Omnivore - What to drink with Thanksgiving dinner - Part II

Still at a loss for what to drink with your Thanksgiving turkey cake and cherumple on Thursday? We asked Atlanta beer, wine, and cocktail experts to share a few of their recommendations. If you're in need of some turkey-friendly, boozy inspiration, today is your lucky day.

If you're just joining us, this series comes to you into three parts. Part I covers beer and spirits starting with thoughtful cocktail recipes from talented barkeeps Julian Goglia (the Pinewood), Andy Minchow (Ration & Dram), and Bradford Tolleson (Restaurant Eugene). CL's resident beer guy Austin L. Ray also chipped in with three fall seasonals from Atlanta breweries that opened in 2014. In this part, Part II, Advanced Sommelier Tim Willard draws on his near-encyclopedic body of wine knowledge to share with us a plethora of possible pairings. Finally, proceed to Part III for a lively set of suggestions from wine geek extraordinaire Steven Grubbs of Empire State South.

• Sadye Elizabeth
• Advance Sommelier Tim Willard

Tim Willard, Advanced Sommelier

Thanksgiving dinner can go in a lot of different directions... If we strip it all down to the basics you can expect a gathering of family and friends, an abundance of food, and hopefully something good to wash it all down. In this last category it is important to be thoughtful about what's on the table without overthinking it.

Very few of your guests will worry about pairing a specific wine with each of the 12 items on their plate. With this in mind save yourself the grocery store trip and consult a local pro to get exactly what you want and stay within your budget.

I took my own advice and visited two of my favorite wine shops in Atlanta to workshop some ideas with two of my favorite people: Sarah Pierre, from 3 Parks Wine Shop in Glenwood Park, and Perrine Prieur from Perrine's Wine Shop on Howell Mill Road. These ladies know wine and I found some options that I will personally be pouring at my own feast this Thursday.

What follows are 3 selections from each shop for under $25. These wines are food and people friendly and will be sure to impress as part of your Thanksgiving Day spread.

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At 3 Parks Wine Shop, Sarah Pierre - Owner

Albinea Canali, "FB", Lambrusco Secco, Emilia Romagna, Italy, NV ($18.99)

Lambrusco suffers a somewhat deserved bad reputation but this gem is turning that notion upside down. This dry, pink, lightly sparkling wine is almost ethereal on the palate. The perfect aperitif to be enjoyed with food or on its own.

St. Innocent, Pinot Blanc, Willamette Valley, OR, 2012 ($23.99)

A true classic from a pioneer in Willamette Valley. This wine is dry but has the aroma and flavour of honeysuckle, apricot and pear. It is big on the palate, full bodied and waxy, this is a perfect winter white with just the right dose of acidity to clean up after itself.

Chateau Didier-Parnac, Malbec, Cahors, France, 2012 ($14.99)

From the true home of Malbec (aka Cot) in Cahors, France just South of Bordeaux. This wine won't be the big over-extracted, over-oaked beast you might expect from Argentina. Here we find fruit, earth, and structure in perfect balance. This medium body wine over delivers for the price and will pair with everything from turkey and stuffing, to green bean casserole and mashed potatoes.

At Perrines, Perrine Prieur - Owner

Carpene Malvolti, Gewurztraminer, Spumante, Veneto, Italy, NV ($19.99)

Sparkling is a must at any party and everyone knows its a perfect pairing with food. Here we find an off-dry, winter winner, showing the exotic fruit and spice Gewürztraminer is known for, with a tight mineral backbone.

Thierry Tissot, Gamay, Bugey, Savoie, France, 2012 ($21.99)

Beaujolais and Thanksgiving are almost synonymous but the Gamay grape makes amazing wine in Savoie, France on the Swiss Border as well. This cool mountain climate produces earth driven wine with high acid that absolutely begs for food. Carbonic maceration and whole cluster fermentation give underripe and ripe berry flavors balanced by bramble and stems.

Celler Pinol, "Portal", Garnacha, Terra Alta, Spain, 2012 ($19.99)

This wine is all about the fruit. Grenache, or Garnacha in Spain, is full of juicy supple red fruit with just the right amount of acidity. This wine is a blend of Grenache, Carignan, Syrah, and Merlot and is a guaranteed crowd pleaser with food or on it's own.

Tim Willard is an Advanced Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers and a Certified Specialist of Wine with The Society of Wine Educators. He offers restaurant consulting services, wine and service education presentations, and private in-home tastings and dinner pairings. Contact Tim at willardwines at gmail.com and follow him @twillard06

Note: This post has been updated since its original publication, because it didn't have an introduction and it needed one, for context.