As if hosting Thanksgiving dinner isn’t stressful enough, you now have to select a crowd-pleasing wine to serve all those guests. But you can stop the stress before it even begins. This holiday season, look no further than the incredible Nebbiolo-based wines of Piedmont. Barolo, our favorite Nebbiolo wine, is your go-to red wine for this festive, food-filled holiday. Distinct aromas, a luscious taste profile and a solid tannic structure make Barolo the ultimate food wine, especially for all of your favorites on the Thanksgiving Day table.
Barolo hails from the mountainous region of Piedmont in northwestern Italy. Its renowned flavor profile of red cherry, tobacco and dried herbs will pair perfectly with your silky sweet potatoes, savory stuffing and sweet, juicy cranberry sauce. The wine’s fruit forwardness and acidity provide a perfect complement to white poultry, like the turkey you’ll be carving up.
Another reason Barolo is perfect for Thanksgiving is its firm tannic structure. Barolo is known for their grippy tannins, making it a perfect food wine. The tannins will bind to the fats in Thanksgiving dishes, making the wine smoother and softer while accentuating the complex, savory layers scattered across your Turkey Day plate.
With distinct aromas of rose petal and tar, a bottle of Barolo is an all-encompassing sensory overload. The beautiful, ruby-brick pigment and breathtaking floral aromas are sure to make your guests’ mouths water, so cross that centerpiece of flowers off your to-do list; Barolo will do the job just fine.
For a simultaneously educational and experiential dinner, grab a couple of different vintages to see how age plays into the tannic structure of the wine and meshes with your food. Check out the wines of Fontanafredda, a high-quality yet affordable Barolo with decades-old vintages available nationwide. Fontanafredda is one of the most historically significant wineries in all of Piedmont, ever since Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of Italy, purchased the estate. Barolo even has a place on the table after dinner is over. Barolo Chinato, a variation of the wine steeped with cinnamon, coriander and cinchona bark, makes the perfect after-dinner digestif. Its aromatic, herbal scents and smooth mouthfeel make Barolo Chinato a perfect post-dinner, pre-dessert sipper. Serve at room temperature in a small tumbler.
Barolo is the only wine you’ll need on your holiday dinner table.
This article is brought to you by Barolo Week, sponsored by Fontanafredda, an iconic Barolo producer founded by the first king of Italy.