Thanksgiving Wine Recommendations from Elephants Delicatessen

Locations

Looking for local wines to pair with your meal? Get our wine buyers’ top picks for pairing wine with your feast.

Ask the Turkey Day sommelier.

*Neither of our experts saw each others’ picks. Any similarities are completely coincidental.

Staff Picks

With thanksgiving comes the search for the perfect Thanksgiving wine. Here’s the good news: There isn’t really a perfect Thanksgiving wine. There are a lot of them! Thanksgiving is not necessarily the time to break out your most expensive and treasured bottles. First, if you are serving a crowd or you know that your guests will be drinking a lot, then you’ll want to look for more cost-conscious options. Also, think about your audience. Thanksgiving is about gratitude and family and friends and being together…and everyone having a grand time. So if Aunt Gertrude only drinks Chardonnay, give her Chardonnay for goodness sakes.

Staff picks: Jamie Graham

Our wine buyer and Corbett bar lead Jamie Graham suggests these all-American bottles:

Bubbles: I like to cook with bubbles in hand. There is never a wrong time for sparkling wine.
- Graham Beck Brut Sparkling – $29.25. 100% Chardonnay. Tangerine, brioche, lemon and lime.
Touch of Sweetness: This wine is going to go great with some of those dishes with a little sugar kick (candied sweet potatoes, anyone?).
- Trimbach Gwertzraminer 2009 – $22. On the dry side; floral with lychee, candied citrus, ginger and nutmeg.
Light Reds: Main course and turkey friendly.
- Lucien Lardy Beaujolais – $24 – Feminine and bright; candied cherry and sage.
- Colosi Nero d’Avola – $15 – Tart cherry and blackberry with a lush, fruity aroma.
Heavy Duty: This is for those guests who know they love a big bold red.
- Ring Bolt Cabernet Sauvignon – $20 – From the Margaret River in Australia; cedar, vanilla, blackberry compote and dark chocolate.

Staff picks: Nick Doughty

Nick Doughty, NW 22nd store director, suggests these:

Crowd Pleasers: Wines even your mean Aunt Myrtle will love.
- Ayers Willamette Valley Pinot Noir – $22.50 – This is a beam of pure red fruit; savory edges and a velvety, succulent finish.
- Wilhelm Walch ‘Prendo’ Pinot Grigio – $12.95 – This Alto Adige white will wake up your palate; crisp, zesty and lively.
Euro Classics: Just what they sound like.
- Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé – $45 – The quintessential southern French Rosé; structured, intense fruit packed with character.
- Lucien Lardy Beaujolais – $24 – Quite possibly the best ‘turkey wine’ in the world; bright, juicy fruit with hints of baking spice and silky tannins.