Thanksgiving is full of meal planning – roasting the turkey, baking pies, making the stuffing, assembling salads. And the list goes on. Often the “wine planning” can be pushed to the back burner, which means there’s a bit of a scramble as the arrival of guests loom.

Choosing the wine for our Thanksgiving feast takes some coordinating and of course, negotiating. It’s not the easiest meal to pair wines with, especially since the meal is often a potluck, with dishes of all different styles: cranberry sauce, sweet yams, cinnamon rolls, smoked turkey, traditional stuffing and rice based Colombian stuffing, etc. It’s a broad spectrum that makes pairing wine a bit challenging, but when it’s Thanksgiving (and at any meal!), the most important part isn’t the pairing but is the enjoyment that people have together.

At my parents’ home, often family and friends arrive before the turkey is finished cooking, so we have hors d’oeuvres to buy us some time. During this hour (or sometimes two!), we typically offer main Chardonnay and either a younger Cabernet Sauvignon or Next Red. Giving people the option of either red or white wine allows guests to enjoy whichever they prefer.

With dinner, there are several bottles on the table. We frequently have a magnum each of Reserve Chardonnay and older Cabernet Sauvignon. With the additional age, the older Cabernet is soft and silky in comparison to the younger Cabernet from earlier. Occasionally, if we have any left from our summer supply, a bottle or two of Rosé makes its way onto the table because we’ve found it is delicious with turkey. We also enjoy sharing a Pinot Noir or two from other local wineries or a special Burgundy that Dad has been cellaring.

Last Thanksgiving, we did a time lapse video of our meal. Very fun to see the full, then empty plates!

Thanksgiving is always a fun gathering to share special bottles. Perhaps it’s a bottle you’ve been patiently aging, or a bottle that a dear friend gave to you. Wine is meant to be enjoyed but finding the perfect occasion to uncork those special bottles can be difficult. The Holidays are a great time of year for that. Whether it happens during the Thanksgiving feast with many people or a quiet night with a few friends as you celebrate the Holiday Season, we hope you’ll find a moment to enjoy one of those special bottles over the next few weeks. 

As three generations working together, it means a great deal to us knowing that our wines are featured on many of your Thanksgiving tables. Thank you. We toast you and hope you have a wonderful (and delicious!) Thanksgiving Day. 

If you need assistance with Thanksgiving wine, here are a couple options:

Hafner Vineyard Instant Cellar (three bottles each of 2012 Cabernet, 2013 Next Red, 2014 Reserve Chardonnay and 2015 Chardonnay, $390)
Thanksgiving Collection (two bottles each of 2007 Cabernet and 2014 Chardonnay, $130)
Magnums (2007 Cabernet $120, 2013 Reserve Chardonnay $72 and 2014 Chardonnay $56)