It may surprise some reading this article to not find any specific wine recommendations for Thanksgiving. There are some great wines that one could suggest for the holiday feast, but that is not what we are going to discuss today. Instead, let us dive a little deeper into not just wine, but the idea of bringing people together, and how the two are intertwined.
Traveling the world one can ascertain the importance of tradition from culture to culture. During those travels, you meet people, and most importantly you meet the locals. They invite you to their homes and their family gatherings. Often there is a toast made, words and memories shared, and the clink of wine glasses. It gives new insight into life, just as any time spent away from home gives you some perspective. Those thoughts often revolve around visiting family and friends, the similarities are immediate, and once at those gatherings, a common theme is often wine. The people plus the wine always make the gatherings feel special, each one a small celebration. This rings true in many cultures.
Wine seems to always hold that special occasion feeling. From ancient to modern times, every event is often celebrated with some wine; birthdays, baptisms, weddings, homecomings, and even during the ritual of picking the grapes themselves. The blessing of gatherings - to drink high-quality wine. Quality being the key word. Some bottles can be pricey, but most are not, and that is when you learn of the most important aspects of wine: you do not need expensive wine to bring people together. Nor does it necessarily have to be expensive to be good. Great people, even with "average" wine can equal a great experience!
Yet why does wine seem to be the preferred drink for special occasions? One does not typically go out to a nice dinner and order a beer. Wine, in ancient times, was considered pure and viewed as something to be enjoyed by everyone. Most Christian religions agree with the special, and serious, aspect of wine, holding that the Sacrament, the blood of a god, is wine! Well, why not beer, or, another favorite, a wheated bourbon?
Many vintners will tell you the answer is the grape itself. The grape is the perfect foundation for a celebratory drink. Nature has done most of the work giving us one single ingredient that has both enough sugar (the most sugar of any fruit) and acid to create the ideal level of alcohol and a combination of flavors that make up the spectrum of wines of which no single person can fully consume. Wine sits as the penultimate celebration drink because, at its core, it brings people together.
This holiday, go out to a tasting with friends. Buy an experimental bottle or two from a couple of regions of your choice to share with your family for Thanksgiving. Choose a more expensive and a less expensive option and see which you prefer. Have fun with wine, and do it with those you care about. See if the company you are with makes it taste better. The experience will be enduring. Near or far away from those we love, we remember how thankful we are to make it back home and to be able to enjoy a glass of wine with those we care about most. Cheers to a great Thanksgiving!
Wine does not need to be serious. When you realize that even someone new to wine can enjoy even the most prestigious bottle, the sky becomes the limit.