Try Riesling for Thanksgiving!

Kinda love that the most valued wines of this white grape variety are those stricken with “noble rot”….

Don’t think this diverse and super food-friendly wine is represented only by the candy-like sweet variety that usually sells for a dime. This can be a sophisticated sip, and the price can be as diverse as the wine. And yes, the fungus called “noble rot” evaporates water from the grape, making for a rich and silky wine.

Riesling grapes are named after the Rhine region in Central Europe. The grapes also grow well in other parts of the world, notably Australia, and definitely in the US. The grapes favor colder climates.

There are three components to a good Riesling that make it an awesome wine to pair with food.
1. They have a slightly salty mineral essence. 2. They have a well-balanced, fresh acidity. 3. They offer food-friendly fruit profiles ranging from apple to peach, often with a honey overtone.

There are three Rieslings we recommend you try this holiday to compliment all the traditional Thanksgiving faire.

From the Finger Lakes Region of New York:
SEMI-DRY RIESLING, 2015, Lamoreaux Landing, Seneca Lake, NY, $12

This wine is most likely my favorite wine from the great state of New York. The colder climate of the Finger Lakes region, carved out of glaciers, no less, produce some very fine grapes.

This wine consistently tastes like a bite into a deliciously ripe honey crisp apple. Its delicate flavor ends with a fresh acidity on the dry side. The linger is short, but the flavor reads nicely. This is my family’s number one choice for Thanksgiving wine. It compliments cranberry sauce, and balances out buttery mashed potatoes and rich gravy.

The Alsace region, tucked into the French corner where France, Germany and Switzerland meet, offers some of the most unique food and wine in the western world, mostly because of climate. We’ve featured this wine over the summer, and I can’t get out of my head that it would be amazing at the Thanksgiving table.

It’s a mouthful for Americans….
C’OTES D’AMMERSCHWIHR, 2016, Domaine Schoech, Alsace, $18

This is also a lighter-bodied Riesling. The flavor is a nearly perfect balance of acid, and pear and melon flavors. There is a hint of salty mineral. The finish is fairly brief, but slightly toasty.

We plan to serve it this Thanksgiving to support dishes like mashed sweet potatoes, spicy Turkey and green bean casserole.

Our final option is the priciest of the three we’re recommending, but if you’re going to splurge on a wine with the super power of food-paring, this might be the one-meal-wonder holiday to do it!

From the Mosel region of Germany:
SCHMITT ZELTINGER SCHLOSSBERG, 2014, Riesling Auslese, Selbach-oster, Mosel, Germany, $50

This may be one of the finest examples of the flavor array this grape can offer. The general rule of Riesling is that after three years of bottling, Rieslings tend to open up- morphing from lime notes to nectarine.

This wine offers a nose that is inviting on its own- think Chinese 5-spice. The sip is fresh, slightly piney with a hint of salt. The fruit balances that earthy edge with peach and nectarine flavors. The wine has one of the longest aftertastes I’ve ever experienced. It would pair well with anything you eat of any cuisine anywhere in the world. No exaggeration.

If you’re having agita thinking about pronouncing these wines, load this article onto your phone and simply show the pics to the people at the wine store. Hopefully they can find all three of these options, but they could at least get you another great example from one of these awesome Riesling regions. (If they can’t, you might want to find a different wine store….)

Other tasty options in white wine for Thanksgiving:
🧡 Try a Viognier. It’s another wine with food-pairing magic. Find one that balances the tropical flavors of the grape with fresh acidity. Two good regions to look for- Central Coast California and the coastal region of the Pays D’oc in France.
🧡 How about a less-oaky Chardonnay? Good Chardonnays fall somewhere on the spectrum of creamy to citrusy. It is oak barreling that offers the cream experience. We love both, but to balance hearty Thanksgiving faire we’re recommending Chardonnay with either short or no time in oak. Look to Chile and Washington state for some excellent options.

Drink happy thoughts, this Thanksgiving! We wish you a wonderful holiday!