By Discount Liquor

A Red Or A White? Wine Is The Question (Part 1)

Apr 1, 2022 | 9:04 AM

Picture this….you have been invited to a nice dinner, either with friends or family. You don’t want to show up empty handed (though I have a habit of doing it anyway….don’t judge me). You find yourself standing in the wine section at the local liquor store, surrounded by dozens of brands and hundreds of bottles.

What do you choose?

With Easter just around the corner, this can be a question some of us may be faced with. Gathering holidays like Easter and Thanksgiving quite often involve a large meal, typically with either a turkey or a ham on the table. Wine connoisseurs will tell you that the right wine can bring the meal to the next level, but for those of us that aren’t wine drinkers, the question always comes down to what kind of wine do I bring to the meal, or serve if I am hosting?

I’m going to look at pairings with turkey this week, as from my experience that seems to be the more common of the two meals. Check back next week for pairings that will go well with ham. Now I am going to preface this by saying I am NOT a wine drinker – the ones that I have found that I like are few and far between. But living in the age of the internet, I did a little research so that you don’t have to. What I found is that when pairing wine with turkey, there are three wines that are at the top of almost every list.

Chardonnay

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Chardonnay is one of the most common white wines, and also has a lot of variety. Traditional French chardonnays tend to have a cleaner, slightly acidic palate to them, whereas North American brands tend to have an oak or fruit finish introduced by different vinting processes. When pairing with turkey, the best chardonnay depends on the bird itself. A traditional roast turkey will likely pair better with an oakier chardonnay from California’s Napa Valley, or the Burgandy region of France. If you have a sweeter glaze or side for your turkey, an unoaked chardonnay such as Naked Grape or something from Western Australia may pair better

Riesling

Riesling is a wine that originates in the Rhine region of Germany, though can be produced anywhere the growing conditions permit. Traditionally a drier wine, rieslings pair well with smokey and herbier flavours, such as an aromatic stuffing or turkey that has been cured. Heritage Road produces a popular Australian riesling, while popular German rieslings include Relax and Bend In The River. A general rule of thumb is the higher the price point, the drier the riesling will be.

Pinot Noir

Looking for something red? The best choice for red based on my research is pinot noir. This is a fruitier wine than the whites listed above, but the flavour will compliment a classic roasted turkey with gravy and the fixings. Not as common as other varietals of wine, I have been told this is due to the fact that the pinot noir grape can be “fussy” and difficult to work with, which is why often you will see pinot noirs priced slightly higher than other varietals from the same winery. By far the best selling pinot noirs we carry are Oyster Bay and Meomi. Both have a slightly higher price point than others, but are still popular choices with our customers

Recommendations

Josh Chardonnay (California) – $22.00

Fat Bastard Chardonnay (France) – $17.05

Oyster Bay Pinot Noir (New Zealand) – $21.05

Relax Riesling (Germany) – $15.40

*All prices subject to applicable taxes and deposit