What Wine Goes with Turkey?

What wine goes with turkey? Nouveau Beaujolais, or the new wines of the Beaujolais region, is an inexpensive quaffing wine, a light, fruity drink that has overtones of sugar with an abundance of fruit and an aroma that always gives me the aura of candied apples. Actually, the wine does go well with turkey, and it's available and is inexpensive, in the $9-$11 range. For a while, when Marketers were kings, there were airplane races across the Atlantic, and secret tastings and a lot of nonsensical fol-de-rol about the first tastings, always accompanied by drum rolls and fireworks, at least in the imagination. But things have become quieter in recent years, Marketers have been pushed to the rear and a certain amount of reality has taken hold. Nouveau Beaujolais is fun, but it is not to be taken seriously, and the major problem with the wine is that it gets in the way of the "real" Beaujolais, which will be released in the spring of 2004. The better stuff costs a little more, but it provides a great deal more flavor and satisfaction, at a minor increase in price. In a search for wine to accompany Thanksgiving dinner, and to mark the beginning of the fabled "turkey lurkey time," I visited some area wine retailers last weekend and discovered that the Nouveau craze seems to be diminishing in favor of the thoughtful purchase of other wines for the occasion. For example, the New York Times last week offered a recommendation for Zinfandel on the Thanksgiving table. There are those who prefer Champagne. I like the good, dry bubbly, and I also like a pleasant Burgundy or Pinot Noir, whose black cherry overtones work well. I'd rank those above Zinfandel, which would be my third choice. Some people like a bubbly Gewurztraminer, especially the dry ones, and traditionalists come out for Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. In other words, drink the wine you like. The Thanksgiving table includes enough different dishes and different flavors that almost any wine will satisfy. I recently sampled a Talbott Chardonnay from Monterey County that had some of the same gravelly notes as a good French Chablis, and while I was not eating turkey at the time, I could envision the match. My only non-recommendations would be a sweet wine or a mammoth, full-bodied red like a well-aged Bordeaux or Cabernet Sauvignon. As far as Nouveau wines are concerned, Georges Du Boeuf seems to have cornered the market on the French imports, with his own label and that of Chateau de la Grande Grange. The regular label still shows overtones of candy apple and bubble gum in the aroma and the first taste, but the Chateau de la Grande Grange offers less unpleasantness. Paul Bocuse, the renowned chef, also has his name on a Nouveau that has a pleasing strawberry aroma and less intrusive flavors. It seems more solid and its flavors last longer. Momessin is another Nouveau label of some standing. John Nash, the imaginative operator of the Wine Merchant, offered tasters a traditional Beaujolais alongside his Nouveau bottles, and he scored major points. The Domaine du Vissoux, from the 2002 vintage, was delicious, with lots of fruit and fine balance. It costs a few bucks more than the Nouveau, but there's a huge difference in the glass. Very much worth a try. There are lots of superb food-wine combinations, and everyone has favorites. As far as I'm concerned, and as I've said for years, "Give me a great wine and a great meal, and I'll find a way to make them a perfect combination."