{"id":62387,"date":"2023-10-07T12:18:55","date_gmt":"2023-10-07T16:18:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/?p=62387"},"modified":"2023-10-08T11:15:04","modified_gmt":"2023-10-08T15:15:04","slug":"wines-for-thanksgiving-from-cranberry-sauce-to-turducken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wines-for-thanksgiving-from-cranberry-sauce-to-turducken\/","title":{"rendered":"Wines for Thanksgiving: From Cranberry Sauce to Turducken"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As the regular wine expert for 20 CBC drive-home shows from coast to coast, I loved chatting with each of the hosts about great wines for Thanksgiving! <\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s a cross-country marathon, but lots of fun! You can see a list of the shows at the end of this post.<\/strong><\/p>\n

No other holiday celebrates the gift of wine like Thanksgiving. But which wines to pair with turkey and all the side dishes? Here with her tips is Natalie MacLean, author of the national bestseller\u00a0<\/strong>Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Welcome Natalie<\/strong><\/p>\n

Great to be here!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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What\u2019s your top tip when it comes to pairing wine with Thanksgiving dinner?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wine is a taste of the harvest along with all the delicious dishes on the table. But actually choosing a bottle can feel like a thankless task, especially with so many flavors to match from sweet creamed corn to more bitter greens and veggies, plus the big bird itself.<\/p>\n

So first: Relax. Have a drink.<\/p>\n

Start with bubbly. It\u2019s a great aperitif to sip while you wait for the turkey to finish cooking. It adds a celebratory note to the meal and goes well with starters like soup and salad.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d recommend Hester Creek\u2019s Old Vine Brut from BC\u2019s Okanagan Valley, which is made from historic 50-year vines on the Golden Mile Bench, and offers aromas of green apple and biscuit.<\/p>\n

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Hester Creek Estate Winery Old Vine Brut 2018<\/strong><\/a>
\nOkanagan Valley, British Columbia BC V.Q.A., Canada<\/p>\n

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Westcott Vineyards Violette Sparkling Brut 2014<\/strong><\/a>
\nVinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario V.Q.A., Canada<\/p>\n

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In Quebec,\u00a0Domaine Bergeville only produces sparkling wines and their “Gross White” is a blend of Frontenac and Gray Frontenac grapes.<\/p>\n

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Domaine Bergeville Blanc Brut<\/strong><\/a>
\nCantons de L’Est, Quebec, Canada<\/p>\n

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From Nova Scotia, I have Benjamin Bridge Brut, with notes of fresh white peach and ocean spray.<\/p>\n

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Benjamin Bridge Brut 2012<\/strong><\/a>
\nAnnapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada<\/p>\n

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These\u00a0bubblies are made using the traditional French method and all of the wineries ship to your\u00a0door.<\/p>\n

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Great! Where should we go next?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Consider the turkey: Turkey differs from most poultry and game birds in that it\u2019s very dry in texture. Therefore, you need a juicy wine with lots of ripe fruit to complement it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d suggest the Quails’ Gate Riesling. It has mouth-watering notes of lemon zest that would moisten the bird.<\/p>\n

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Quails’ Gate Estate Winery Dry Riesling 2020<\/strong><\/a>
\nOkanagan Valley, British Columbia BC V.Q.A., Canada<\/p>\n

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Ros\u00e9 is also a wonderful match, like the Emiliana\u00a0Organic\u00a0Ros\u00e9 from Chile. It\u2019s juicy with notes of field strawberries, it\u2019ll also moisten the bird.<\/p>\n

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Emiliana Adobe Reserva Syrah Ros\u00e9 2012<\/strong><\/a>
\nRapel Valley, Chile<\/p>\n

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What about a red wine?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a red wine lover, you\u2019ll also want a juicy wine for the bird, like pinot noir, a classic match. Those from the New World, such as Canada, California, Oregon and New Zealand, tend to be fruitier than those from the Old World, such as Burgundy and Germany, which tend to be earthier.<\/p>\n

I have the Sea Sun Pinot Noir from the Wagner\u00a0Family in California which is bursting with aromas of ripe strawberries, raspberries and cherries. The bonus is that it\u2019ll also pair well with your cranberry sauce, and let\u2019s face it, that\u2019s why many of us eat turkey – to double down on the cranberry sauce.<\/p>\n

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Sea Sun Pinot Noir 2021<\/strong><\/a>
\nCalifornia, United States<\/p>\n

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How about something more full-bodied?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you want something a bit more full-bodied, with a bit of spice, try the Velvet Devil Merlot from Washington. It\u2019s juicy and smooth yet has more heft than the Pinot. It would also pair well with turducken, that weird concoction of a\u00a0deboned chicken stuffed into a deboned duck, stuffed into a deboned turkey as well as\u00a0brussels sprouts with bacon bits.<\/p>\n

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The Velvet Devil Merlot 2021<\/strong><\/a>
\nWashington, United States<\/p>\n

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You\u2019d want to avoid reds with big tannins, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, as they\u2019ll taste too dry with turkey. The nuances of complex and well-aged wines, such as bordeaux, which is a cabernet blend, tend to get lost under the welter of flavours.<\/p>\n

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How about those who don\u2019t drink alcohol?<\/strong><\/p>\n

For children and guests who won\u2019t be drinking, offer non-alcoholic beverages such as plain and flavoured sparkling waters, fruit punch and apple cider. There are also a wide variety of non-alcoholic wines such as Feel Free\u00a0Ros\u00e9 Sparkling\u00a0from Cox Cellars in Niagara.<\/p>\n

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Cox Creek Cellars Feel Free Dealcoholized Sparkling Ros\u00e9 2021<\/strong><\/a>
\nOntario, Canada<\/p>\n

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What about dessert?<\/strong><\/p>\n

End on a sweet note. If anyone still has room left when it\u2019s time for pumpkin or pecan pie, offer a wine with a wine that has a lovely peach apricot note like the Reif Riesling\u00a0Icewine.\u00a0It would also be perfect for a fruit flan dessert.<\/p>\n

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Reif Estate Winery Grand Reserve Riesling Icewine 2019<\/strong><\/a>
\nNiagara River, Ontario V.Q.A., Canada<\/p>\n

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You can find info on Natalie\u2019s pairings and book on her website at\u00a0nataliemaclean.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Airplay
\nCBC Whitehorse<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On the Coast
\nCBC Vancouver<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Radio West
\nCBC Kelowna<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All Points West
\nCBC Victoria<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Homestretch
\nCBC Calgary<\/p>\n

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Radio Active
\nCBC Edmonton<\/p>\n

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Afternoon Edition
\nCBC Saskatchewan<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Up to Speed
\nCBC Winnipeg<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here and Now
\nCBC Toronto<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All in a Day
\nCBC Ottawa<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Up North
\nCBC Sudbury \/ Thunder Bay<\/p>\n

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Afternoon Drive
\nCBC London\/Windsor<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let’s Go
\nCBC Montreal<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Breakaway
\nCBC Quebec City<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Shift
\nCBC New Brunswick<\/p>\n

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Mainstreet
\nCBC Halifax<\/p>\n

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Mainstreet
\nCBC Cape Breton<\/p>\n

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Mainstreet PEI
\nCBC PEI<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On the Go
\nCBC St. John’s<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the regular wine expert for 20 CBC drive-home shows from coast to coast, I loved chatting with each of the hosts about great wines for Thanksgiving! It’s a cross-country marathon, but lots of fun! You can see a list of the shows at the end of this post. No other holiday celebrates the gift of wine like Thanksgiving. But which wines to pair with turkey and all the side dishes? Here with her tips is Natalie MacLean, author of the national bestseller\u00a0Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much. Welcome Natalie Great […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[113],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-wines"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62387"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62387\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62441,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62387\/revisions\/62441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}