Thanksgiving has a leg up on Christmas in my humble opinion. Maybe even a few. Gift giving isn’t the focus, the weather is usually more clement and then there’s pumpkin pie.
Richly spiced with a velvety texture and toasted pastry, it is perfection when topped off with a healthy dollop of whipped cream. I’m not even a dessert fan really but pumpkin pie is its own category. And it ain’t Thanksgiving without it.
I also believe that it isn’t a meal without wine. That includes dessert. I advocate sweet with sweet, so the best-suited wines are going to be saccharine.
Now, I generally don’t have a problem polishing off a bottle (between two people of course) but dessert wine is a different story. No matter how tasty it is, usually a generous glass will do. So this is when I am really thankful for family and friends. A Thanksgiving feast is the ideal moment to crack into a sweet elixir and share it out between all. Even a modest gathering of four is enough to justify opening up a bottle.
You can serve all of the following chilled. And here’s to pumpkin pie!
Gonzalez Byass, Nutty Solera, Oloroso, Medium Dry Sherry DO • Spain • $15.69, BC Liquor Stores
Just as the name suggests, this is a nutty little delight and perfect if you are looking for something that isn’t too sweet. You could even drink this as an aperitif before the meal. Great value!
2010 Ruffino, ‘Serelle’ Vin Santo del Chianti DOC • Chianti, Italy • $23.49 (375ml), BC Liquor Stores
A delectable specialty of the region Tuscany made from grapes dried on straw mats, it offers an appropriate fall medley of dried apricot, cinnamon and walnuts. In Italy, let them drink Vin Santo with biscotti. Here I say try this saintly wine with pumpkin pie.
Blandy’s, Five Year Old Verdelho • Madeira, Portugal • $26.29, BC Liquor Stores
From the eponymously island, Madeira is a truly unique fortified wine that is heated during the ageing process. It comes in a range of styles from dry to lusciously sweet with this one clocking in somewhere in the middle. So tangy with appetizing toasted almond. Once open, it will keep for ages. Keep it handy in your fridge for the occasional tipple.
2011 Donnafugata, Ben Ryè • Passito di Pantelleria, Italy • $38-42 (375ml), Private Wine Stores
One of Italy’s finest dessert wines hails from the volcanic island of Pantelleria off the coast Sicily near Tunisia. Talk about exotic. Grapes left to raisin soak up every bit of sun. Luscious and complex with lingering notes of honey, orange peel, figs, sweet dried thyme and sultanas, this is like liquid Turkish Delight.
Ramos Pinto, Quinta do Bom Retiro, 20 Year Old Tawny Port • Portugal • $60-65, Private Wine Stores
A couple of decades of ageing really mellows out this Tawny Port giving complex aromas and flavours of nuts, coffee and toffee. So decadently delicious you may even forget about the pumpkin pie.
Prices do not include taxes.
