Thanksgiving is the top holiday for American families, according to statista.com. Thanksgiving was selected by 79 percent of those surveyed as their favorite holiday, Christmas was selected as the second favorite holiday of the year.

Dinner for Thanksgiving is an important part of what makes the holiday so special. Many family gatherings start with hors d’oeuvres and wine. Then comes dinner and wine which is topped off with desserts and wine, making the wine selections for your guests a vital part of the celebration.

Properly pairing the wines with the foods served throughout the meal enhances the meal and the experience of being together with friends or family.  The wine experts at Gervasi Vineyard Resort & Spa (GV) can help you select the best wines for the best gathering.

Giving Thanks with Gervasi Wines

One of the many reasons Gervasi opened The Cave is to help guests get to know GV wines. The wine experts at The Cave are always there for beginning and experienced wine enthusiasts and are ready to answer pairing questions and offer tastings.

Eric Rabin, operations manager at The Cave offers several suggestions for Thanksgiving wines, “My first suggestion for a great Thanksgiving wine is our Pinot Grigio, Lucello. It is highly acidic and makes you salivate. When you salivate, you want to eat.  This gets your mouth ready for the smorgasbord of food that Thanksgiving represents. If you are more of a red wine drinker, go with Truscano, our Sangiovese. This wine is also high in acid and will have the same effect as Lucello.”

Eric also has several suggestions on serving the wines as well:

  • White wines need to be around 50 degrees. Keep it in the refrigerator and pull it out 20 minutes before serving to warm it up slightly. If serving wine in the kitchen, remove it from the refrigerator at least 10 minutes before. All the cooking heats up the room much warmer than normal temperature.
  • Put the red in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before serving. This will bring the temperature down a couple of degrees to serve at the optimal temperature.
  • Reds should be room temperature, but room temperature should be around 60 degrees when referring to wine.

His last tip for a successful Thanksgiving dinner with wine is, “Stock up to ensure you have enough. You don’t want to run out on Thanksgiving!”

Pairing Tips for Thanksgiving Wines

Pairing wines properly is the best way to ensure you don’t overpower the food taste with the wine, or the reverse with the food overpowering the wine.

Eric offered a few words about pairing, “The best tip for pairing food and wine during Thanksgiving is to consider serving a blush wine. Blush Wine (or Rose) pairs perfectly with all food items. A blush wine has the structure of a red wine with a white wine’s body. It just goes well with most food.”

Other tips from Eric for pairing wines with food on Thanksgiving or for any meal include the following:

  • Always make sure the wine served for dessert is sweeter than the dessert itself, otherwise the wine will seem bitter and tart.
  • If choosing a red, pick one that can stand up to the turkey (or main dish), but don’t pick one too aggressively tannic. Try a Zinfandel, a Pinot Noir, or a Syrah.
  • If you prefer whites, try an off-dry Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. If serving appetizers before the meal, serve a highly acidic wine to really get your mouth in the mood for food such as a Pinot Grigio.

Thanksgiving is filled with tradition including having plenty of leftovers for the weekend. Gervasi has the wines you need to pair with weekend leftovers:

Need some pairing ideas for the sweet side of the day and the weekend for pumpkin-based desserts, fruit or crème pies and cakes?

Eric offers, “I would go with a sweet wine such Dolce Sera, our late harvest Riesling. It is a perfect choice for pumpkin or sweet potato pie. The wine is sweet enough to stand up to the sweet dessert plus has aromas of baking spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice. Our Barile Sweet Riesling is another one with tropical fruit spices apparent. Pair this with Apple pie or a fruit tart.”

Tastings at The Cave

If you would like to taste the wines before purchasing and serving to guests on Thanksgiving, stop by The Cave at Gervasi and taste a few of the wines and try before you buy.

Eric suggests, “When joining us in the Cave for a wine tasting, go beyond tasting what you like. Branch out and try different wines you’ve never tried or one you normally don’t care to drink. The beauty of a wine tasting is trying something new. You’re only sampling 1.5 ounces at a time, not a full glass. You never know, you might find a new favorite.”

Bring the Family to Gervasi

Would you prefer to spend more time with family and friends and less time in the kitchen cooking and preparing meals the night before or the weekend after Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving weekend is a great time to bring the Family to The Bistro the night before Thanksgiving for an upscale Tuscan-style dinner out. Or, if the family is staying over for a few days, stop by The Crush House for lunch throughout the weekend.

There are many meal options available at both locations plus the ambiance will impress and amaze your family and friends.

Thinking of having a coffee or cocktail gathering over Thanksgiving weekend? The Still House is Designed as a coffeehouse and cocktail lounge, The Still House features Gervasi Caffé signature roast, Gervasi Spirits, craft cocktails, draft beers, award-winning wines, and a delectable appetizer menu.

Cocktails range from the classics of the prohibition era to the cutting-edge flavor combinations and flair techniques of today’s mixologists. Gervasi Spirits feature bourbon, spiced rum, vodka and gin – crafted to enjoy neat or as signature ingredients in GV’s cocktails. It will be the perfect time to try the award-winning “Best of Class” Pink Peppercorn Gin!

And, Gervasi award-winning wines are available at all locations by the glass or by the bottle with most wines available to purchase to take home.

Schedule the Family Stay at Gervasi

For those family and friends coming from out-of-town and who want to stay the weekend, treat your out-of-town guests to an overnight stay at Gervasi. You can select overnight stays at The Villas, The Casa or those bigger groups, can stay together in The Farmhouse.

Each of The Villas is comprised of four luxurious suites with cozy fireplaces, heated travertine floors and Tuscan-inspired décor.  The stay includes a spacious lobby with comfortable living and dining areas and access to a shared patio. A complimentary continental breakfast for two is included with your stay, along with an assortment of beverages and coffee. As a Four Diamond hotel and Select Registry member, the accommodations and service you’ll experience are nothing short of exceptional.

Plus, guests may choose to reserve an individual suite or an entire Villa.

Gervasi’s luxury boutique hotel, The Casa, hosts 24 individual suites featuring king-sized beds, fireplaces, heated floors and other high-end amenities. Each room has an adjacent covered patio, allowing guests to enjoy the picturesque view of a courtyard and lake.

The 18,000-square-foot structure houses a shared lobby and an exercise facility. A complimentary Italian-style continental breakfast is offered each morning, and deluxe in-room services are available.

The private suite features one king bed, two club chairs, an ottoman and adjacent 110-square-foot covered veranda. There is a maximum number of two guests per room.

Once guests step inside one of the rooms at The Casa or a suite in The Villas, they may never want to go home.

For those bigger groups, they may want to stay in the property’s original farmhouse from 1830. Completely restored and modernized, this beautiful 2,200-square-foot home has all the charm of an early 1800s farmhouse combined with updated features and all the conveniences of a modern home.

The Farmhouse sleeps 8 guests and has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, dining room, sitting room, dressing room and a full kitchen. The spacious wrap-around porch provides a relaxing retreat with stunning views of the spring-fed lake.

Gervasi loves a great celebration with family and friends. Come celebrate life, love and Thanksgiving at Gervasi with great foods and great award-winning wines.