Cooking With Wine For Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is only a week away! On the ultimate day for food, family, and friends, why not use wine in your Thanksgiving recipes? It's a simple, easy way to add flavor nuances and it puts a delicious twist on all the classics. Just remember our rule of thumb: If you wouldn't sip it, don't cook with it.

Below are a few ways to make wine a part of your feast, literally.

Sherry Soup Shots
Adding Sherry (fino is best) will impart a kick to any soup. We recommend small soup "shots" as an amuse-bouche. They will enliven the palate, impart warmth and ready the stomach. Pick up a bottle of EMILIO LUSTAU Fino Sherry (Jerez, Spain) $14 to soup up your soup!

Cranberry Merlot Sauce
Spice up this classic side dish with a rich, velvety merlot. Here is a simple recipe and be sure to try HOB NOB Merlot 2010 (France) $10. This wine's ripe plum and soft, juicy blackberry characteristics will take your cranberry sauce to a whole new level.

White Wine Gravy
Adding a cup of dry white wine to your gravy will make everything else on your plate sing. Pour ALOIS LAGEDER Pinot Grigio 2010 (Alto Adige, Italy) $13 for added richness and spice, but don't forget to pour a glass for yourself too!

Wine Poached Pears
This dessert is the epitome of quick simplicity. You can't go wrong with seasonal fruit and some great red wine. Check out the easy preparation here and spring for a bottle of CASA LAPOSTOLLE Carmenere "Cuvee Alexandre" 2009 (Colchagua Valley, Chile) $19. The pears will absorb the gorgeous cocoa, cherry and spice flavors of this fantastic Chilean red. Save some of the bottle to sip while you savor this dish.

You can also incorporate wine into your turkey basting and use it to glaze vegetables. Get creative and enjoy discovering all the ways wine will make this year's Thanksgiving unforgettable.

Click here for more from The Daily Sip.