At this point, it should go without saying that yes, of course I’m drinking American Pinot Noir for Thanksgiving. If there ever was an occasion for drinking All-American, Thanksgiving and 4th of July would have to be the top contenders. And Pinot checks all the boxes when I’m looking for something to take me from cornbread dressing to ham to turkey to candied yams to mustard greens to….yeah, you get the point. Pinot is not too heavy which means it won’t overpower what’s on the table, provides great acidity to cleanse the palate between all those rich bites, and generally comes in at modest alcohol levels which means you’ll still be awake when the last football pass of the night is thrown.
As I learned at a recent blind tasting of 69 American Pinot Noir wines with my friend, The Drunken Cyclist, the state of American Pinot is great. Of course there are some not so great ones as well as some that don’t suit me for a variety of reasons – too much alcohol, not enough acidity, super fruity without nance, not enough classic red fruits, etc. But overall, I’m excited about what I’m seeing, particularly when it comes to some of my favorite regions like the Willamette Valley, Sta. Rita Hills, Sonoma Coast, and Santa Lucia Highlands. Ok, so what American Pinot
This Article was originally published on The Corkscrew Concierge
