Choosing Best Value Red, White and Sparkling Wine Picks to Complement Your Holiday MealWhat wine should you serve with your Thanksgiving turkey, potatoes and stuffing? Should it be a red wine, white wine, or rose? Sweet or dry? Something before or after the meal? When you think about pairing wines with your Thanksgiving dinner, consider the following principles:1) Turkey is a mild meat. Consider wines that will not overpower the meal, such as savory white wines, pinot noir or shiraz. Big cabernet sauvignon may  be a bit too much.2) A sparkling wine or champagne can add a pleasant lift to the start of a meal. The Paringa Sparkling Shiraz could be a fun choice here. 3) If looking for a wine to pair with dessert, try to keep the wine slightly sweeter than the dessert itself. A tart fruit plate can take a mildly-sweet wine; rich cake will need a sticky-sweet wine.We’ve selected some of the top-value wine choices that might make sense with your Thanksgiving meal. These were chosen from over 600 wine reviews in Spirit of Wine. Our approach to selecting best value wines is described in an earlier article. No one can predict the type of wine you’ll most enjoy. But choosing a wine from among those featured below is sure to add great value and flavor to your Thanksgiving table. The number of stars represents quality level; the number of dollar signs represents price level.Cheers!Five-star Thanksgiving wine values:***** $$$ Oliverhill Winery “Jimmy Section” Shiraz, 2005, McLaren Vale, Australia***** $$ 2006 Mollydooker The Boxer Shiraz, McLaren Vale, Australia - Review and RatingFour-star Thanksgiving wine values:**** $ Turner & Cole Riesling Eden Valley, 2005, Australia**** $$ Dr. Thanisch Estate Riesling, 2005, Germany**** $ MandraRossa Fiano, 2006, Italy **** $ Luis Felipe Edwards Sauvignon Blanc Reserva, 2007, Central Valley, Chile**** $$ Martini & Rossi Asti Sparkling Wine, N/V, Torino, Italy**** $ Heartland Stickleback Red, 2006, South Australia **** $$ Penfold’s Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz, 2001, South Australia**** $2006 Henry’s Drive Pillar Box Red, Padthaway, Australia **** $ Yellow Tail The Reserve Shiraz, 2006, South Eastern AustraliaThree-star Thanksgiving wine values:

The pinot noir grape is a red wine grape from the species Vitis Vinefera. Pinot noir can refer not only to the grape itself, but also to wines made from the grapes. The name Pinot noir comes from the French words for “pine” and “black” and refer to the shape and  color of the grape clusters which are a very dark purple and closely clustered, looking like a pine cone.You’ll find Pinot noir grapes grown throughout the world, however they are predominantly grown in cooler climates. The Burgundy region in France is perhaps the most famous for producing Pinot noir wines, however there are also good Pinot’s produced in California, Oregon and more recently New Zealand. Experts consider the Pinot noir grape to produce some of the greatest wines in the world when done properly, however it is well known as a variety that is difficult both to cultivate and to vinify.Pinot noir wine tends to be of a light to medium body and has aromas reminiscent of currents, raspberries and cherries. Additionally, other flavors and aromas can be present in Pinot noir wines such as vanilla, spice, plum, violets, blackberry, strawberry, rose petals, cloves, black licorice, blueberry, and nutmeg. It is this broad range of flavors and aromas that makes Pinot noirs both outstanding wines and confusing to tasters. Styles of Pinot also vary and can range from very light and approachable wines with simple fruit flavors to darker wines with deep fruit infusion to the traditional Burgundy wines which are more well known for fleshy aromas and flavors that have been described as seductive, sensual and even as “sex in a glass”.While some Pinot noir wines can benefit from aging, most notably the Burgundy “Grand Cru” wines, other types of Pinot is meant to be consumed the same year it is released. Often you can judge based on the darkness of the wine as darker wines tend to be more concentrated and extracted and have more tannins that will allow them to hold up to aging quite well.