Recommendations for a modestly priced wine to serve with turkey?

Any suggestions for a not expensive but good wine to serve with turkey?  TIA

you can serve anything with Turkey.  I'd do a French Chablis or a French Burgandy, depending if your preference is red or white.  Either can be somewhat modest or expensive depending on the quality you want.  

I'm assuming you're looking for a white?

Try a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand or, if you're lucky, a Sancerre on sale under $20.

If you want really inexpensive, try a Vinho Verde from Portugal. You can get good bottles for under $10.

Hahaha, I'm a novice at this, and I've heard that red wines are a bit better from a health standpoint, but I am open to all suggestions (except no one mention white zinfandel, so as not to upset Hank Zona, who I hope will offer a suggestion or two .  Thanks for the responses so far.

I will defer to Hank  

Woot, no need, I appreciate your suggestions, too.  Besides, Hank may either be busy with his own Thanksgiving preparations or my mere mention of white zinfandel (lol) may keep him away from the thread.

Any other ideas welcomed!

Sparkling wine is always a nice choice.  Gruet is about $13:

Hard to go wrong with Riesling.  Rasa "The Composer" should go well with Thanksgiving.  A little hint of sweetness that will go with any sweet sides, but really nice acidity to cut through anything that has some fattiness.  And the alcohol is not too heavy.  Overall, a pretty nicely balanced wine, and priced under $20:
http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/washington/16204.html

Prosecco.   Ruffino Prosecco is about $10.  I bought that and some other kind that was on sale at the Wine Library yesterday. 

I like Viognier or Pinot Blanc - this one is good with food - not too fruity, not to dry, not "oaky"...

http://www.marketviewliquor.com/product/willm-reserve-pinot-blanc-750-ml.html?vfsku=8354&vfsku=8354&gpla=pla&gclid=CKmpyc_7qckCFQEnHwoduyoJ9A

Usually go with reds and a nod to white with a Riesling/Gewurtztraminer.  Always a zin/blend (though not a Turley alcohol bomb per usual, but something lighter from Ridge maybe) and a Grenache/CDP or Cru Beaujolais/Gamay.  (May bring a heavier Blaufränkisch if the cranberry sauce is heaping and I can find one on LI.)  

Three rules I have:

-Don't forget the sides--it ain't all about the turkey but also the often-sweet accompaniments.

-Don't overdo the alcohol content.

-Don't sweat the pairing-- it's about the company, and what you like or what you think others will, not what a chart tells you.

ctrzaska said:

Usually go with reds and a nod to white with a Riesling/Gewurtztraminer.  Always a zin/blend (though not a Turley alcohol bomb per usual, but something lighter from Ridge maybe) and a Grenache/CDP or Cru Beaujolais/Gamay.  (May bring a heavier Blaufränkisch if the cranberry sauce is heaping.)  

Three rules I have:

-Don't forget the sides--it ain't all about the turkey but also the often-sweet accompaniments.

-Don't overdo the alcohol content.

-Don't sweat the pairing-- it's about the company, and what you like or what you think others will, not what a chart tells you.

agree with all of this, especially the points about sweetness and alcohol content. 

I love sparkling wine, especially rose sparkling wine with Thanksgiving dinner but prefer something with a little more heft since its a fuller bodied meal. The Gruet suggestion is really good because you'll find them under $15 most places...and they are made in the US of A...New Mexico, by a French family from Champagne. Lucien Albrecht from Alsace is a really nice rose sparkling wine also for around $15.

Whites...Riesling is an excellent suggestion...my favorite domestic under $15 is Kung Fu Girl from Washington State. Single vineyard and made by one of the best winemakers in WA and often around $10. Finger Lakes are making some top Rieslings but most aren't under $15...Dr. Konstantin Frank and Ravines hover around $15. Sauvignon blanc is a nice white alternative...gruner veltliner or albarino for alternatives. You'll ind good gruners and albarinos in the mid to low teens. Sauvignon blanc values...not Sancerre, although those from Touraine in the Loire are Sancerre-like for $5 or more less a bottle. New Zealand SBs can get almost too pungent, but white Bordeaux which is a blend of sauvignon blanc and Semillon may have some good values in the low teens. A little less sharp and a bit rounder in taste but not ripe and oaked like some of the Cali SBs. Pinot gris, from Oregon or Alsace is a better bodied version of pinot grigio.

Reds...pinot noir is fantastic but its rare to find good ones that taste like pinot noir under $15-20. Stemna I think is the name of a pinot nero from Italy that is around $12 and Jelu from Argentina is also usually low teens...both very good for the price. Domestic...A to Z from Oregon is sometimes found around $15, but I see if most often closer to $20. If you spend that much, that gives you more options for pinot. I love nebbiolo lately with Thanksgiving dinner, but again you wont find many/any good ones under $15. Grenache/garnacha could work, and there you have some alternatives as low as $7-8 a bottle like Evodia from Spain...I think its an under-rated grape for food versatility. Zins pair nicely but expect again to pay low to mid teens to start to get one that tastes like zin.

My big word of advice...its such a heavy meal, try to stay away from heavy wines (heavy meaning higher alcohol, more tannic, more oak aging). We're already overloaded...trying to go lighter isn't a bad idea. And my biggest word of advice...remember its a holiday, so ebr95, I someone really wants white zinfandel, like Aunt Edna, have some for her because who knows how many more Thanksgivings the whole family will be intact. My line...don't be a wine hump. Save it for the dinner with you wine geek friends. Doesn't mean you cant drink as well as you can or want to, but its not the meal to fuss and pontificate over it all.

Here is a link to my latest blog. http://thegrapesunwrapped.com/wp/2015/11/20/my-annual-tips-for-tippling-with-turkey-and-the-trimmings/

Hank, thanks for all of the good suggestions, and thanks to everyone else who contributed with suggestions!

wine Library had A to Z Pinot Noir for 14.98 and I picked up a Nebbiolo for just under 14.00.  I hope it's good.

ctrzaska said:

Usually go with reds and a nod to white with a Riesling/Gewurtztraminer.  Always a zin/blend (though not a Turley alcohol bomb per usual, but something lighter from Ridge maybe).

I always go with a Turley and a Pinot Noir (frequently from the Willamette Valley).

mod said:

wine Library had A to Z Pinot Noir for 14.98 and I picked up a Nebbiolo for just under 14.00.  I hope it's good.

which nebbiolo? the Ca' Del Baio?

hankzona said:

mod said:

wine Library had A to Z Pinot Noir for 14.98 and I picked up a Nebbiolo for just under 14.00.  I hope it's good.

which nebbiolo? the Ca' Del Baio?

Si!

mod said:

hankzona said:

mod said:

wine Library had A to Z Pinot Noir for 14.98 and I picked up a Nebbiolo for just under 14.00.  I hope it's good.

which nebbiolo? the Ca' Del Baio?

Si!

So this is not only from the Langhe, arguably the finest area within Piemonte, but its specifically from Barbaresco, one of the two premier appellations in the Langhe along with Barolo. So the wine has really good pedigree...one review referred to it as a baby Barbaresco and said they were giving it away for the price. So I am sure it will at least be palatable.

I don't know if you work in Manhattan but Chambers Street Wines downtown (sort of an anti-Turley store) has a fantastic selection of Thanksgiving-friendly wines.  

I second the recommendation for Cru Beaujolais (or even a regular Beaujolais from a good producer), lighter in body but complex and certainly food friendly. The producers I like are J-P Brun (Terres Dorees), Pignet, Coudert, Diochon, Desvignes, Michel Tete, Thevenet, Guy Breton, Thivin. (There are others but their wines are too expensive!)

Another excellent Thanksgiving wine is lambrusco, a red sparkling wine. Lini (carried by Village Wineshop on Maplewood Ave), Ceci, Cavicchioli all make it in a dry style perfect for turkey. 

I love Beaujolais and it is arguably one of the best food wines but having poured it a number of events, I find its a taste people aren't familiar with, especially with some of the underlying floral notes. It ends up being one of the best values for quality when I pour it against other wines from other places, but it is also often the least popular. I never recommend Nouveau with Thanksgiving dinner, but has anyone seen the Kermit Lynch Beaujolais Nouveau anywhere? Ive checked three places the KL website said was carrying it, but none had it and never had it.

In a recent tasting of French reds that I did, a head to head betw Terres Dorees Fleurie 2012 and Esmonin Bourgogne Rouge 2009 ended with a split vote. Yes, they are different wines but given the popularity of pinots and the quality of 2009 vintage in Burgundy, I was surprised by the table's reaction.

It was also really interesting that almost every men at the table picked a Chinon (Joguet La Cuvee de la Cure 2007) as their top wine of the evening but none of the women even liked it.  Relatedly, I would add that a cab franc from Saumur would also be a versatile Thanksgiving wine. 

ETA: All this wine talk is making me extremely thirsty. Frankly, I would rather load up on interesting wine than the usual Thanksgiving fare at the table.

I had this with lunch today at my local dumpling place!  Very nice.

hankzona said:


Whites...Riesling is an excellent suggestion...my favorite domestic under $15 is Kung Fu Girl from Washington State. Single vineyard and made by one of the best winemakers in WA and often around $10. 

ctrzwife (and I, now that I think about it) likes that wine a lot.  I believe Mr. Zona can take all the credit for introducing us to that one, going back a few years now. 

Kung Fu Girl is a single vineyard cool climate riesling that gets around a 90 point rating every year and sells for a great price. Charles Smith makes killer three digit price, high two digit rated syrahs but his value $10-15 line of wines are a good example of trickle down quality wine making...and witty label marketing.

@xavier67 I usually grab cab franc with vegetable heavy meat dishes (stews, corned beef and cabbage, etc)...it makes sense for a,similar Thanksgiving meal. There is a vegetal characteristic in cab franc that either makes it a great complement to some palates and too green to others. 

My sis has scored me some more LI Cab Franc, though no Wolffer this go-round (I think Paumanok and someone else)... fingers strumming in anticipation... have gotten to like these wines the past few years, and they've held up well (IMHO).

@xavier67 I usually grab cab franc with vegetable heavy meat dishes (stews, corned beef and cabbage, etc)...it makes sense for a,similar Thanksgiving meal. There is a vegetal characteristic in cab franc that either makes it a great complement to some palates and too green to others. 

Yes, cab franc's unusual trait turns off a lot of people, which is why I picked this 2007 Chinon for the tasting. It's drinking beautifully now, with the acidity, tannins and fruit perfectly knitted, and secondary flavors balancing/masking the usual vegetal notes.

xavier67 said:

@xavier67 I usually grab cab franc with vegetable heavy meat dishes (stews, corned beef and cabbage, etc)...it makes sense for a,similar Thanksgiving meal. There is a vegetal characteristic in cab franc that either makes it a great complement to some palates and too green to others. 

Yes, cab franc's unusual trait turns off a lot of people, which is why I picked this 2007 Chinon for the tasting. It's drinking beautifully now, with the acidity, tannins and fruit perfectly knitted, and secondary flavors balancing/masking the usual vegetal notes.

Ive always enjoyed reading your wine comments on MOL...you are always spot on. Not that I don't enjoy reading your non-wine comments.

ctrzaska said:

My sis has scored me some more LI Cab Franc, though no Wolffer this go-round (I think Paumanok and someone else)... fingers strumming in anticipation... have gotten to like these wines the past few years, and they've held up well (IMHO).

We can do a Northeast franc-off...Ive got some from the Finger Lakes, Virginia and Ohio (yes...Ohio!) By the way, Ive always enjoyed reading your wine comments on MOL too but we've gone beyond just reading it.

Hell of an idea.  Can you get Arturo's to tailor a meal?  

Saw this eve that the guys in town next to 165 have some 2012 Wolffer Cab Franc still there, and at $20 no less (now one less bottle than they had before I walked in).  Not to mention an Austrian Blaufränkisch and a Moulin-A-Vent they came up with when I randomly asked.  Gotta give them credit for bringing in some real interesting stuff, seemingly each time I go in. 

ctrzaska said:

Hell of an idea.  Can you get Arturo's to tailor a meal?  

Saw this eve that the guys in town next to 165 have some 2012 Wolffer Cab Franc still there, and at $20 no less (now one less bottle than they had before I walked in).  Not to mention an Austrian Blaufränkisch and a Moulin-A-Vent they came up with when I randomly asked.  Gotta give them credit for bringing in some real interesting stuff, seemingly each time I go in. 

I'm drinking that blaufrankisch right now. I also tried a 2009 Roero Nebbiolo that is drinking real nice that he is carrying for a reasonable price. He is working with some good less traditional  wholesalers.