3 Festive Wine Tips for the Thanksgiving Table
…for a cozy and comfy Thanksgiving weekend
Thanksgiving and wine go together as the occasion to open up and try new or familiar labels with friends and family.
But for those who only celebrate Thanksgiving occasionally with American friends, what is Thanksgiving really about?
In brief, the Thanksgiving weekend is coming up next week in the US and in many locations in Italy thanks to American ex-pats. Celebrating the blessings of the yearly harvest has been an occurrence in many countries and cultures, also in Sweden historically even if we today do not have any official secular holiday to celebrate Thanksgiving. Not like in the US where Thanksgiving is a celebration and holiday that dates to 1863 and state legislation by the Founding Fathers. Since 1941 it has been celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November most often involving attending church, having a family meal, and watching American football.
Wine Tips for Your Thanksgiving Celebration
I am not going to make suggestions with the perfect pairings in mind, for me, it is more about choosing wines that you like, trying new wines that can trigger a discussion, and above all enjoying together. Just as Eric Asimov says “Most important, though, and often lost in the discussion of which bottles to choose and how to serve them, is wine’s symbolic, ritualistic role in bringing people together and reaffirming social bonds” (see Picking the Thanksgiving Wine Is the Easy Part in New York Times)
I have chosen three wines that should be available in some states in the US. See one of the wine tips below. Go to my website to get more wine tips.
Spumante Brut Rosé Metodo Classico from Scacciadiavoli winery
Scacciadiavoli winery is located close to Montefalco in Umbria and was built by Ugo Boncompagni Ludovisi in 1884. Boncompagni Ludovisi inherited several titles, among the one as Prince of the Principality of Piombino. At the turn of the century (19th to 20th century), 14-year-old Amilcare Pambuffetti worked as a day laborer at the Boncompagni Ludovisi estate, which already from the beginning was into viticulture and wine production. He would then go abroad and into sales of different products of Alaska seafood, where the family made their fortune. In 1954, he then acquired the Scacciadiavoli estate where he once had worked. The Pambuffetti family has continued the winemaking tradition and made the estate into one of the core Sagrantino producers in Montefalco.
Then there is the story of the name “Scacciadiavoli” which has to do with a local exorcist…but that story is for another article. You see there are a lot of stories to talk about while sipping on their sparkling Sagrantino rosé wine at Thanksgiving.
The Sagrantino sparkling wine made with the Champenoise method rests on the lees for 24 months. It is really a sparkling wine that invites conviviality, i.e. to be enjoyed together with friends and family while snacking on starters, pasta with seafood sauces, or even second courses. It has lovely floral and fruity notes, such as citrus fruit, grapefruit, and red apples. (You can find it in some states in the US such as Michigan, see here.)
Katarina Andersson of Grapevine Adventures has a Ph.D. in history from the European University Institute. She is a wine writer, content strategist and creator, sommelier, wine judge, and translator. She is the founder of WinesOfItaly LiveStream which aired from 2015–2021 and DigitalVino LiveStream which aired from 2020–2022. Contact Katarina for collaborations.
