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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know - Continued On Page 27 The Best Wines For Thanksgiving — And How To Pick Them The Best Nonalcoholic Red Wines For Holiday Meals W ith all due respect to over- achievers, there’s no right or wrong answer to the perennial question, “What’s the best wine to drink on Thanksgiv- ing?” Like many things in wine, and life, you can go in a lot of directions and find something that makes you - and everyone at your holiday table - happy. The trick is to zero in on wine char- acteristics such as weight and acidity, explains Cristian Urbina, head sommelier at the Dabney in D.C. “Wines can get lost behind richer, flavorful foods. You want something that has enough acid and body and aroma to play off of all these hearty and comforting Thanksgiving dishes.” Fortunately, there are plenty of white, red, sparkling, rosé and orange wines that fit the bill. They don’t need to break the bank to feel special, either. Whatever you like to drink, and however much you want to spend, there’s an array of Thanksgiving wines for you. Here’s how to find them. WHITE WINES Textured, medium-bodied white wines, such as chenin blanc, riesling and ver- mentino, deliver lots of acidity that keep the holiday meal feeling fresh and make it even more enjoyable to quietly help your- self to a second round of stuffing. “The wine and food are dancing togeth- er, not one dominating the other,” Urbina says. He’s partial to chenin blanc from the Loire Valley, particularly vouvray. You can also find excellent chenin in California’s Central Coast, plus South Africa’s Stellen- bosch, Swartland and other regions. Try bottles from: Domaine Frantz Saumon or Domaine Huet (Loire) Field Recordings (California) Kloof Street (Swartland) Dry riesling is a sommelier darling because its rippling acidity is incredibly food-friendly. Some of my favorite places to find it are: The Finger Lakes region (NewYork) Willamette Valley (Oregon) Mosel Valley and Nahe regions (Ger- many) Alsace (France) On German wine labels, the driest ex- pressions are called trocken; Willi Schaefer and Emrich-Schönleber’s rieslings are usually easy to find in the United States. If your Thanksgiving wine budget is especially bountiful this year, Burgundian chardonnay combines holiday-worthy opulence with mineral notes and bright acidity. White burgundy is an investment, but you can often find value in those from the Chablis region, particularly compared with other areas within the region, such as Meursault or Chassagne-Montrachet, says Michael Brooks, the owner of Bed-Vyne Wine & Spirits in Brooklyn. Perhaps you’re lucky enough to live near a shop with a deep bench of global bottles; in that case, add a dry furmint from Hungary to your holiday lineup. Textured and tart, its herby undertones complement sage-scented Thanksgiv- ing foods such as this pumpkin crostata or skillet sweet potatoes. “Furmint is one of those high-acid, lip-smacking, ‘What am I even drinking?’ kinds of white wine that keeps all its converts coming back for more,” says Shannon Saulsbury, the wine and sake programmanager at Flagship Restaurant Group in Omaha. Keep an eye out for dry furmints from Royal Tokaji - a label renowned for its world-class sweet wines - Disznókö, and Oremus. RED WINES Many wine professionals consider gamay from Beaujolais a foolproof Thanksgiving pairing. It’s low in alcohol and in tannins - the compounds that dry your mouth out after you sip - so it won’t overpower even the most tender slice of turkey. Plus, it has enough texture and refreshing acidity to play ball with starchy sides such as macaroni and cheese or mashed potatoes with roasted garlic. It’s great with a chill, too. Domaine Jean Foillard has a range of gamays at different price points, as does Yann Bertrand. A slightly deeper cut equally suited to Thanksgiving tables is cabernet franc. Look for versions from regions with historically cooler climates, such as the Loire Valley, Finger Lakes andWashington state’s Columbia Valley. “Cab franc really shines during Thanksgiving because you’ve got those cranberry and sour cherry notes, and also the sage, pepper and high acidity that refreshes the palate,” says Brooks. “It just enhances the overall experience.” He plans to pour one of Forge Cellars’ cabernet francs at his holiday table. I’ve also tasted great bottles from: Quady North (Oregon) Savage Grace (Washington state) Domaine Amirault’s Saint-Nicolas-de- Bourgueil (France) Hermann J. Wiemer (NewYork) Fuller-bodied, higher-alcohol red wines with grippy tannins risk overpowering starch- and poultry-driven Thanksgiving menus. But if you can’t imagine a holi- day meal without a big, bold red wine, try a merlot-heavy Right Bank bordeaux that’s four years old or older, says Andrew Limberg, director of operations at Moon Rabbit restaurant in D.C. “If it has a little bit of age, the bigger tannins and a lot of the more aggressive flavors like that pencil lead and almost chalky taste on the back palate are going to be gone. It mellows out the wine and gives it a little more bal- ance.” At Moon Rabbit, he pours a 2015 Château Gueyrosse from Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, a merlot-forward, food-friendly red that’s spent enough time in the bottle to smooth its grip. SPARKLING WINES Searching for one wine to go with all your Thanksgiving dishes? “Be the person who brings the bubbles,” Urbina says. With low alcohol and laser-sharp acidity, champagne is “a literal cheat code when it comes to pairing wine with food because it goes with everything,” he says. “A rich, ripe glass of champagne with turkey? That would have me dying.” The following sparklers - all from the Champagne region - are a few that I’d love to sip on Thanksgiving, or any night of the year: Champagne Gosset Eric Rodez Philipponnat Jacquesson Émilien Feneuil If champagne is out of your price range, cavas, crémants and franciacortas are all made using the same technique. So are se- lect sparklers from the Finger Lakes, Wil- lamette Valley, and Napa, California. Seek out bottles that say traditional method, méthode traditionnelle or méthode cham- penoise on their labels. ORANGE AND ROSÉ WINES Orange and rosé wines not only bridge the gap between reds and whites, but can also carry you from appetizers to turkey legs. The caveat is the variability within each category. These wines can be made with various red or white grapes, a range of maceration times, and fermentation in stainless steel, amphorae, or other vessels. To find an orange wine that’s fresh and lively, your best bet is to ask a salesper- son for a lighter-bodied, high-acid and not-too-funky suggestion. I’ve swooned over bottles that fill this description from the Central Coast and Berkeley, California, and from places with centuries-old orange winemaking traditions such as: Georgia Slovenia Northeastern Italy Flagship’s Saulsbury suggests Cantina Puiatti Ribolla Gialla: “You want more of it after each sip,” she says. I’d add Iago’s Wine Chinuri from Georgia, and Donkey & Goat and Bonny Doon in California. Rosés that hold their own at the Thanksgiving table can be identified visu- ally. Saulsbury suggests looking for ones with deeper hues, “like a Spanish rosado or a Bandol rosé. You can also find some rosés from Napa that are darker-colored and have more boldness and structure.” Whichever wines you choose, the point of popping bottles on Thanksgiving isn’t to attain some impossibly high bar of gas- tronomic achievement. “I find that people get too lost in the sauce trying to find the nuances of a quote-unquote perfect pair- ing,” says Limberg. “Don’t force it.” It’s a holiday, after all. Drink what you love, and leave the stress to whoever is carving the turkey or overseeing the seat- ing arrangements. Unless, of course, that’s you. In which case, let’s pour you a glass. -Special to TheWashington Post T hough nonalcoholic wines aren’t a new invention, good ones are. The first one I tasted, more than 20 years ago at a Thanksgiving din- ner, was little more than dark grape juice in a fancy bottle, and while I was happy to have something a bit more sophisticated to sip at dinner, it was more about fitting in than outright enjoyment. It also felt like a shame to pair good food with not-so- good wine - especially on the one holiday that’s specifically all about the food - but still, it was better than drinking soda. That’s no longer the case, especially where red wine is concerned. Technol- ogy has improved, and it’s now possible to strip the alcohol from wine without decimating body, color and all the distinct characteristics that make reds so special in the first place. Now there are so many choices, including sophisticated caber- nets and fruity blends, it’s genuinely hard to know where to start. We’re well past the “any choice is a good choice” era and deep into the “which of these fifty great choices is the best?” problem. And the audience has changed, too. Nonalcoholic wine is no longer just for those in recovery. It’s for anyone who loves the ritual and flavor of wine but not the buzz - or the hangover. Hosts who would like everyone to feel included, people taking a night off, sober-curious types who want something nice in their glass. Turns out you don’t need alcohol to enjoy the swirl, the clink, or that first deep sip of something dark and delicious. But with the abundance, it’s easy to get lost in marketing and pretty labels. We wanted to know what really holds up. So we assembled a blind taste panel - a mix of drinkers across the spectrum: ones tak- ing a break, newcomers to the NA scene, and longtime sober folks. The mission: to find truly fantastic nonalcoholic reds that will pair well with a holiday meal - or any time you want a glass of wine but not the alcohol. CHAVIN ZÉRO CABERNET MERLOT This French import swept the floor, with every member of our panel picking it as their absolute favorite. It’s bold and refined, with a velvety texture, and layers of rich plum, cherry and warm spice. Our panel loved its balance, calling it “pleas- antly dry,” with the sort of big, jammy fruit flavors “you get excited to drink.” By Emily Saladino By Allison Robicelli News India Times (November 22, 2025 - November 28, 2025) November 28, 2025 26 Thanksgiving