Thanksgiving Wine: The One Bottle You'll Want

Between cooking the turkey, making the sweet potatoes and baking the pumpkin pie, finding the right wine can feel like an undertaking all its own. To help narrow down the selection, we called a local wine shop to ask for their one suggestion.

Jeff Wooddy, the general manager of in Dobbs Ferry—which has been in business since 1935—recommends the 2007 Chateau les Valentines, Cotes de Provence.

He describes the wine, which is priced at $23.99 per bottle as, “a blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah, Carignan—all of the typical varieties of Mediterranean France—and Cabernet Sauvignon.”

Why does it work well with next week’s big feast? “I think it is appropriate for Thanksgiving because of its purity, medium-weight and softness. When so many different kinds of foods are served together at table it is important to have a wine that is properly balanced so that it can meet the challenge of all of the various pairings,” says Wooddy. “White wines need to have clear, well-defined flavors and cannot have a naturally vegetal tendency. Red wines should [be] precise, medium-to-rich weight and a long, soft finish. Again, wines with a natural vegetal streak need not apply.”

And if you’re interested in additional drinks, check out the store’s Thanksgiving list, which Woody says they’ve been putting out every year for the last five. “We will put on the list anything -- wine or spirit -- that we feel is fun and works for the season, hence our Hard Cider on this year's list,” he says. 

See the full Thanksgiving wine list at Rochambeau below:

Thanksgiving 2011

HARD CIDER Foggy Ridge cider: $16.99

Dugspur, Virginia

Hard cider made from a blend of heirloom apple varieties grown in the stunningly beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Rich and fruity with a dry finish, this is a great aperitif with which to start the Thanksgiving feast

PINOT GRIS Robert Sinskey Vineyards 2010: $22.99

Carneros, California

One of the most popular wines we stocked all year, over eighty-five cases of this fragrant, soft, rich white were consumed by our local customers this year. Thank you Rivertowns for your enthusiastic embrace of this new favorite

EDELZWICKER ‘Tanzen Dame’ Bloomer Creek Vineyard: $17.99

Hector, New York

The Finger Lakes winery is new to us this season and the wines are pretty delicious. Edelzwicker is a blend of the aromatic Alsatian varieties -- Gewürztraminer and Riesling. Medium-bodied and pleasantly fragrant with just the hint of sweetness on the finish. Lovely

PINOT NOIR Talley Vineyards ‘Arroyo Grande Estate’ 2009: $29.99

Arroyo Grande, California

We’ve been fans of Talley Vineyards’ wines for many years, but Brian Talley and his team are making some of their best wines ever right now. Deep, rich, spicy nose with satisfying weight and a long, ripe finish; this Pinot Noir is as good as the Central Coast has to offer.

COTES DE PROVENCE Chateau les Valentines 2007: $23.99

Les Londe-les-Maures, France

This wine is drinking better now than when we first bought it. Grown less than a mile from the Mediterranean, this is a field blend of old vines Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre punctuated by just a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cinsault. Chateauneuf du Pape aromas with a Bordeaux sensibility.

ZINFANDEL  ‘The Terraces’ Quarry Vineyards 2009: $25.99

Rutherford, California

It wouldn’t be the Thanksgiving list without a Zinfandel and our friend Timm Crull at Terraces makes one of Napa’s finest. Timm has sold his Cabernet to Caymus vineyards for years for use in their famous Special Selection, but this tasty Zin he keeps all to himself. Round, rich, masculine and deep

PETIT SIRAH PORT ‘Serpentine Meadow Vineyard’ Langtry Estate 2006:  $19.99

Middletown, California

This is a blast from the past if ever there was one. For years Guenoc’s Petit Sirah Port was one of our favorite domestic dessert wines, but then Guenoc disappeared. Thank goodness this wine is back in the shape of Langtry Estate & Winery. Petit Sirah, with its purple-blue color and deep, dried fruit nose, makes sensational port. A perfect accompaniment to the end of the Feast