The Best Wines for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years . . .
Uncorking the perfect pairing for every holiday festivity
The holidays are a magical time, full of fellowship, family, and celebration. Before you know it, you’ll be overeating at Thanksgiving dinner, attending office holiday parties, and hosting relatives from far and wide. Having some wine on-hand might be a good idea…
Did you know? There isn’t clear historical information on the actual date of the first Thanksgiving, but some historians have suggested it may have taken place in mid-October. President Lincoln assigned the holiday to fall on the last Thursday in November, possibly to coincide with the date the Pilgrims first landed the Mayflower in New England.
What wines are good for Thanksgiving dinner?
With so many dishes and flavors cooking up in the kitchen, it can be difficult to find a wine that runs the gambit. Many people enjoy Beaujolais Nouveau for this purpose. This young red wine, made with gamay grapes from the Beaujolais region of France, is light bodied and easy to drink, pairing well with most sides and the main course. Something equally crowd pleasing would be Silk Road’s Alazani – a semi-sweet red with notes of sweet & sour cherries, pepper, and currants. With its sweet start and dry finish, it’s an excellent food fairing wine, while also being delicious without any added context.
What’s a good bottle to gift the host/hostess?
When selecting a wine to gift your party host, you’ll want to pick something that standouts amongst the crowd. Silk Road’s winemakers use grapes indigenous to Georgia (the oldest winegrowing region in the world) to make natural wines with rich flavors and a sense of place. For host gifting, we recommend SapeRavi. Made from Georgia’s most prevalent grape, this bottle is a great introduction to Georgian winemaking in the European style. Full fruit flavor, lively acidity, and a festive red label make this the perfect choice.
How much wine do you need when throwing a holiday party?
Conservative estimates say you’d want to make sure everyone can have at least two glasses of wine. A standard 750 mL bottle is equivalent to five 5oz glasses, which means you could get away with as little as two bottles per three people. But as the night goes on, and pours become more liberal, you’re likely to only get four glasses out of your bottle. At this point, it would be safer to have one bottle for every two imbibers. But even then, you might reach a point where a few people want more than this allotted share, and then what do you do? It may seem crazy, but allocating a bottle per person is your best bet! Worst case scenario, you might have some leftover wine – not the worst predicament to find yourself in!
What’s a good wine to impress my boss/in-laws/significant other?
The SapeRavi Reserve is Silk Road’s most premium wine. Made with 100% saperavi grapes from Kakheti and aged in french oak for eight months, this complex, velvety wine is sure to win over all who partake. With firm tannins, lively acidity, and a luxurious mouthfeel, this is the wine to gift when you want to impress. While the bottle retails for $45, as part of Silk Road’s limited time holiday gift box, you can try our SapeRavi Reserve for 45% off its regular price.
Did you know? According to some statistics the breakdown of what wine Americans prefer on Thanksgiving 21% of people drink white wine, 20% drink red wine.
What wines should you buy to stock up for the holidays?
There are all kinds of festivities to attend, each populated by its own unique tastes and preferences. It’s rare to find a wine that can go with everything, or please everyone. But for only $85 the Silk Road Gift Box might do the trick! This limited time package includes over $40 in savings and is perfect for pairing with holiday suppers, party favors, corporate gifting, or a night alone at home with a book and a bath to step away from it all. Featuring our six most popular wines, there’s something for everyone to love, including a dry white, three dry reds, and two semi-sweet reds. Here’s what’s included, who to serve them to, and what to pair them with:
SapeRavi – Dry Red (33% savings)
Serve to: fans of lively reds, like Pinot Noir
Pair with: Deep-fried Turkey, Stuffing, Mac & Cheese
MaNavi – Dry White (33% savings)
- Serve to: white wine lovers looking for something that lies between a Sauvignon Blanc and unoaked Chardonnay
- Pair with: Creamed Corn, Winter Squash, Roasted Turkey
SapeRavi Reserve – Dry Red (45% savings)
- Serve to: the in-law that only drinks Cabernet Sauvignon whom you’d like to impress
- Pair with: Candied Carrots, Holiday Ham, Brussel Sprouts
AlaZani – Semisweet Red (28% savings)
- Serve to: guests who enjoy easy drinking wines like Beaujolais Nouveau
- Pair with: Cranberry Sauce, Butternut Squash Soup, Buttered Biscuits
MukuZani – Dry Red (21% savings)
- Serve to: those who want a deep, rich wine with lots of tannins, like Syrah
- Pair with: Green Bean Casserole, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Roasted Root Vegetables
KindzMarauli – Semisweet Red (17% savings)
- Serve to: palates that appreciate complex layers and balanced sweetness, akin to a light-bodied Port
- Pair with: Pumpkin Pie, Squash Casserole, Cornbread
Everyone’s holidays look different, but they’re at their best when the people we love come together to share good wine, good food and great stories. In Georgia, friends and families gathering around the dinner table is a daily occurrence. Together, they toast to life and love. This coming season, join us in the Georgian cheers, “Gaumarjos!”
Looking to learn more about Silk Road Wines? Check out our other blogs:
- The Grape Debate: The Quest for Perfect Grapes in Modern Wine Production
- All about Modern Georgian Winemaking
- The 3 Most Common Questions about Georgian Wine Answered
- How To Identify the Characteristics of Wine?
- 5 Ways to Distinguish a Good Wine