A Wine to Complement Any Thanksgiving Meal

By Josh Perilo

Ishook my head as I walked down the "seasonal" aisle of our local CVS. Natali sighed heavily, knowing I was about to sound off about something insignificant again. She was right.

"I mean, really?! Christmas already?" I huffed. "Halloween was yesterday."

The shelves that had only 24 hours ago held hundreds of pounds of fun-sized Snickers bars and mountains of candy corn now housed tinsel, LED string lights and candy-cane shaped chocolates wrapped in green-and-red foil.

"It's the seasonal aisle, Josh," she said, "and this is the beginning of the Christmas season."

"Good lord," I muttered. "Has everyone forgotten about Thanksgiving?"

True, there aren't as many surefire merchandising tie-ins and pieces of swag associated with Thanksgiving. I suppose there are only so many foldout paper turkeys with which one can decorate. That said, I feel like, over the last couple of decades, this most American of holidays has become an afterthought in the great rush to Christmas.

I happen to think it's the ultimate holiday. First, for selfish reasons, because it's all about food. The focus of the day is on the meal and the meal alone. Second, its message is a tremendous one. True, the origins of this day are more than a tad shady, but the evolution of the holiday's meaning is undeniable: Give thanks for what you have. Third, it's nondenominational. Everyone gets to eat turkey, and there's nothing wrong with that.

So in honor of my absolute favorite holiday of the winter holiday season, I would like to pick some American wines to pair with some of the typical courses of this great American feast.

A side dish that I make every Thanksgiving, while not part of the typical Turkey Day menu, is Israeli couscous with chanterelles. Mushrooms, in one form or another, usually find their way into the Thanksgiving meal, whether in a green bean casserole, as part of the stuffing or sautéed and served all by themselves.

My go-to wine for all things 'shroomy is a full-bodied California chardonnay. A great example of this type of full-throttle chard is the Arcadian Vineyard "Sleepy Hollow" Chardonnay 2006 ($33.99 at Astor Wines, 399 Lafayette St. at E. 4th St., 212-674-7500). This wine's fermentation happens in French oak barrels. Because it's fermented in oak, there are overt notes of oakiness, but because it is French oak, there's more finesse and less of those "chewing on Ikea furniture" flavors. It has major scents of tangerine and biscuits on the nose. The palate continues the mature orange flavors and adds guava notes in the middle. The finish is honeysuckle, allspice and burnt sugar.

Then, of course, there's the turkey. No matter how you prepare it-roasted, grilled, fried or braised-I always reach for the same varietal: zinfandel. And what could possibly be more appropriate than serving, arguably, the most American of grapes with the most American of main courses? True, the primitivo grape that is indigenous to southern Italy is genetically identical to zinfandel, but aside from that, the two wines have precious little in common. Zinfandel is bold, strong and makes a real statement. What's more American than that?

A wonderful example is the Rosenblum Harris Kratka Zinfandel 2006 ($17.49 at Morrell and Company, 1 Rockefeller Plz. at 48th Street and 5th Ave., 212-688-9370). The Rosenblum brand is well known for reliable and affordable zins, but the Harris Kratka really showcases the best winemaking that this producer has to offer. Blueberry compote and cinnamon are the major scents on the nose. Deliciously aggressive notes of blackberry jam, currants and mace lead through to a peppery middle and a finish that goes long with lingering flavors of earth and cassis.

The ubiquitous pumpkin pie can be a tricky one to match, wine-wise-unless you have a bottle of Osborne Pedro Ximenez Sherry on hand ($17.99 at 67 Wine, 179 Columbus Ave. at 68th St., 212-724-6767). This thick-as-syrup meal-ender has enough unctuous notes of molasses, dates and caramel that coffee may become an afterthought.

So, instead of bringing the candied sweet potatoes this year, bring a bottle of vino! I guarantee you'll be more popular.