French Wines for the Thanksgiving Table

I have a love-hate relationship with French wines. Some are stunningly great in quality and superb values as well, while others are average-at-best, and significantly overpriced for what they deliver. I decided to challenge myself to find some fantastic French wines to complement the classic Thanksgiving feast – here’s what I found!

White, pink, and red wines for the Thanksgiving table - photo by Laurie Geis

French wines frustrate me to no end! I find many to be insipidly bad wines, thin and weak, selling for ridiculously exorbitant prices. Stylistically, I also have issues with many of the highly acclaimed French wines. For example, many of the red wines of the Bordeaux region are highly allocated and coveted by collectors around the world, but I find them to be austere, overly tannic, and lacking in fruit. Instead, they often taste of leather, loamy earth, mushrooms, pencil shavings, cedar, and tobacco. In small doses, those characteristics are fine for wine, but too often these are the dominant flavors of many of the red wines from Bordeaux. In short, I find many French wines to be of average to poor quality but also overpriced and poor values as well.

That said, some French wines are outstanding, and I actually seek them out for special occasions or to pair with specific dishes. In particular, I’m a big fan of the wines from three particular regions in France: Champagne, Burgundy, and Southern France (and more specifically, Provence). These terroir-driven wines are unique in style, food friendly, and can also be great values for the dollar if you are willing to work a bit to find them.

It turns out that the traditional Thanksgiving dinner pairs extremely well with many of the wines produced in these three regions – sparkling wine from Champagne, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Burgundy, Rose from Provence, and Malbec from Cahors in the western portion of southern France. So, I sought out some high-quality French wines from a couple of these regions that are easy to find and are good values as well. And all of them happen to be perfect matches for food on the Thanksgiving table!

Here are my wine recommendations for this year’s Thanksgiving celebration:

• 2002 Francois Martenot Chablis Les Marouelles ($26): Chablis is the northern-most wine district in Burgundy where Chardonnay is grown. The cool climate means leaner and more acidic wines, and most Chablis is vinified in stainless steel tanks instead of oak barrels. The result is a decidedly different style of Chardonnay than you are used to drinking, but one that pairs perfectly with the richness and saltiness of many Thanksgiving dishes like the gravy and stuffing. This Chablis is straw colored with hints of pear, kiwi, and citrus notes on the nose. Light bodied, this wine has steely acidity that underlies fresh fruit flavors like lemon/lime and green apple. It’s fresh, clean, and focused, and a pure expression of the Chardonnay grape.

• 2021 Studio by Miraval ($15): Provence is located in southeastern France and is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Almost 90% of the wine production in this region is rose, made mostly from Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan, and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. This bottling is part of the Miraval portfolio of wines (owned by Brad Pitt) and a great value at $15 a bottle. This wine has a nice light salmon/copper color in the glass, and shows scents of strawberries, rose petals, and cherry on the nose. Light-bodied, this rose has moderate acidity and tastes of strawberry, lime and lychee. This is a light, easy drinking rose with a nice strawberry-cream finish. It’s a perfect match for an herb-roasted turkey or sipping while you are preparing the feast!

• 2018 Chateau de Haute-Lerre Malbec de Cahors ($22): The Cahors appellation is in the most western part of southern France and consists of red wines made almost exclusively of the Malbec grape. In fact, the rules are that Cahors wines must include at least 70% Malbec, with a maximum of 30% of other grapes such as Merlot or Tannat. Malbec is one of the six grapes in the classic Bordeaux blends but shows its unique character in this wine. Dark purple in color, this wine is full bodied with robust tannins throughout. There’s a slight hint of wet earth on the nose, followed by rich blackberry and boysenberry fruit and light spice (cinnamon and nutmeg) in the mouth. It has a nice long finish, with lingering black and blue fruit along with drying tannins. This wine would serve as the perfect foil for the sweeter components of the traditional Thanksgiving meal, such as sweet potatoes or pumpkin pie.

I hope you venture out of your wine comfort zone this Thanksgiving and try one or all of these wines – you won’t be disappointed! I also hope each of you has a safe and relaxing Thanksgiving – enjoy your time off with family and friends!!