Robert's Thanksgiving list.

Hi everybody!

So Thanksgiving is nearly upon us and it's time for Robert Sharker's annual list of recommended Turkey Day wines!

Now before we begin, we should clarify a few things. My hi-tech tracking data tells me that the majority of my readers are land-dwelling humans, which means that your Thanksgiving celebrations are drastically different than mine. Whereas my family and I typically enjoy a steaming pile of dead sea lions or sometimes a two-ton roasted walrus for Thanksgiving dinner, I realize that the majority of my readers traditionally consume the large, stupid North American bird known as "Turkeys" for their respective Thanksgiving dinners. Now I have never seen one of these Turkey things before, but I've done some independent research and here are my recommended wines to accompany a traditional human-style Thanksgiving dinner:

WHITES:

-Andre Blanck Riesling 2007: Beautiful dry Riesling from Alsace. Bright acidity, nectarine, peach and lychee flavors, this makes Turkey or any other large, semi-flightless bird taste better!

-Terra Antiga Vinho Verde 2008: This Portuguese quaffer is a popular wine during the hot summer months, but its refreshing fruity flavors also help to improve the dry flesh of dead Turkeys. This one in particular has wonderful mango and pineapple flavors, along with a slightly spritzy texture. Its incredibly cheap price tag also helps during this period of extreme economic recession (...largely created by douchebag humans).

-D'Arenberg Hermit Crab Viognier/Marsanne 2008: Lotta stuff going on in this white blend from Australia; we've got citrus, stone fruit, pear, and some savory, nutty flavors rounding it all out. All in all, it's full bodied and fresh. A fine partner with Turkey...and not a bad choice with stuck-up Sea Bass motherfuckers either.

REDS:

-Domaine de Colette Regnie 2008: Excellent value in cru-Beaujolais here. Light-bodied strawberry, raspberry, and mineral notes make this a no-brainer. You could even slip some in at the kids table if you would like to enjoy a quiet ride home after dinner!

-Hartford Court Land's Edge Vineyards Pinot Noir 2007: Ripe cherries, red currant, and delicately balanced acid from this fantastic Sonoma Coast bottling. Especially good pairing if you like to go heavy on the cranberry sauce.

-Cantina Zaccagnini "Ikebana" Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2007: Light. Really light. And juicy too. Like the blood from a freshly killed...oh never mind... my human audience could never fully understand. Anyway, this wine would be great with turkey. Freshly slaughtered, still warm, bleeding turkey...ok, moving along now...

ROSES:

-Commanderie de la Bargemone Coteaux d'Aix En Provence 2008: A blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Carignan. This is a full-bodied dry rose, with flavors of wild strawberry, it's an ideal distraction from the bland flesh of your mother-in-law's overcooked turkey (and her blah, blah, blah-ing...).

-Villa Wolf Rose of Pinot Noir 2008: From the Pfalz region of Germany. Joyfully light,juicy, raspberry and pomegranate flavors backed by some robust acidity and minerality. Makes it so easy to wash down an entire turkey...or some guy with a mustache from Tampa who fell off his jet ski!

FOR DESSERT:

-M. Chapoutier Banyuls 2007: Layers of chocolate, espresso, raspberry and raisins abound in this hedonistic bottling from southern France. Great with tiramisu, sharp cheeses, or humans with intense body odor.

That does it for Robert Sharker's 2009 Thanksgiving wine list! Needless to say, there are HUNDREDS, if not THOUSANDS of great wines out there to accompany your Thanksgiving dinner- these are just a few of my favorites of this year. Don't see your favorite Turkey wine on this list? You can tell me all about it at robertsharker@gmail.com.

Until next time,

Happy Thanksgiving from Robert!

Sincerely,

Robert Sharker.