WineXpert Thanksgiving Recommendations

[Ron0126]

I'm thinking of starting an Island Mist Cranberry Malbec to drink at Thanksgiving in about 5 months (obviously the cranberry theme would pair well) but wanted to see if anyone had any other suggestions for a typical Thanksgiving meal of turkey, ham, cornbread dressing, sweet potato casserole, etc. Looking for something inexpensive that a wide variety of friends and family would probably enjoy.

Thanks!

 

[Cellar_Dweller]

Wine is so subjective. What is good is what you like. The traditional pairing with turkey is Pinot Noir. We've had Chardonnay some years, but I really prefer Pinot. You may not have enough time to do a Pinot and age it in time for TurkeyDay though. The Cranberry sounds interesting, but I've never had Island Mist. Is it sweet? There are very few food pairings that I happen to like with a sweet wine. Would you make it dry?

 

[Ron0126]

Wine is so subjective. What is good is what you like. The traditional pairing with turkey is Pinot Noir. We've had Chardonnay some years, but I really prefer Pinot. You may not have enough time to do a Pinot and age it in time for TurkeyDay though. The Cranberry sounds interesting, but I've never had Island Mist. Is it sweet? There are very few food pairings that I happen to like with a sweet wine. Would you make it dry?

I'd probably backsweeten it a little since most of the people in my family seem to prefer it that way. Maybe to 1.006 or so.

I've not tried Island Mist as yet but had several people tell me it was a hit with friends and family. It's a little lower in ABV and is a little sweeter.

 

[salcoco]

Riesling would be a good pairing . can make it off dry and sweet. make it both ways by varying back sweetening and have variety. start now with wine kit and it will be ready for Thanksgiving.

 

[PandemoniumWines]

I'm not familiar with kits so much, but we have a cranberry wine every year with Thanksgiving and everyone (who drinks wine) loves it.

This year I have a Pumpkin Pie wine aging for turkey day... but if it doesn't work out I'll just buy a couple bottles of cranberry

 

[cmason1957]

If you decide to go with the Island Mist, add some sugar prefermentation. They are incredibly sweet, if you make them by the book and low Alcohol. Made by the book, the sweetness would overpower the tastes. I usually add about 4 lbs sugar with these kits to bump the Alcohol​ up to about 12%.

 

[NorCal]

An oaky, buttery Chardonnay for me.

 

[FTC Wines]

We have 3 yr, 2 yr & 1yr Cranberry Wine on our racks. Make a batch each year after Thanksgiving when cranberries go on sale. Replace the 3 yr with a new batch. Roy

 

[jgmann67]

I've only done 2 mist kits so far. Each was done as described by others: dump half the fpac into the primary, boost with simple syrup to get a potential 10-11% ABV wine. Then back sweeten to taste after it clears. Easy-peasy, lemon squeezie. With 5 months, you should have plenty of time to degas and clear before bottling.

I will typically serve a white and a red for Thanksgiving. The Pinot pairs well with the dark meat from the turkey. And my wife loves a chard.

 

[ceeaton]

My wife's favorite is a Cranberry Chianti (Orchard Breese kit). I add 1/2 to 3/4 of the f-pack to the wine towards the end of the ferment (since it has some Potassium Sorbate in the f-pack) and the rest after stabilizing and it usually hits 1.003 to 1.005. I don't care for it because I'm not a big cranberry lover, but she has not found a person to give it to that doesn't request another bottle. And I usually get $75 transferred to my account, which signals that she wants me to make her another batch. Usually drinkable within 3 months, though at 9 to 12 months is actually pretty smooth and tasty (if you like a cranberry flavored wine). I'm trying to replicate it with a Chianti juice bucket I got from Harford Vineyards this spring, but I highly doubt I will get the approval that I normally do with the kit. Who knows, I could be wrong for once.

 

[Boatboy24]

If you can get your hands on a Rose kit, that's another good one for Thanksgiving.

 

[Ron0126]

We have 3 yr, 2 yr & 1yr Cranberry Wine on our racks. Make a batch each year after Thanksgiving when cranberries go on sale. Replace the 3 yr with a new batch. Roy

Sounds great!
Where did you find the recipe?