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Thanksgiving Wine Guide

Uncork a great Thanksgiving feast this year with wine. Whether you tend toward reds, whites, or bubbly, there's something here for everyone and everything -- even dessert!

By tradition, more wine is sold for Thanksgiving Day dinner than for any other meal of the year.Plan ahead what wines you will serve right along with your Thanksgiving meal to get the best value for this spectacular day.

In some ways, choosing a single wine for Thanksgiving dinner is difficult, given the great variety of foods and flavors. There's white and dark meat. There are sweet and rich yams, tart cranberries, buttery mashed potatoes, stuffing made with any number of ingredients, and spiced pumpkin pie for dessert. You may want to serve a little of several different types of wine so guests can taste a wine with each dish. Or you may want to pick one good all-purpose wine.

The most important consideration is the wine's taste, how it complements what you're serving, and what you like. There are no hard-and-fast rules for picking the right red or white wine. Whether you favor whites or reds, lighter, livelier, less complex wines go better with the traditional Thanksgiving feast than heavier, more complicated ones.

Here's a rundown of wines that are perfect with turkey and all the fixings.

The Sparklers

The fine bubbly bite of a great sparkling wine makes any event more lively and special. Serve a flute or two as a starter as guests are arriving -- or at the table; they're wonderful companions for food. If you're serving a sparkling wine with dinner, be sure it is labeled brut (which means it is dry) and not a sweet sparkling wine such as Italy's Asti Spumante.

The Whites

Though the standby white wine for many is Chardonnay, generally, the oakiness and intensity of most Chardonnays is not ideal for the Thanksgiving feast. Consider instead white wines that are refreshing, tangy, and fruity, such as:

Viognier: Floral and fruity, with essences of peach, apricot, and pear. Low acidity.

Chenin Blanc: Spicy and slightly sweet with high acidity.

Sauvignon Blanc: Light and crisp, with grassy or herbaceous flavors. Higher acidity.

Riesling: Can be dry or sweet; spicy, fruity flavor with touches of peaches or apricots and a floral fragrance.

Gewurztraminer: Can be dry or sweet. The German word gewurtz means "spiced." These wines are highly aromatic with floral touches and spice notes such as cloves or nutmeg.

The Reds

Yes, you can serve red wine with turkey breast. You may not want to serve Cabernet because it is generally too tart and high in tannins to match well with turkey, but you can serve a lighter red. In fact, it is a red wine that has long been the classic choice for Thanksgiving because its light berry brightness contrasts well with the heartiness of the traditional menu. But red wine doesn't stop there. Consider any of the following:

Pinot Noir: Younger wines are fruity with essence of plums, strawberries, cherries, and raspberries. Older wines have a smoky edge to them.

Syrah: Strong spice and black pepper qualities. Older syrahs are fruitier, with some smokiness. Also called Shiraz if it comes from Australia.

Zinfandel: Lots of intense, plummy, jammy flavors with spicy or peppery notes.

Beaujolais: Light and dry with fresh, fruity flavors. Choose more recent vintages and serve it slightly chilled.

Between Red and White

Rose: Crisp, light, and fruity, this lovely light pink wine (much drier than syrupy White Zinfandel) might be just the thing to serve with a hearty meal. Serve it chilled.

With Dessert

Muscat: Can be white, light, and slightly sweet or dark and quite sweet. Perfumy and musky, with essence of oranges. Serve chilled.

Port: Sweet, fairly heavy fortified wine. Younger ports are fruitier. Older ports are less sweet, tawny in color, and have a nuttier flavor from longer aging in wood.

Sauternes: Be sure there's a final "s" on the bottle of Sauternes you buy. "Sauterne" is a generic name for cheap, dry to semisweet wines made from a blend of only fair-to-middling grapes. Real Sauternes comes from France and is delightfully sweet, with notes of vanilla, pineapple, and peach.

Riesling or Gewurztraminer: Reprise either of these -- in their sweeter incarnations (see entries under "The Whites," above) if you served them with dinner. Or break out a new bottle with the pumpkin pie.

Asti Spumante: A sweet or semisweet sparkling wine from Italy. Serve it well chilled.

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GAME OF THRONES WINE COMPANION LISTING

House Targaryen: Tokaj 

Why? The family’s rule over the Seven Kingdoms lasted three centuries before they were deposed during Robert’s Rebellion. Tokaji wines have had as long and as noble a history – once the beverage of choice throughout Europe’s royal courts. ‘Mad King’ Aerys II might have lost his grip on reality overindulging in the spicy-sweet succulence of an Aszú, like the 2008 Royal Tokji Wine Company 5 Puttonyos ($54), while the silver-white-haired heroine Daenerys would surely opt for the racy, dry style of a 2014 Samuel Tinon ��Birtok’ Furmint ($30). Plus, the region’s ancient volcanic soils recall the dragon motif central to the Targaryen mystique.

House Baratheon: Northern Rhône 

 Why? The black stag sigil of House Baratheon is evocative of game – like the smoky, meaty expression of Northern Rhône Syrah – so it’s in a twist of irony that King Robert meets his end while hunting boar. Known for his excessive lifestyle that lands the Iron Throne deeply in debt, he most closely resembles bold, rich, full-bodied Hermitage Rouge, like the 2010 Paul Jaboulet Ainé La Chapelle ($250). Renly, who either charms or seduces almost everyone in his entourage, possesses the elegance and allure of a Côte-Rôtie tempered with floral-scented Viognier, such as the 2013 Domaine Philippe Faury ($54). Then there’s Stannis, the most underappreciated and variable Baratheon. He’s the Saint-Joseph of the lot – sometimes warm and endearing, sometimes austere, like the 2013 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave ‘Offerus’ ($31)

House Lannister: Bordeaux 

Why? From their stronghold at Casterly Rock to the court at King’s Landing, the Lannisters owe much of their ascension to power to their extraordinary wealth. Tywin is the Pauillac of the family; the hard-nosed patriarch is firm in his resolve and in his designs for his children, recalling the concentration and tannic structure of the 2010 Château Lynch-Bages ($190). The twins command almost as much authority as their father, like the wines of the Right Bank that live somewhat in the shadow of the mega-famous Médoc châteaux. Cersei has the ambition and poise of a Pomerol like the 2011 Château La Conseillante ($122), while Jaime – The Kingslayer – has evolved and softened with age and experience, like the 2005 Château Canon Saint-Émilion 1er Grand Cru Classé ($123). Tyrion, their dwarf brother, is the most Sauternes-like Lannister. The sweetest by comparison, he also has a bacchanalian fondness for drink that suggests the decadence of a 2010 Château Suduiraut (a $54 half-bottle). A Lannister always pays his debts…

House Stark: Rheingau 

Why? Because Riesling might thrive in the cold, northerly environs of Winterfell as much as it does along the banks of the Rhine (both areas are known for notoriously short summers). Starks all possess an inherent fierceness, like the bone-dry wines the Rheingau is famous for – their virtuous leanings akin to mineral purity. Arya has the edge and energy of the 2014 Leitz Rüdesheimer Riesling Trocken ($19), which over-delivers for its price in the same way she exceeds expectations for her youth and seeming fragility. Sansa, the elder of the Stark sisters, is less dry in her demeanor and known for her classic beauty, like the 2013 Schloss Johannisberg Rotlack Riesling Kabinett ($32).

House Tyrell: Alsace 

Why? The picturesque French region of Alsace is known for its gardens almost as much as for its wines, growing everything from roses to rhododendrons to acacias. The Tyrells of Highgarden, like the wines of Alsace, are pleasantly perfumed – Margaery exuding as exotic an air as a Pinot Gris, such as the 2010 Josmeyer Grand Cru Brand ($59). She’s also similarly versatile in her ability to pair, even with the spiciest of partners (read: Joffrey). Her grandmother Olenna, a.k.a. The Queen of Thorns, has the warm richness of fruit-forward Gewürztrainer. But it’s backed by spice and smoke – like a bottle of 2013 Domaine Weinbach ‘Cuvée Laurence’ ($37) – as is Olenna whenever anyone crosses her family. 

House Martell: Rioja 

Why? The Martells’ native Dorne is known throughout the Seven Kingdoms for its superior strong and sour red wines, so what better parallel than the tart, muscular, and ageworthy reds of Rioja? Sunny, dry summers in this region in north central Spain provide the optimum growing conditions for Tempranillo, just as the arid climate of Dorne’s desert makes it the perfect hardening backdrop for the Sand Snakes to train in combat. These seriously angsty ladies have the same youthful spark found in the 2012 CVNE Crianza ($13), while their father, Prince Oberyn, a.k.a. The Red Viper, is more likely to satisfy his thirst with the distinguished style of a 2005 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 ($52). Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken 

House Greyjoy: Scotch Whisky 

Why? Okay, okay, it’s not wine region, per se. But it’s hard not to see the similarities between the Iron Islands and the Scottish Isles. Both conjure images of angry waves crashing onto rocky cliffs, the locals living in a perpetual cloud of fog laden with damp sea air and smoky-salty scents. Balon Greyjoy, the severe Lord Reaper of Pyke, embodies the intense, peaty style of the Laphroaig 10 Year from Islay ($51). His son Theon is somewhat gentler and more subtle, whether from his time spent living at Winterfell as ward of the Starks or from his ‘run in’ with Ramsay Bolton. So naturally, he’s a Speyside such as The Balvenie Double Wood 12 Year ($59).

The Night’s Watch: Madeira 

Why? This military order is tasked with holding The Wall and protecting the Seven Kingdoms from all that lies beyond it.  Sworn brothers that train for battle, they could be none other than fortified wine. Jon Snow is the brightest and driest of the bunch, with a wisdom beyond his years like a 1977 D’Oliverias Sercial ($166). His loyal friend Samwell Tarly has a heftier physique and is sweet to a fault, like Blandy’s 10 Year Old Malmsey ($44).

The Free Folk: Alto Adige 

Why? Snowcapped mountains form the backdrop for both the alpine wines of Italy’s Alto Adige and the tribes who live north of The Wall, where it’s always winter. If the “wildling” spirit were a wine quality, it would be ripping acidity – present in both the whites and reds of the region. Although they have no kings and no titles, the feared leader Mance Rayder is the noblest, most distinguished of the bunch, like the elegant 2011 J. Hofstätter ‘Barthenau’ Pinot Nero ($77). Ygritte, the red-headed spearwife, is steely and cold upon first encounter, but we’re allowed faint glimpses of her feminine side as she warms up to Jon Snow, like the zippy, edelweiss-scented 2013 Alois Lageder ‘Haberle’ Pinot Bianco ($23).

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Beginners Mead and Hard Cider

This was my first attempt at Mead and Hard Cider. I’ve come a long way since then, both in equipment and technique. This is a fun recipe for the novice to try.

Brewing Homemade Mead and Hard Apple Cider. EASY recipe

MEAD RECIPE: MAKES ONE GALLON what you need: 1 gallon of fresh spring water 3 pounds of pure honey 1 packet of bakers yeast 1 orange 2 cloves 40 Raisins I sterile gallon container Large balloon large rubberband Step one: 1 - Fill Sterile gallon container half full with spring water 2 - Pour 3 lbs of honey in with water (Shake and let settle several times until fully dissolved) 3 - Cut orange into wedges, add the whole orange, rind included (adds flavor) 4 - Add raisins ( Adds sugar source for yeast ) 5 - Add two cloves (only two cloves) Step 2 1 - Close solution as is and let sit for one day at room temperature (This allows for honey to be fully dissolved into the water) 2 - Add yeast packet and shake again (This will start the fermentation process) 3 - Fill the gallon container the rest of the way to to the top allowing enough space for the bubbling that occurs during fermentation 4 - With your large balloon, poke a small hole through the top and put balloon around the top of the container ( The balloon allows for for the gases to escape without letting oxygen in - If oxygen gets in, you get vinegar, not wine lol) 5 - Secure balloon with large rubber band 6 - place in cool dark area and leave it alone Step 3 Mead will take 2 to 4 weeks to ferment. As it ferments, the balloon will stay expanded (which usually happens within 24 hours after fermentation has started) You will be able to see gases bubbling up the the mead ( looks like carbonation) Do not touch mead during the process. The yeast is converting the sugars to alcohol The process is finished when the balloons have deflated (note, I leave the wine alone for at least another day after it has deflated, just to be sure) Step 4 Mead is now done and it's wine, but you need to strain it. There will be a large amount of sediment at the bottom. 1 - Carefully pour mead through a strainer ( I use a cheesecloth) into a new container. Pour slowly and carefully to keep the sediment from mixing with the wine to much. After all the wine has been separated, throw the ingredients out from the old container. 2 - Leave wine in the new container closed for about a week. The allows whatever sediment that is still is the mead to settle. After the week, strain the mead again to improve the quality. 3 - Pour the mead into 750 ml wine bottles, cap with a cork. You should be able to get about 3 - 4 bottles. Mead is ready to drink, but if allowed to age, it will smooth out a little bit. I find about 4 to 6 months the mead is perfect to drink HARD CIDER RECIPE What you need One gallon of organic apple cider (I buy mine straight from the apple orchard) Organic sugar (2 cups for a semi sweet wine) (3 cups for a sweet wine) One cinnamon stick one packet of bakers yeast large balloon large rubberband Step 1 1 - Pour half gallon of apple cider into sterile container 2 - Pour sugar into container with cider and mix (2 cups for semi sweet, 3 cups for sweet) shake and settle several times until fully dissolved 3 - Add cinnamon stick 4 - Add Yeast 5 - Shake again completely. Add remaining cider is container is full allowing space for gas to escape during fermentation Poke one hole in balloon and put over container, secure with rubberband step 2 Place in cool dark area and follow same instructions as mead. Note, Cider has a high sugar content and will start fermenting quickly. Fermentation will be done in about 2 -3 weeks Step 3 For straining and bottling, follow same instructions as the mead. Note, you don't have to let the cider age like the mead, It's ready and potent, enjoy

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COFFEE MEAD RECIPE

Coffee wine is a mead wine derived from honey sweetened coffee. It has a strong flavor and a copious amount of caffeine. Both mead and coffee dehydrate so be very careful with this mead. This mead makes for a delicious mulled winter beverage; just warm it up on the lowest setting on the stove with some spices.

This mead is one of those flavors that you either love, or hate. Most people find it very strong and can't drink a lot of it at a time. Mead, again, only reaches about 18% Alcoholic content, so it does take a lot to get tipsy. This process is similar to mead, in that it has a few other ingredients and procedures however, coffee mead takes on the flavor of sweet coffee, and it can become an alcoholic drink perfect for those nights you want to party while buzzed. If you add milk and cinnamon it makes a tasty latte.

Mead can be flavored with many things, and fusion of different flavors can be amazing. I discovered coffee mead when I was desperate for something acidic for my next batch of mead. I had run out of lemon juice and strawberries. Then I remembered coffee is acidic. I started brewing immediately. After a couple months it was done and I had created a treat like nothing else. It was caffeinated and tasty. Something to be noted is that mead strips things of its color, so the coffee mead will start out a deeper brown. As it brews the color will become lighter over time and eventually just end up as a light brown color. The color seems to stick to the sedimentation at the bottom. Regardless the mead will lighten over time. Coffee mead is different because you add coffee and maybe some lemon to it. This seems like a small change, but the flavor is changed drastically. The brewing process takes the usual amount of time unless you use a higher quality wine yeast

Coffee

Water

1-2 pounds of honey

Wine yeast or bread yeast, a wine yeast would be preferable though it takes more time to do its magic.

Balloon and needle

Make one 12 cup pot of coffee, preferably a dark roast import from South America, but will that red can of coffee in your pantry work? Yeah it'll work too. Now take that pot of coffee and brew it through another set of grounds add no water to it. Set the coffee aside to cool to room temperature.

Fill a gallon jug with 1-2 pounds of honey, then add the room temperature coffee. Note: the coffee will make it very bitter if you don't add enough honey. The first batch I made came out very very dry and very intoxicating. I suggest adding the full two pounds.

Now add warm water to fill up the gallon. And mix the yeast in as well. Close and shake until everything is dissolved nicely.

As with every batch of gallon based mead you must put a balloon with a hole poked in the top on the gallon. Make sure to store this some place cool, but dry and not moldy/mildewy. If you find the balloon inflating bigger than 2 inches poke one more hole in it. This keeps out bad bacteria which could ruin the sweet flavor.

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How to make your own vodka at home. Step by step tutorial

Tutorial on how to make Vodka step by step from your own home. This is a 4 part video series. This is a step by step guide to making a vodka.

Step 2:

https://youtu.be/m2OzDD3_Ypw

Step 3:

https://youtu.be/wKpzUx8F4LY

Step 4: 

https://youtu.be/Byu3vfhcD1U

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How to make vodka @ home

Using Potatoes

For those of you interested in making authentic Vodka or Schnapps from potato, the following emails from David Reid should be of interest. The problem with potatoes (as all starchy vegetables) is the need to first break down the starch into basic sugars so that the yeast can use them. This is done by using enzymes, either via malted grains or from a packet.

Cook your potatoes so they are still stiff - about 12- 15 minutes at reasonable heat. Up to 20 minutes at low heat. Note they should still be a bit undercooked, definitely not soft, mushy, or floury.

Add coarsely milled barley (particles mostly about 1/16 to 3/32" in size. Definitely not too fine.). Use malted Ale barley or standard malted barley rather than Lager barley as it is definitely higher in enzymes and enzymatic action. Note you need sprouted malted barley not spray-dried malt which is normally on a maltodextrin base and has had most of the enzymes destroyed or inactivated because of the excessive heat used in the drying process.

Cover with sufficient water and bring to 113 F (45 C). Hold 15 minutes stirring regularly.

Bring up to 133 F (56 C). Hold 15 minutes etc.

Bring up to 149 F (65 C). Hold 15 minutes stirring constantly.

Bring up to 158 F (70 C). Hold 15 minutes stirring constantly. All up this makes 60 minutes which should suffice for a small batch. Some batches will take longer especially bigger batches. Most of the liquifaction and saccharification occurs in steps 5 & 6 rather than 3 & 4. If you want to alter this reduce 3 & 4 to 10 minutes and increase 5 & 6 to 20 minutes or longer where required.

Once virtually all the starch is liquified and broken down to simple sugars to halt the enzymatic process raise the temp to 176 F (80 C) (Mashing Out) and then drop it back as quickly as possible to between 140 F (60 C) and 122 F (50 C) so the sugars dont get scorched or burnt.

Cool down further to 75 F (24 C), establish an SG of 1060 (min) to 1080 (max = ideal) and begin fermentation.

Teemu writes ...

Making vodka from potatoes Two good reasons for using potatoes: 1. Traditionally vodka is made of grain or potatoes to achieve the smooth & soft aroma; witch is typical to commercial European vodkas. 2. In Finland 1kg of sugar costs about 1,9e, 25kg sack of (feed) potatoes from local Agri-Market costs 2e... The recipe, which may lead to prosecute: 20-25kg potatoes 1kg of barley, malted and gristed 50-100g of good (Turbo/Prestige/Partymann...) yeast (hydrated) Some fresh water Equipment needed: 30 litre beer fermenter A large (30-50litre) kettle (I use a milk can...) A meat grinder (for mashing the potatoes) A large scoop or a "wash paddle" A hotplate with a thermostat 1. Clean all the dirt from the potatoes, (don't bother to peel them) 2. Put the potatoes in to kettle and cover them with water, bring to boil. Cook until the first ones break down -this should take about 1hr. In meanwhile hydrate the yeast and mix 1kg malt and 2litre of water (if you use homemade malt, don't dry them -it weakens the mysterious "amylathic power"). 3. Pour the water out from the kettle (use mittens, be careful). Mash the potatoes in the grinder while they are hot. (If done right the mash looks like thick porridge.) 4. Put the mash to kettle (and adjust the hotplates temperature to 60C). Add 1/3 of the hydrated malt to the kettle and stir well. Wait until the temperature has dropt to 65C. Add the rest of the hydrated malt and stir in well. Let sit there for about 2 hours. Stir often. (If done right the wash should have turned flowing.) 5. Turn the hotplate off. Put the kettle in somewhere cool. When the temperature has dropped down to 25C pour to fermenter and add yeast (no nutrients needed). First carbon dioxide bubbles should rise after couple of hours; main fermenting takes about two days, ready for distilling in four days -if you have done everything as written. Result will be 7-12vol%, depending the starch level of potatoes. This is how I do it. There are many different ways too-but there are always four steps. 1. Softening the cellular walls. 2. Mashing the potatoes. In industrial scale steps one and two are usually done by using the HENZE-kettle, witch is basically a direct-steam heated pressure cooker (pressure is up to 8atm and the cooking time about 40min). 3. Converting the starch to maltose. 4. Fermenting. Notice that there are only those 2L of water added to mash, no more are required because the potatoes contains ¾ of water. P.S. If the wash is done right you should be able to distill it with a still that has an inner heating element -I have a 2kW inner (silver plated) heating element in mine. When I asked if he needed to filter the wash before distilling it, Teemu replied .. No, no filtering required, but if want to be really sure strain trough a kitchen sive (hole size about 2mm) to get rid off the peaces of malt. The reason why grain washes burn onto the element is that they contain a lots of cellulose (like porridge). [Dry grain (rye) contains up to 40% of cellulose.] Potato wash wich is mashed well and fermented dry contains such a tiny amount of cellulose (like soup), so that it won't burn onto the element! (Fresh potatoes contains only about 14% of cellulose.) You can see this in practice -- typical ready grain wash is thick stuff like (milk) cocoa, ready potato wash is flowing like coffee. Just keep sure that the potatoes are mashed enough small bits (>0.1mm) before adding the malt. More scientifical explanation why the potato washes don't burn on to the element: Potato vs. Grain WaterProteinsFatsStarchCellulose Oats12%13%7%60%12% Barley12%11%2%63%12% Rye12%12%2%62%12% Wheat12%11%1.5%64%11% Potatoes75%1.5%0.1%14%1% Now if we calculate the water and the starch as element-friendly materials and others as un-element-friendly materials we found that the grains contain ca. 26% of un-element-friendly materials (non fermenting, burnable, low heat transfer rate...), when potatoes contains only ca. 2.6% of un-element-friendly materials! In practice this means that there is only about half a kilo of un-element-friendly materials in 25l batch of potato wash, but in 25l of grain wort the number can be as high as 1.5kilos! Other reason why the potato mash doesn't burn onto the element is convectional floating; the viscosity of fermented potato mash is enough near of water to create the enough rapid convectional floating.

Dane writes ...

Potato MashHere's one recommended by Andrew, from Eastern Europe. Combine all ingredients and leave until fermented, should take approx. 2 weeks

21 Litres of water.

7 kg of sugar.

175 grams of yeast.

3 small (125 mL) packets of tomato paste/concentrate.

0.5 litres of natural plain yoghurt

1.6 kg raw grated potatoes.

Wal writes ...