25 Wines For The Whole Thanksgiving Weekend

More than any other holiday, Thanksgiving is our national feast day — actually our feast weekend — as we pay special attention to food and drink from big-meal takeovers to Black Friday leftovers to Monday food hangovers.

Although pinot noir (with dark turkey meat and ham) and chardonnay (with white meat and mashed potatoes) are always the popular Thanksgiving recommendations, the truth is that we need many wines to stretch from the arrival of family and friends on Wednesday night through takeout pizza on Friday to the last repurposed remnants of the big meal on Sunday evening.

Here is a wide variety of holiday possibilities we tasted, some with specific food and wine matches.

Mercer Estates Horse Heaven Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2016 ($15). Let's begin with an affordable yet well-bred, versatile Thanksgiving white from eastern Washington. This wine is Bordelais in style, so it's mellower than New Zealand examples and has less tart green flavor.

Olianas Vermentino di Sardegna 2016 ($18). There are some very good vermentinos coming out of Sardinia these days, and this is one of them — fresh and crisp with lots of floral, almost honeyed notes. Serve this one as an alternative to red wine with your Thanksgiving tuna steak.

Cedar + Salmon Willamette Valley Pinot Gris 2016 ($19). I have a soft spot for well-made pinot gris, so I'm always happy to see one turn up — like this one, with its light floral flavors and crisp ending.

Palmer North Fork of Long Island Chardonnay 2015 ($19). The label notes say "melon and grapefruit," and they are right. Although it isn't complex, this is a very food-friendly offering.

Priest Ranch Napa Valley Grenache Blanc 2016 ($20). Good flavors and moderately complex, with a crisp, minerally finish. Try it with cream-based vegetarian dishes.

Dr. H. Thanisch Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett 2016 ($22). Not a perfect sweet fruit/acid balance, but still a good, classic riesling fix for the price.

Albert Mann "Cuvée Albert" Riesling 2013 ($26). A very nice Alsatian wine, with the "oily" nose often typical of riesling, followed by stone fruit flavors, great acidity, and a clean finish. A good shellfish match.

Sanford Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay 2015 ($30). Good buttery flavors, but not overly so, with mellow apples. Talk turkey with this one.

Dierberg "Dierberg Vineyard" Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay 2014 ($32). A delicious wine, like a grand cru Chablis, with crisp apple fruit, tons of minerality, and a long, delicious finish — about as close as you can get to authentic Burgundy character in a California wine. You really should try this with roast pheasant in a Calvados cream sauce.

Carlos Serres Rioja Reserve 2011 ($16). A basic tangy, gamy, lean food wine. It wouldn't overwhelm a turkey leg.

Prosper Maufoux Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2015 ($17). Simple but well-made entry-level Burgundy, with light cherry flavors and some dried herbs — nice with baked ham.

Arínzano Hacienda de Arínzano Vino Tinto 2012 ($18). Lean but intense berry flavors, with lots of dusty tannins.

Château Paul Mas "Clos des Mures" Coteaux du Languedoc 2015 ($18). Rich and delicious — a syrah-dominated blend with very granular texture and a flavor of dark raspberries, with a savory underlay and a hint of red vermouth in the finish.

Château Tour du Pas Saint-Georges 2012 ($18). Well-balanced, with medium body, dark, savory flavors, and a lean finish — a good stew wine.

Masi Campofiorin Rosso del Veronese IGT 2014 ($18). Look at this as a good introduction to the big Veronese red wines like amarone, with its granular structure and muted cherry flavors — though it could use more heft and length.

Quinta de la Rosa Douro Red Wine 2015 ($18). A bit like a Bordeaux made with Portuguese grapes, it has a light body, a bit of a tang, and loads of dusty tannins. Think red pastas and pizza.

Achaval Ferrer Mendoza Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 ($24). Rich and deep cabernet flavors, with vivid, harmonious barrel notes.

Prats & Symington "Post Scriptum de Chryseia" Douro Red 2014 ($24). The celebrated Chryseia's little brother, this wine has nice ripe berries, good tannins, a hint of cabernet franc-like pencil lead, and a dusty underlay. Pair it with a roast duck leg.

Achaval Ferrer Mendoza Malbec 2016 ($25). Bright cherry and cranberry flavors, with an undertone of dried herbs.

Cedar + Salmon Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2016 ($25). Medium body, with enjoyable cola and sassafras flavors and a little tang in the finish.

Giornata French Camp Paso Robles Aglianico 2015 ($30). A great job of taming a normally mouth-puckering grape from southern Italy and turning it into an intense, very drinkable wine, cherry-flavored, with a spongy texture.
 

Stewart "Tartan" Napa Valley Red Wine 2014 ($40). If you see a front label with a plaid design and no words at all, this is it. It's a Bordeaux-style red with barrel-influenced blackberry fruit and mouth-drying tannins which a little age can temper.

Priest Ranch Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 ($42). Very harmonious, with creamy dark fruits and smooth tannins around the edges — great for a dish like boeuf en croute with a mushroom reduction sauce.

Zuccardi "José Zuccardi" Valle de Uco Malbec 2013 ($45). Lots of tart berry flavors with a mellow underbelly of oak to balance its super-ripeness.

The Farm "Touchy-Feely" Paso Robles Red Wine 2013 ($60). One reason why you can't always judge a wine by its label: Behind this one's frivolous look is a knockout wine with lots of raspberry essence, perfect balance (despite its 14.9 percent alcohol), and a satisfying finish.