Please a Crowd

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

Where are two truths about Thanksgiving and wine. They are simple and irrefutable. One is that turkey goes equally well with either red or white wine. Really, it’s one accommodating bird, wine-wise. The second truth is this: Don’t waste your best bottles at Thanksgiving dinner. This is painful to hear, if only because we wine lovers are a generous, open-handed lot. There’s a time for wine evangelism but Thanksgiving ain’t it. The typical American Thanksgiving table is a microcosm of American wine interest, which is to say it ranges from wine geek to teetotaler. The last thing you want is to trot out some cherished, long-nurtured gem only to see your guests guzzle it down like thirsty elephants at the water hole. I tell you this for your own good, believe me. That acknowledged, if you’re the designated wine supplier, you do want to bring something genuinely good. But it also must be pleasing to all. And it shouldn’t cost a fortune, either. This is no time for some tannic monster. The wine should slide down like praise. It was with these criteria in mind that I arrived at this year’s Thanksgiving picks. All of the following will intrigue the most wine-obsessed member of your family while giving the occasional sippers of the group equal satisfaction. And none will dent your bank account excessively.


HERE’S THE DEAL


ROEDERER ESTATE BRUT ROSE NONVINTAGE


A sparkling wine at the Thanksgiving table really is a necessity. Not only does it signal celebration, but it can also serve throughout the meal, not just as an aperitif. Of course, the range of bubbly is vast. A rose sparkling wine is what you want.


Forget any prior associations you might have about “pink champagne.” A really rose sparkling wine is one of the most elegant, and flavorful, of bubblies. One of the best made anywhere – and I include France’s Champagne region in this – comes from Roederer Estate in Mendocino County’s tiny, cool Anderson Valley.


Roederer Estate is the American outpost of the French Champagne house Louis Roederer. When, during the 1980s, every other French Champagne house chose to locate in Napa or Sonoma, only Roederer recognized that the supremely cool Anderson Valley – well off the beaten tourist track – was the best place to grow chardonnay and pinot noir for sparkling wine. They were right. While other ventures folded (Maison Deutz) or converted to making still wine (Codorniu), and nearly all the others slashed prices to keep market share, Roederer Estate went from strength to strength. It’s now considered California’s best sparkling wine producer, and it never had to lower its price.


Perhaps the least-known wine in Roederer Estate’s line-up is its superb rose bubbly. This is rose fizz as it should be: redolent of pinot noir, genuinely savory and yet filled with finesse (the blend is 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay). The pale salmon hue is exactly what a rose sparkler should look like. It really is exceptional and superior to most French rose Champagnes. The price is tasty, too, at $28. Look for a street price as low as $23.


DUCHE DE LONGUEVILLE NONALCOHOLIC SPARKLING APPLE CIDER


Don’t laugh. You’ll love this stuff. Our American experience with apple cider is that it’s sweet, cloying, and makes you want to move on quickly to something, ahem, harder. Think again. Duche de Longueville is an exceptionally tasty apple cider made in France’s Normandy region blended from as many as 15 apple varieties. It’s genuinely refreshing to drink, delivers an intriguing taste and, of course, it’s ideal for teetotaling adults or the underage set. A 750-milliliter bottle (the same as a regular wine bottle) is packaged like champagne, with nice bubbles too. $6.


OREMUS “MANDOLAS” DRY FURMINT 2002


This is the surprise white wine for Thanksgiving this year, a wine that the wine fanciers will love (and likely will never have tasted) and that the occasional sippers will enjoy.


Oremus “Mandolas” Dry Furmint is from Hungary’s Tokaj region. Famous for sweet wines, there’s no real history of creating a dry wine from Tokaj’s great white wine grape, furmint. Oremus, a new winery created by the famous Spanish producer Vega Sicilia, makes the hands-down best dry furmint, a real world-beater of a white wine.


It has a pale lemon yellow hue with a panoply of flavors including dried peaches, a hint of honey, apple, pear, and a touch of oak. What’s more the texture is appealingly dense, with a noticeably rich, firm mid-palate. It’s like no other dry white wine on the planet and immensely attractive. The price is unbeatable for this level of quality: $16. You’ll have to call around for this wine, but it is available locally. It’s worth seeking out.


ROBERT YOUNG ESTATE WINERY CHARDONNAY 2001 OR 2002


If you want a rich, lush California chardonnay at your Thanksgiving table, this is the one. The Robert Young vineyard first came to enormous acclaim back in 1975 when a vineyard-designated chardonnay from this estate was released by Chateau St. Jean. It is the California chardonnay.


Eventually Robert Young’s children took over the vineyard and in 1997 decided to release wine under their own label. Chateau St. Jean’s original winemaker, Dick Arrowood, was hired as a winemaking consultant, bringing the wheel full circle. The results have been consistently gratifying.


This is rich, lush, thoroughly rewarding chardonnay, plumped with succulent fruit yet somehow infused with enough restraint so as not to cloy or bore. This is the sort of California chardonnay people dream about but rarely find. $35.


CAIN CUVEE NV1


The cryptic name tells you little about this lovely, smooth-down-the-gullet Napa Valley cabernet. But it’s easily one of the great bargains among famously pricey Napa Valley cabs and is too little touted, in this taster’s opinion.


A blend of cabernet sauvignon (62%), cabernet franc (19%), and merlot (19%), the grapes are sourced from Cain’s own spectacularly sited vineyard on Napa Valley’s Spring Mountain, as well as purchased from vineyards elsewhere on Spring Mountain and Rutherford, Oakville, Yountville, and Diamond Mountain, all choice Napa Valley precincts.


The “NV1” designation – referring, effectively, to Napa Valley 2001 – is really preponderantly the 2001 vintage (a great year) with some older, smoother wine from the 2000 vintage.


The result is a distinctive Napa Valley cabernet: rich, lush, and uncommonly smooth. This is not the all-too-common overpriced oaky fruit bomb, but a substantial red wine of real elegance and finesse. It is, in short, an ideal red for turkey and for every palate at the feast. The price is a steal for the quality: $24.


The New York Sun

© 2025 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use