Rosé for different type of Thanksgiving
Typically this is a gathering time, to come together and give thanks. This year gatherings will look a little different. All that talk about no technology at the table has changed. Now the gathering and the love we share may need to be through a screen. This year, this is the way we show our gratitude. By keeping those we love safe.
So we may need to adjust some of our dishes. Perhaps cut the recipe back as there are fewer people gathered around our tables. Maybe we veer a little off the traditional path this year, with the freedom to explore new flavors. Perhaps to we explore different wines.
This year, at our house we will be “Thinking Pink!”
We received a few beautiful samples and this seems like the perfect celebration to pop them open. Yes, it will just me Michael and I, and no, we won’t finish all three bottles in one sitting, but it will be fun to taste and pair each of these wines with the variety of dishes on our table for two.
*These wines were received free of charge as samples. No other compensation was received and all opinions are our own.
The great thing about pink is its pair-ability. Typically brighter and more acidic than most red wines, it is great for pairing with food. You get that brighter acid, but you also get bits of those lovely tannins from red wines, making many of these wines tough enough to stand up to bigger heavier flavors.
These rosé wines will go with your turkey or ham, they will be fine with the green bean casserole, the sweet potatoes, and will be great with your cranberry sauce. That sparkling wine will be lovely with your pie of choice for dessert!
They are also great with pizza (which many of us will have as a simple dinner on Wednesday night) and will be stellar with the leftover sandwich on Friday!
There are deeper rosés, like the Tavel we will tell you about, that are richer with heavier tannins for those of you who lean more toward reds. While the Provençe rosé we have from AIX will lean more to the white wine end of the spectrum with just a tint of color, great acid, and hints of red fruit notes.
Then of course you have sparkling rosés, like the one from the Prosecco region that are joyful bubbles with just a touch of red fruit and a bit more sweetness to them.
Besides, pink is a joyful color and we can all use as much joy as we can find this year!
Here are the wines we will be enjoying:
Val d’Oca Sparkling Rosé
You may have seen my social media posts calling this a Prosecco rosé. While technically that is what it is, the naming is just a bit premature. The Prosecco region approved Prosecco Rosé this past year, but the first bottles allowed to use that on their label, well, they won’t be released until January of 2021. But…for all intents and purposes, that will just mean a label change for this wine, the stuff inside, remains the same.
This wine is a blend of Glera (the grape known for Prosecco) and Pinot Nero (that the Italian name for Pinot Noir).
11.5% abv – 10 g/l rs – $12.99 SRP
A little extra motivation to enjoy this affordable sparkling pink wine? This winery is one of the oldest Prosecco producers. This is a cooperative of 600 growers and they are working hard on sustainability goals. They know that keeping the planet and the land safe and healthy means they can continue to make great wines.
Watch for another pairing with a Val d’Oca Prosecco coming up this holiday! (Thank you to Vigneto Communications for these samples)
AIX 2019 Rosé
This pale salmon colored wine comes to us from Provençe thanks the folks at KO Brand Wine & Spirits. From the Coteaux-d’Aix region. The region became an AOC in 1985 and currently provides about 17% of the wines coming out of Provençe with about 29 million bottles, of which 86% is rosé.
It is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Cinsault, and 20% Syrah. This is one of the largest domaines in the region with 185 acres of vines that sit 1,400 feet above sea level and are sustainably farmed. The soils here vary from sandy and chalky to limestone.
It’s noted that this was a trying season weather wise with a hot summer and late rains. The wines retained great freshness. This is a grenache led wine so you can expect notes of watermelon and strawberry. It will be wonderful with turkey or ham!
13% abv – 5.5 g/L rs – $19.99 SRP
Château d’Aqueria 2019 Tavel Rosé
Ah Tavel. A favorite of Hemingway, and often called “the thinking drinkers rosé”. This region, located in the Southern Rhône, only makes rosé. It is typically deeper in color, richer in flavor and higher in alcohol than other French rosés.
This particular Tavel (again sent to us by KO Brand) is a blend of multiple varieties: 45% Grenache (both noir and blanc), 21% Clairette, 15% Cinsault, 8% Mourvèdre, 6% Syrah, and 5% Bourboulenc.
Château d’Aqueria hand harvests from their sandy slopes that span 163 acres. The grapes are destemmed and macerate to get the beautiful deep color. Expect a dry wine with luscious notes of dark berries, bramble and earth.
14.26% abv – 3.01 g/L rs – $19.99 SRP
While this will not be a typical Thanksgiving, and we will likely need to be distant from many of those people most dear to us, take the time to raise a glass in gratitude. Be it pink, or red, or white, sparkling, sweet or still, toast the ones you love, near and far. Toast them on Zoom, in selfies, on Face-time or just over the phone. Take the time to tell them that you love them. These are the days when things like that, should not go unsaid.
Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!
More on Thanksgiving wines
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
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