Drinks giving

How to bring wine during the holidays

By David Marglin

Whether it’s Thanksgiving or Chanukah or Christmas or any other celebration during late fall and early winter, when you are a guest at someone else’s feast, you can never go wrong bringing a bottle or two of wine. Thanksgiving, for example, is about the bounty of the land, and wine speaks to that sentiment like no other beverage. Great wines are truly of the earth.

Conventional wisdom from wine columnists (including Frank Prial of the New York Times) has Thanksgiving diners drinking either “correct” wines, whose flavors will marry well with the turkey and the sides, or domestic wines like zinfandel, on the theory that we are celebrating America. But the holidays are also about a celebration of the new (and the unknown), and that weighs in favor of openness to other choices.

This is a time to turn people on to your taste in wine. You get a shot at telling your folks or your host, “Here are wines I like, wines that I would like to share with you.” Don’t forget, parties are all about the meal, and by now you know that with the occasional exception of some breakfasts, all great meals are improved by the accompaniment of wine. The holiday season is so focused on eating and drinking that you may need to bring more than one bottle to go around the table.

When you’re picking a wine for Thanksgiving, I don’t think you should concentrate on the turkey. The meat is so bland that wine usually overwhelms its taste (unless your bird is wild or free-range). So the name of the game is pairing the wine with the sides. If you can find out what sides will be served, you’re two steps ahead. Otherwise, educated guesses should suffice. Most meats will come with some gravy, which will be salty and a bit nutty. There are going to be yams and turnips and other mashed tubers; around these parts, there is going to be something cranberry; and probably also some greens. The way you win is by zeroing in on the dishes your wine will combine with.

For the other holidays, go in with your guns (or muskets) blazing. Bring big wines if that is your bent — something fruity, something fun. Subtle wines will have a harder time cutting through the noise, but you have to express yourself. Big Italian numbers put points on the board these days. Rather than Chiantis, try the Valpolicellas and other Veronese wines; or Piedmontese barberas, particularly the barbed Barbera D’Asti; or, if you can afford them, those big Brunello di Montalcinos (1995 was a fabulous sleeper year for brunellos — they’re really approachable right now). These powerhouses, with their grapey and earthy flavors and less predominant oak, make nice counterpoints to holiday meals.

Or pay homage to this year’s Olympics and rock your host’s world with an Aussie shiraz or Semillon. For the less daring, a fruity 1998 Oregon pinot noir should treat game birds (like turkey and goose) fairly well; it also accompanies salmon delightfully, and there are plenty of affordable ones out there; try the Bridgeview and the Benton Lane, or the Willakenzie and the Willamette Valley Vineyards.

Most tables always have room for a few more bottles. Folks are there to eat and drink. You have, to say the least, a captive audience. Pour it out, and then pour it on. If your fellow diners lean toward the whites, blow their minds with an Italian pinot bianco or an Oregon pinot gris. Zing them with a zesty chenin blanc (such as French Vouvray or South African Steen). If your heart is set on reds, go for grenache or shiraz, or a fruitier pinot noir. Make it sexy. Stay clear of merlots and cabs — those are so obvious. Give them as gifts, because they are safe. But take chances with what you bring over for the holidays — plenty of safe stuff will be served anyway (hey, at least you’re going to like what’s in your glass).

The key word this whole season is “giving.” This is your chance to help create the moment and make the festivities. You may not have shot the turkey or goose, or spent all day stuffing it. But when game time rolls around, you’ll be right there, ready to take the field, bottle in hand, saying, “Try a little of this, why don’t you?” as you pour out your holiday cheer.

David Marglin can be reached at wine@phx.com.