The best food and wine pairing holiday

Thanksgiving is perhaps our favorite holiday all year, the family gatherings, the feast, the great fall weather, football all contribute to a great day with family and friends. The diversity of the meal and the length of celebration lend the extra bonus of ample food and wine pairings that enhance our day. From the night before to brunch on Thanksgiving morning, snacks before dinner and the main event itself there are wines to go with each meal and course, and with all the great reasonably priced wine on the market there is something for every taste and every budget.

The night before Thanksgiving we often have family members or friends who have traveled from faraway places spending the night. With all of the food preparation the next day we try to keep the meal simple. One of our favorites is a meal of the first of the season Dungeness crab with a big green salad, fresh bread and Louis dressing. The natural for crab is Chardonnay and with the re-emergence of Talbott Winery from the central coast of California, the 2009 Kali Hart Chard is perfect. The wine is fermented mostly in stainless steel with some oak treatment too making for a wine with all of the butter notes to highlight the crab but with leanness and texture to pull the meal together. Priced at $16, it works for a crowd too.

On Thanksgiving morning we start the day with a nice breakfast or brunch and serve Mimosas, Bellini's or other champagne-based cocktails. We save the expensive bubbly for later but for blending with juices we recommend the Perdrier Brut for $11 or the Valdo Prosecco for $15, both delicious enough to drink on their own but with good acidity, dryness and effervescence to be delightful in a cocktail.

Later in the day at our home everyone pitches in preparing snacks and hors d'ouvres. Some of our favorites include savory tarts like pear, bacon and bleu cheese, or Alsatian onion and bacon tart. Now that there is good quality farmed domestic Caviar available that won't break the bank it is again one of our favorite holiday treats. With the tarts mentioned above crisp white wines rule the day like the 2010 Zocker Grner Veltliner. Priced at 15, the wine has great acidity, is light on the palate and has good minerality for a refreshing start. The richness and elegance of Caviar calls for quality champagne or sparkling wine. While spendy, we highly recommend the 2006 Soter Brut Rose from Oregon - the best made in the U.S. in our opinion 75, or the LaSalle Brut from France 50. If you crave bubbly but need one more gently priced we look to Italian producer Rebuli for their Prosecco, 23.50.

The main Thanksgiving meal of Turkey, stuffing and all of the sides is rich in flavor and variations providing opportunity for many different wines to meet the flavor preferences of a big gathering. One approach is to go with a white wine with enough acid to help cut the richness of the meal, for these we look to varietals like Riesling the aforementioned Grner Veltliner or Gewrztraminer. Whether they are completely dry or slightly off-dry, meaning a slight amount of residual sugar is left in the wine by stopping fermentation, these grapes are highlighted by crisp acid and apple flavors that go great with turkey. We recommend the Laurenz Grner Veltliner from Austria 15 or the North by Northwest Riesling from Central Washington 13.

For the red lovers in the crowd Pinot Noir is the most natural pairing with gamey birds like turkey. Again we like those from Talbott like the Sleepy Hollow ($32) or the Balletto Burnside Road Vineyard ($43). In a more gentle price range the 2009 Paraiso ($20), the 667 Pinot Noir ($13) and the Block Nine Caidens Vineyard ($12) are all good choices. All of these Pinot Noirs are highlighted by slight earthiness and cherry flavors and aromas, and enough acid to pair with a big meal.

The other direction to go in red wine with your dinner is a bigger richer wine like Zinfandel or one of the new up and coming Rhone varietals, Mourvedre. Washington producer Gilbert makes a spectacular Mourvedre layered with flavors and richness ($29). In Zinfandel we like the Nalle from Sonoma County ($34) or the Balletto ($20). Both are loaded with ripe berry flavors and have plenty of structure to stand up to the meal.

After dinner we head back to a light sparkling wine from Italy like a Moscato d'Asti from Caposaldo ($13). This lovely dessert wine is very low in alcohol, only 6 percent, with light effervescence - perfect with dessert.

Many of these bottlings are available in magnums which are better for big crowds, or if you are having a small gathering and you still want to be able to sample a range of wines some also come in half bottles.

The choices for Thanksgiving are nearly endless so stop by the shop or consult your favorite wine professional for what will go best with your interpretation of this most American of holidays, as well as with your palate and budget.

If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party - a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo and writes frequently for the online version of Coeur d'Alene Magazine at www.cdamagazine.com. His articles can also be found on the blog at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com.