Celebrating Thanksgiving with Kuhlman Cellars

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The Thanksgiving meal is a daunting scenario for wine pairing. Pairing wine with roast turkey is straightforward, but no other meal includes such a wide array of decadent side dishes. Buttered, candied, sweet, and salty, the Thanksgiving meal has it all. Since wine pairing is a highly subjective experience, I recommend having several different wines at the meal. Encourage the guests around your table to taste a variety of wines to find their ideal match.

What makes a good Thanksgiving wine?

Acidity, or a wine’s mouth-watering quality, is the most important quality in a food friendly wine. When enough acid is present, the palate is refreshed after each bite of food. The acidity can cut through the rich, fatty, or salty flavors in your meal. Alternatively, if a wine does not have enough acidity, it will do nothing to accentuate the food you are eating.

When pairing wines for Thanksgiving, I steer clear of wines that are too tannic (the drying sensation you feel on the sides of your mouth) or too thin. Either extreme will detract from the food on the table. That’s why I recommend pairing rosé, medium to full-body white wines, or light to medium-body red wines.

This year, Kuhlman Cellars is offering a trio of Texas wines that will pair well with the spread on your holiday table. It was my pleasure to sample these wines and provide the pairing tips that follow.

2018 Kuhlman Cellars Hensell

I just love a rosé on the Thanksgiving table. This one from the Texas High Plains boasts big fresh red fruit aromas and a pretty pink hue. Winemaker Bénédicte Rhyne’s hand-harvested fruit underwent a 20-hour cold soak to achieve this color. The blend consists of Grenache and Cinsault, grapes commonly paired for rosé. Cool fermented in stainless steel, the wine has 13.5% alcohol. The sweet, almost candied aromas give way to a completely dry finish. Sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Tip: Sample this wine as the turkey roasts.

2018 Kuhlmanation Estate White

This Gold Medal winning wine (2019 Lone Star International Wine Competition) is a blend of 73% Marsanne and 27% Roussanne. These two grapes are native to the Northern Rhône Valley in France. Grown at the Kuhlman estate in the Texas Hill Country, Kuhlmanation Estate White is stainless steel fermented. Alcohol is 13.8%. Stone fruit and floral aromas with a touch of honey. I’d love to try a bottle this wine again in a few years. I bet it will age well.

Tip: Open this bottle just before kickoff.

2016 Kuhlman Cellars Alluvé

The blend of 28% Malbec, 24% Mourvèdre, 21% Carignan, 12% Tempranillo, 10% Zinfandel, and 5% Petite Sirah is one of Kuhlman Cellars’ most popular red blends. It is labeled “Texas” and is aged for 16 months in French oak barrels. Alcohol is 13.1%. This light red has the lovely baking spice aromas from its time in French oak.

Tip: Pour this wine with dinner.

All three wines are reasonably priced at $26-$29. They can be purchased individually (prices vary) or as a trio for $74. Kuhlman Cellars has generously offered readers of Texas Wine Lover an offer for free shipping for any orders of 3+ bottles. Use code txwinelover at checkout. Shop the full lineup of Kuhlman Cellars wines at http://www.kuhlmancellars.com

I used a Coravin to draw samples for tasting so that I could keep the bottles intact for next week’s Thanksgiving celebrations. Wishing you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving!