The Ultimate Thanksgiving Meal Requires Oregon Wine

Thanksgiving is a day of lofty expectations. We hope our family members will behave. We want our favorite football to win. And we expect the meal to be outstanding. Preparing the meal is an overwhelming task. Selecting the wine for this epic annual meal is daunting. In fact, with the wide variety of flavors and textures, Thanksgiving is one of the hardest meals to pair with wine. Do you try to select one wine to pair with the entire meal (an almost impossible task), or multiple wines to accompany each component of the meal? It is hard to know where to begin... until now.

There are many outstanding wine regions in the world; however, I like to pair wines crafted in the US with this traditional US holiday. Furthermore, I like to spread the love around so each year I select a different region to highlight at Thanksgiving. Willamette Valley is a world class wine region located in Oregon. Willamette Valley is recognized as one of the most significant wine regions in the United States. It is best known for its production of high quality Pinot Noir, reminiscent of those from Burgundy. However, many varieties are produced in Willamette Valley, making it the perfect region to accompany Thanksgiving.

Riesling is an excellent choice for Thanksgiving. Although no wine can truly meet all the needs of this meal, Riesling comes close. Ranging from bone dry to sweet, Riesling is one of the easiest wines to pair with a wide variety of food. Riesling is a terroir driven wine with typical characteristics include floral notes, stone fruits, honey, and at times petrol. Regardless of the sweetness level, Riesling is always balanced with mineral-driven acidity for a dry, clean finish. The 2016 Alloro Vineyard Riesling ($30) is an off-dry wine with crisp acidity, making it an ideal match for stuffing/dressing, especially a style that includes apples, pears, or cherries, and sweet potatoes.

Chardonnay offers diversity on the Thanksgiving table. Depending on the style of the wine, Chardonnay can meet the needs of several foods on the table. The 2015 Vidon Vineyard Chardonnay ($35) is crafted in a minimal intervention style, allowing the grape qualities to shine through. With its tropical fruit, orchard fruit, citrus, baking spice notes and racy acidity, this wine pairs well with potatoes – mashed to complement the wines rich, full body structure, or sweet potato casserole with a strudel topping to play with the wine's tropical fruit and spice notes. Either way, this is a winning combination for Thanksgiving.

Pinot Noir Blanc is not a commonly consumed variety; however, Willamette Valley is doing a wonderful job producing this wine. Furthermore, it is a good conversation wine to introduce at Thanksgiving. Did you know a white wine can be made from a red grape? The 2014 Ghost Hill Cellars Pinot Noir Blanc ($25) is crafted in the same fashion as a Blanc de Noir Champagne, without the bubbles. It offers a slight pink hue with rich aromas of cherries, cinnamon baked apples, dried herbs, and graham crackers. However, this is not a sweet wine, its mineral driven acidity allows it a lovely accompaniment to baked or roasted squash, Brussel sprouts, or green beans. This one will have your guests talking till next year.

Pinot Noir is the ideal red wine for Thanksgiving. This delicate grape offers a range of expressions; however, it is classically fruit forward, with balanced earth notes of tea, mushrooms, and forest floor, medium body and medium tannins. The 2014 Youngberg Hill Jordan Pinot Noir ($50) is no exception. This wine is on the more concentrated end of the spectrum; notes of baked red and black berries, spice, toasted cedar, and vanilla make this a delicious wine to pair with Thanksgiving's star, turkey. Consider a fried, BBQ, or Maple Glazed Turkey as this wine will pair well with many variations.

With these Willamette Valley wine and food combinations you are sure to exceed all expectations for a delicious and memorable Thanksgiving.