cooking. Also, if you’re like me, you get a rush of anxiety because you don’t know what wine to pick out- do I just buy what I like, should I take others into account, what actually pairs well with Thanksgiving food? Hopefully, the first two questions lead you to the same wine. If not, try picking a different family next year!

Let’s tackle the more important question so you can have a stress-free Thanksgiving. At least it’ll be stress free on the wine side of things. I’m not licensed to offer advice on the stress caused by being surrounded by family for days on end and if you’ve read my previous blogs, you probably don’t want my advice on recipes either. I am a wine professional, though, so I’ll stick to what I know.

Thanksgiving is a holiday of abundance. Therefore, there’s a good chance you could blindly pick a wine and it’ll pair with something on the table. In a perfect world you could pair each food item with a different wine and have a wonderful culinary experience. However, that sounds expensive, so save that for the fancy restaurants. In my opinion you don’t need to focus on the nitty gritty details of each item being served. You should focus instead on the broad theme. What’s the biggest theme of a Thanksgiving menu? FAT! Oh yeah, throw that diet out because it’s cheat day (read: week).
What wines pair well with fatty meals? You should be looking for something with good acidity. Acidity will cut through the fat and allow you to enjoy the meal while also enjoying the wine. I’ll make this really easy. If you’re a white wine fan, a Chardonnay, dry Riesling, or, you guessed it, a Sauvignon Blanc would be a great choice! The high acidity of the As You Were Sauvignon Blanc gives it enough backbone and structure to slice through all that fat and still retain its herbaceous and tropical notes. The thought of a perfectly cooked turkey and a side of green bean casserole with a glass of Slouch Hat’s As You Were Sauvignon Blanc is currently making my mouth water.

What about reds? The same logic applies. I spent a long-time selling wine and during Thanksgiving and I rarely left the Pinot Noir aisle. However, when I found a willing customer my favorite place to take them was to the Rhone section. A really good Syrah or a balanced and structured Rhone blend is a top-notch Thanksgiving pairing. Unfortunately, Pinots get all the love, but maybe we can change that. Slouch Hat’s Parade Rest GSM brings high acidity, black pepper spiciness, and good red fruit characteristics to the Thanksgiving table. The spiciness of the Syrah in the blend really contributes to the flavors of the turkey and dressing. I should not have written this at 10:45am. A glass of Parade Rest GSM and a side of dressing may be THE combination this Thanksgiving.

With all that said this is how would I serve my Thanksgiving meal paired with Slouch Hat Wines:

Starter: a nice charcuterie board that at least has goat cheese and a glass of the As You Were Sauvignon Blanc. Goat cheese and Sauvignon Blanc is one of my all-time favorite pairings.
Main Course: Turkey with a side of dressing, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, a buttered roll (too much? It’s Thanksgiving) with a glass of the Parade Rest GSM.
Dessert: Put the wine down for a bit to enjoy something sweet, drink some water, then a glass of whichever wine you liked the best!

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