by Elyas Beria

Ever since my wife graduated from culinary school many years ago, her family has made us the official custodians of Thanksgiving. This was an appointment we gladly accepted and I welcomed the challenge to pair wines with one of the most diversely flavored meals of the year.

Many of the usual suspects were called upon and considered over the years, from Cru Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Chianti, to that all-American wine Zinfandel. I must admit that Thanksgiving became a grand affair under our reign. My wife would prepare what became one of her signature dishes: a whole ham, brined for five to seven days, then laced with fennel and garlic, and slow-cooked over twelve hours. Sometimes my wine matches would be spot on and sometimes not, but they were always wines I considered to be heavy hitters.

One of the more memorable bottles opened was a 2001 Marcel Deiss Alsace Bergheim Burg, a powerful and silky white Alsatian wine bursting with candied citrus flavors supported by a stony minerality with a very long dry finish. Then there was the beautifully balanced 1997 Fattoria di Felsina Chianti Classico Berardenga Rancia Riserva with its dark cherry fruit, spice, and leather notes.

The problem was, despite the fact that I tried to keep the selections fairly modest, every year I would try to top myself. What to do next year after such fantastic wines? Would we eventually end up drinking a top shelf, 100-point, fruit bomb followed by a hedonistic and powerful cult California Zinfandel? It’s not that the wines aren’t appreciated because they certainly are, but I realized that Thanksgiving was slowly morphing from a family dinner into a wine showcase. I felt a bit like a wine snob force-feeding my poor family one ponderous wine after another, sweat beading on their foreheads as they reached for the next glass, stretching their fatigued palates to the breaking point.

Perhaps I exaggerate a bit, but that’s what I felt like I was doing to them. So this year I’m breaking my own Thanksgiving tradition and taking a more relaxed approach. In past years I would select five or six wines that had to be served through the meal in a particular order, culminating in the wine of the evening, usually an expensive powerhouse of a wine. If the pace of drinking was too fast or, even worse, too slow, it would cause me considerable stress and I would urge the guests to quicken or slacken the tempo—outrageously snobbish behavior indeed.

This year is going to be different. I have selected a diverse bunch of wines to be consumed throughout the dinner, loosely in order, but with no crowning masterpiece of a wine to cap off the meal. None of the wines are particularly expensive and if we don’t get through them all, it’s no big deal. Best of all, I can finally enjoy the meal.

I also haven’t given all that much thought to pairing the wine perfectly to the food. There are such a wide variety of foods typically served at our Thanksgiving that no one wine will match everything. There are certain wines that are more versatile than others and I’ve tried to include a few of them but I really do believe you should drink what you like and not worry too much about perfect matches.

The first bottle of wine will undoubtedly be opened in the kitchen while the final touches are being put on the meal and as guests start to arrive. For this wine, I’ve chosen to serve the 2006 Bodega Colomé Torrontés that I picked up on sale for $9.47 at PJ Wine. The Torrontés grape is related to Muscat and produces some of the most wildly floral bouquets I have ever smelled in a wine. This crisp and dry beauty, with its rosewater, apricot, and orange blossom flavors, is sure to make it a perfect aperitif, but most importantly I know that my mother-in-law will love it.

After that I don’t have much of a game plan. If the guests want another white wine I will probably open a 2005 Planeta Sicilia La Segreta Bianco, a blend of 60% Greciano, 20% Chardonnay, and 10% each Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. With its tropical fruit flavors of mango and pineapple, this is a much fuller and richer wine than that Torrontés.

If red wine is demanded then the likely victim will be a bottle of 2006 E. & M. Berger Blauer Zweigelt, a versatile, easy-drinking plummy wine that comes in a one liter bottle with a beer cap top. This wine conforms to my philosophy of starting out with an uncomplicated crowd-pleaser to exercise the palate and get it ready for more complicated wines yet to be served.

As the meal gets underway in earnest we’ll crack open a 2005 Liberty School Syrah Central Coast. Its plum notes will be a good follow up to the Blauer Zweigelt, and its blackberry, meat, and mineral flavors will be nice segues into the rest of the meal.

For the rest of the evening the wine selection will be a bit like jazz. If I feel like venturing into the unknown a bit, perhaps I’ll open a 2004 Château Prieuré Saint-Martin Corbières which is a wine I know little about aside that it is a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, and Mourvèdre and is unfiltered. If I want a dependable lush red with ripe fruit and licorice flavors, I’ll go with a 2004 Femal Pago Florentino made from 100% Tempranillo. Or maybe I’ll want to open something dark and brooding. The 2005 Bodega Mustiguillo Bobal Mestizaje will fit the bill with its inky color and thick concentrated flavors of black fruits.

I will allow the snobbish imp within me a little indulgence at the end of the meal. As dessert is being readied, I’ll pour each grateful guest a glass of 2005 Heribert Kerpen Riesling Auslese. From one of the best German vintages, this wine will wow everyone with its rich, vibrant fruit flavors and creaminess, contrasted by malt and a salty minerality.

I look forward to sitting back and enjoying all of the conversation, gossip, and the inevitable bit of drama that will erupt around the Thanksgiving table—this time without worrying so much about the wines being served. Will the guests appreciate these simpler, more casual wines? I believe they will. Will they miss the heavy hitters and the snobbery of Thanksgivings past? Well, if they do, there’s always Christmas dinner.