Wine Pairing Tips for Thanksgiving

As the holidays approach, we eagerly anticipate the delights of Thanksgiving, from savory stuffing to decadent pumpkin pie. Here at Rubino Estates, we believe that no holiday feast is complete without wines that elevate the flavors of your favorite dishes. A well-chosen wine can bring out the best in every bite and make your celebration truly special. To help you create an unforgettable Thanksgiving spread, we've put together a few wine pairing ideas that will have your guests coming back for more.

Start the Celebration with Sparkling Wine

Why not kick off your Thanksgiving festivities with a bottle of sparkling wine? The effervescence and crisp acidity make it the perfect aperitif to set the tone for the meal ahead. Whether you're popping a classic Brut or a more decadent Sparkling Moscato, the bubbles make it a festive start to your holiday feast.

Pairing Wines with Herbs

At many Thanksgiving tables, herbs like rosemary, sage, and thyme shine through in everything from the stuffing, to roasted vegetables, to the turkey itself. When selecting a wine, look for ones that complement these aromatic flavors. For lighter herbs such as thyme or tarragon, a dry, chilled rosé (like our Salute Rosé) is an excellent choice. For richer, woodsy herbs like rosemary and sage, go for a medium-bodied red, such as our Centanni Rosso blend from the Famiglia Collection or our Night Owl Barbera. These wines enhance the savory qualities of your dishes without overwhelming them.

Pairing Wines with Greens

Greens like brussels sprouts, green beans, or an autumn salad often bring a subtle bitterness to the table, which can be tricky to pair with wine. The solution? A high-acid white wine, like our Trebbiano. The crisp, neutral profile of this wine balances out the bitterness of the greens, offering a refreshing contrast to the earthy flavors. Our Fumé Blanc also offers a balanced and light complement to greens. If you’re serving a dish with balsamic glaze or roasted root vegetables, consider a red wine with juicy fruit notes, like our Salute Red, which pairs beautifully with roasted veggies and delicately sweet elements.

Pairing Wines with Mains

Thanksgiving’s main event usually centers around turkey or ham, both of which pair wonderfully with versatile wines. For a red that won’t overpower the delicate flavors of herb-roasted turkey or glazed ham, look no further than Sangiovese, like the new 2021 Landmark Sangiovese released this month. This red’s bright acidity and moderate tannins work perfectly with a variety of savory dishes. If you prefer white wine, a full-bodied Chardonnay or a medium-bodied Fumé Blanc offers a smooth complement to these classic proteins.

Pairing Wines with Dessert

No Thanksgiving feast is complete without dessert, and with pies like pumpkin, pecan, and apple gracing the table, there are so many delicious options to pair. Sparkling wine makes a great match, as its bright, fresh bubbles cut through the richness of the pie. For something a little sweeter, try our Sparkling Moscato or Infinitum red dessert wine. These wines have the right amount of sweetness to pair with your favorite holiday pies and bring a touch of indulgence to your celebration.

A Toast to the Holidays

At Rubino Estates, we're incredibly grateful for the support of our Famiglia, and we hope your Thanksgiving is filled with good food, great wine, and the warmth of loved ones. If you need the perfect wines for your holiday gathering, now’s the time to stock up! Our mixed case sale is the ideal way to grab a variety of wines at an unbeatable price. Choose from our Red Wine case or enjoy a selection of White and Rosé wines—perfect for every course of your festive meal.

Cheers to a season full of flavor, family, and fun!

 

Seasons in the Vineyard

This week marked the final stages of the 2024 harvest, bringing our vineyard’s growing season to a close for the year. Up ahead, our vines will enjoy a few months of rest and dormancy, with leaves turning into the bright autumn hues we love before dropping. We are enchanted by the beauty of changing seasons, so we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the year with pictures of the vineyard taken over the last 10 months. Scroll along!

The growing season starts with clear skies, drizzly days, and bare vines. Our vines have been pruned back from the previous season to start fresh. 

The first sign of life on the vines appears at bud break, when tiny little buds begin to sprout from the vine. This milestone came in March and April this year. 

Soon the buds are joined by the cutest little leaves, and the vines finally don’t look so bare. 

By the end of April, you can see the beginning of the cluster-shaped buds that will soon blossom.

Slowly but surely, the canopy of leaves grows and stretches out and these clusters mature.

By June, we saw the flowering blossoms with the promise of healthy berries. 

Soon after, we arrive at “fruit set” which brings us from the flowering stage to the berry stage. This can tell us a lot about how the vines are doing and even what yields might be like come harvest. 

The berries grow quickly into beautiful clusters. Every varietal starts out green and opaque. 

Once the summer sun has some time to work on the fruit, you will begin to see color emerging in the vineyard, called veraison. 

During veraison, the grapes take on their mature hues and become more transparent, ripening each day. 

As the fruit ripens, Jesse, our winemaker keeps a close eye on each block of fruit, monitoring sugar levels and predicting the best pick date. 

Harvest always starts off with our white wine fruit. This year the Sauvignon Blanc was the first to be picked, marking the official start of the harvest season at the beginning of September. 

Meanwhile, our red fruit like this Cabernet Sauvignon cluster was continuing to mature out in the vineyard. 

Our healthy and vibrant vines endured the heatwaves of this season well, but it did compress the harvest schedule since the heat encourages ripeness.

A multitude of factors will influence the perfect date to pick fruit, requiring our winemaker to make strategic choices about what gets picked and when. 

Even before all the fruit had been harvested, the vines started to show the Autumn colors we know and love. This smattering of color makes this season that much more exciting!

As our fruit comes in, we take care to ensure the quality of what goes into our wines. It’s a labor of love!

This picture, captured earlier this week, shows the final press of the year. Our team crushed it (literally)!

As the leaves bid their colorful adieu and the vines enjoy some well-deserved rest, we hope you’ll come visit the estate and drink in the beauty of the season. Happy November!