Obligatory Thanksgiving Post

In general, I think a lot of people focus way too much on pairing. I mean, you obviously don't want to serve a giant Shiraz with a Caesar salad, but generally speaking most wine go with most food.

Thanksgiving dinner, if you believe the critics, is a "difficult" meal to pair. It helps sells papers and magazines, I suppose, but I think it's rather absurd.

The key is to avoid big wines - leave your Mollydookers, your Napa Cabs, and your giant buttery Chardonnays on the wine rack. This is the meal to break out the Pinot Noirs, the lighter bodied Zinfandels, the roses, the Rieslings, the Gewurztraminers, and the sparklers.

I also can't help but think that unless you have a very small group of people who all really know wine, you shouldn't be spending much - even $15 is steep. Stick with the $10 range, it's all about the food and the company, right?

My top five suggested wines for Thanksgiving are:

1) 2009 Pierre Chermette Beaujolais Primeur
Screw the haters. I don't know if it's the vintage, the producer, or my incredibly low expectations, but this won me over and would be perfect. My endorsement is only for this bottle, not BN in general (see above).

2) 2007 Bistro Pinot Noir
An easy choice - perhaps the best under $10 (if not under $20) Pinot Noir out there.

3) 2008 Lacheteau Loire Valley Vouvray
An absurdly good Trader Joe's exclusive for seven bucks. Loads of acid and a nice hit of sugar will complement just about everything on your plate.

4) N/V Binny's Blanc de Blancs Cuvee Tradition Brut Vin Mousseux
For Chicagoland readers, this Binny's exclusive (for five bucks, no less) is a screaming value.

5) 2008 Mulderbosch South Africa Rose
A rose from South Africa should be unique enough to spark a conversation should one be needed. The fact that it's tasty helps as well.