This Thanksgiving, Think Pink!

Thanksgiving, I contend, is the biggest wine pairing nightmare of the year.  There are so many flavors and textures on the table that it’s nearly impossible to find one outstanding wine that goes well with everything.  And given that many of the folks at our dinner table don’t drink alcohol, I find myself limited to only a bottle or two.  The problem would drive any hostess crazy.

Furthermore, we can’t forget that Thanksgiving isn’t about the wine anyway; it’s the food, among other bounties, for which we are giving thanks– lots and lots of it.  So the last thing that’s called for is a “trophy wine.”  All that’s wanted is something pleasant that won’t overwhelm the food and that won’t turn bitter or sour with all the flavors.  After mulling this over for years and after trying lots and lots of combinations, I’ve concluded – at least for this year – that pink is the answer.

Regular readers will know that I’m something of a snob when it comes to pink wines.  I’ve written previously about how white zinfandel ended up saving very old zinfandel vines in the 1970s, allowing that varietal to re-emerge as a red today.  For that I am grateful, but I’m glad we’re past the pink phase. I still find white zin (which is pink in color) simple and uninteresting.

Notwithstanding my dislike of it, white zin may well be a good choice for your Thanksgiving dinner.  Like Aunt Fanny, who must be invited to the family dinner, you can count on it to be appropriate, predictable and to offend no one.  You just have to accept that neither Aunt Fanny nor your white zin is ever going to be very interesting.  Fortunately, there are plenty of other rosé wines from which to choose, all of which add zest to Thanksgiving because they represent the best of red and the best of white all in one bottle.

Let me explain.

Most rosé wines are actually made from red grapes.  The vintner crushes the grapes and typically ferments the juice with the skins for a very short time – just long enough to extract a little bit of the color and flavor from them.  Then the juice is siphoned off and the skins discarded.  Thus, in some ways, a rosé is really a red wine masquerading as a white.  Therefore, it’s no surprise that many rosé wines have a little bit of the structure and share some of the characteristics of reds.

Cabernets, merlots, sangioveses and zins tend to be heavier than their white cousins.  They gain structure or heaviness from long contact with the skins and seeds of the grapes from which they are made.  Rosé wine, which is in contact with the skins for only a short time, not surprisingly picks up some of those same “red wine” characteristics.

But there the similarity stops.  Except for the brief contact with the skins, the process for making a rosé more resembles the process for making white wine than for making red wine.  This hybrid nature allows rosé to do double duty at your table – it can go with the dishes that call for a white wine (turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetable) and those that cry out for a red wine (ham and stuffing).  As an added bonus, if you pick a sweet rosé such as white zinfandel, it will offset the cranberry dressing and other acidic and sour flavors nicely.

When you select a specific wine for Thanksgiving, you need to understand there are generally two types of rosé wines – those that are sweet and those that are not (referred to as “dry”).  Chances are you already know which one you prefer.  Here are a few of each type that I like and which are available locally:

Beringer White Zinfandel.  This wine from the oldest continuously operating winery in Napa Valley is consistent from year to year.  It is bright and a little bit sweet with flavors of strawberries, pears and honeysuckle. 

Sutter Home White Zinfandel.  Another rosé in the sweet style, this one tastes of strawberries and watermelon.  Interestingly, Sutter Home is the winery that invented white zinfandel.

Clos du Bois Rosé.  Made in a dry style, this wine has many of the same flavors as the zins mentioned above, particularly strawberries and melons, and it has subtle floral notes as well.

Big House Pink.  This one is also made in a dry style, with strawberry, citrus and nut flavors.  It’s quite fruity, though bone-dry.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find my favorite rosé locally yet.  It’s the A to Z Wineworks Rosé.  It’s dry, wonderfully complex and terrific with cheese dishes.  If you can find it, I highly recommend it (although it is a couple dollars more than the others I’ve listed here.)

Since all these wines (except the A to Z) are $10 or less, any one would be an appropriate choice for households worried about making ends meet this season.  They are also practical accompaniments, regardless of your menu.  If you choose a sweet wine, you may want to consider throwing an extra bottle in the fridge.  After it does its job pairing well with dinner and dessert, it can still do more as the perfect accompaniment to post-dinner chips and munchies as you watch the football games on TV!