What to Drink for Thanksgiving, Part 2: Red Wine

Whether you're planning the dinner at your home, or whether you're a guest in need of something to bring, or whether you're eating out and you want to be knowledgeable when ordering, today's "What to Drink" installment is all about red wine. Come back here tomorrow for our white wine recommendations.

We're of the opinion that wine will enhance most any meal, and there aren't many meals that are more special than Thanksgiving. So to assist you in your selection process, our wine team got together to recommend a few wines that will please every palate and budget.

Thanksgiving can be a challenging meal when it comes to wine pairing. There is a range of flavors and aromas that are unique to this holiday. Tart cranberry, savory stuffing, creamy green beans and, of course, the turkey itself, combine for a flavor explosion.

Pinot Noir is one of the two most recommended red wines at Thanksgiving. Its subtle flavors and light character make for a natural pairing to most of the flavors found during the Thanksgiving meal. Pinot Noir is considered the most difficult grape to grow, due to its thin skin, but a well made Pinot can be sublime.

That leads us to our first recommendation, Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir. Meiomi comes from the Wagner Family of Wine, the producers of Caymus. It's classified as a California Pinot Noir, as the grapes used in Meiomi come from Santa Barbara, Sonoma and Monterey counties.

Meiomi is a high style Pinot Noir that is shaped, more than anything else, by the fruit sources that lay the foundation of the blend.  A pure bred enjoyment wine, built to accommodate any pairing from food to friends.  Unifying California’s most noteworthy coastal areas opens the door for a dynamic and opulent wine that is ready to enjoy whenever you are.

From the winery: "From our first Pinot Noir vintage in 2002, we set out with a single goal for Meiomi:  To craft a vibrant, food-friendly wine that is approachable and ready to drink upon release.  Being grown and produced with all the bells and whistles available, Meiomi is known for its quality and consistency at a reasonable price.  By blending top-notch parcels of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from three great areas, Meiomi has become known as an approachable wine for any occasion – and at an affordable price it offers up the luxury of reliability year in and year out."

Meiomi Pinot Noir is available for only $19.99 in the Bottle Club®.

Another highly recommended Pinot Noir is The Pinot Project. In fact, your blogger had recently recommended this for an event where we were a guest. Other guests knew that we had recommended the wines, and this was a big hit.

The Pinot Project is one of the greatest red wine values coming out of California. It is hand-crafted from grapes grown in notable AVA’s, such as Sonoma County, Carneros and Monterey. The Pinot Project has a full and silky mouth feel, with just the right amount of acidity to complement a variety of dishes. The wine is 100% stainless steel fermented with the caps receiving periodic punchdowns, before finishing dry with just a kiss of oak.

Enjoy pure PINOT aromas and flavors -- black cherries kissed by oak and complimented by just the right amount of Asian spice. An incredible bargain at only $9.96 in the Bottle Club®.

Zinfandel is considered the quintessential American red, making it a natural pairing for the quintessential American celebration. Genetically, Zinfandel is nearly identical to Italy's Primitivo, with Zin's typically more fruit-forward, while finishing with a peppery touch.

One of our favorites is the Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel, from Lodi, CA, in the Central Valley. The most rich, intense and multi-dimensional zinfandel tends to be produced from “Old Vines”, vines that are at least 50 years old. “Old Vines”, also known as Ancient Vines, Gnarly vines, Old Timer Vines, Old World Vines or Old Twisted Vines are in decline, mature in age, with low vigor. They tend to have fewer clusters of grapes with smaller berry size, yielding more intense sugars, color and concentration of flavors typically producing wines that are generally better balanced with more body and structure.

The 2012 Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel is a blend of 16 different vineyard blocks of old vine zinfandel vineyards with an average age of 85 years. With berries and spice on the nose, dark, sweet fruit fills the palate with just a hint of black pepper. This wine has a long, lingering finish.

Here's what our team said about Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel: "A full-bodied and ripe Zin offering flavors of sweet red fruits, licorice and spice with a black pepper infused finish. Lush and jammy style."

Since today is National Zin Day (we're not making that up), we'd suggest enjoying one today, and another on Thanksgiving. Only $15.99 in the Bottle Club®.

Since Zin and Primitivo are basically the same grape, we're also recommending a Primitivo this year. The 2010 Feudo di Santa Croce Primitivo di Manduria LXXIV scored 91 points from Wine Spectator, and finished as #69 on their just-released 2014 Top 100.

The Wine Spectator review: "A burly, brambly red, underscored by tarry smoke and underbrush notes, offering flavors of blackberry coulis, herb-marinated black olive, grilled mushroom and ground spice. This shows muscle that recommends it to short-term cellaring, made accessible by integration and balance. Drink now through 2024."

Our wine team's review: "Very enticing aromas of vanilla, stewed fruit, blackberry, cedar and prunes. The flavors are silky and lush with bold vanilla, blackberry, licorice, blueberry and chocolate with black pepper on the finish."

Finally, from the winery: This has a ruby red color, enriched with garnet reflections. It offers a generous perfume, which recalls plums and ripe red fruits. This wine has a velvety texture, dry and spicy. Only $19.96 in the Bottle Club®.

Our last red wine recommendation will not be available for sale until tomorrow. The third Thursday in November is the traditional sale date for Beaujolais Nouveau from Georges Duboeuf, which is the first wine released from the most recent harvest.

Because the wine is officially embargoed until tomorrow, there are no reviews currently available. But because of its release date, many people will enjoy this wine from Thanksgiving through Christmas. Typically, the Beaujolais Nouveau is a light and fruity wine, best enjoyed with a slight chill, rather than room or cellar temperature. It will be priced at $8.09 in the Bottle Club®.

Monday was Part 1 of What to Drink for Thanksgiving. Click here to review that post. And come back tomorrow for the final installment.