🍷 Pairing Tips: Enter the Whites 🍐

Thanksgiving chaos is incoming, and white wine is your emotional support beverage for surviving both the turkey and the relatives who arrive three hours early “to help out.” The right white keeps your plate balanced, your palate happy, and your patience intact. Plus, white wine works beautifully with the parade of herbs, citrus, butter, and semi-burnt things that make Thanksgiving… well, Thanksgiving. It’s basically WD-40 for your meal and your mood.

• Use high-acidity whites to cut through rich dishes. Think of it as giving your gravy a little citrus slap across the face.
• Choose aromatic whites for herb-loaded sides: sage, rosemary, thyme, and any accidental “herb explosions” created by your overly-enthusiastic little kitchen helpers.
• Match body to the dish: lighter whites for delicate foods, fuller whites for bold flavors, and something with backbone for your cousin's “experimental stuffing” they saw on Tik Tok.
• For sweet dishes, pick whites with fruitiness or a little sugar so the pairing notes don't include "battery acid".
• Serve whites cool, not ice-cold, unless your goal is to drink something that tastes like a tundra of disappointment and broken dreams.

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Now let’s talk bottles. Valley of the Moon Pinot Gris / Viognier brings bright pear, peach, and pineapple, plus the fun fact that each grape is fermented separately… like dramatic roommates who need “their own space.” It’s perfect with turkey, potatoes, and anything smothered in butter (so… everything!). Orange Party from Spain—made from the nearly-extinct Verdil grape—offers apricot, marmalade, and just enough tannin to glare down roasted Brussels sprouts like a monster truck driver at a Castro St crosswalk. And when dessert hits (or you hit dessert early), Tokaji Late Harvest delivers honeyed, noble-rot magic that pairs beautifully with pecan pie, blue cheese, and those traditional family desserts that are literally just quivering mounds of sugar.

🍷 And in This Corner: The Reds 🍒

Thanksgiving is the Super Bowl of wine pairings, and red wine takes the spotlight — but let’s be honest: Pinot Noirabsolutely runs the show. It’s bright, flexible, graceful under pressure, and pairs with almost everything on the table. Turkey? Yes. Stuffing? Yes. Mushrooms? Yes. That weird “is it a salad or is it a dessert?” family recipe? Also yes. Pinot Noir is the best Thanksgiving red because it’s the best wine varietal, period. Yeah, we said it. Suck it, Merlot. Serve it slightly chilled so it stays lively instead of turning into lukewarm berry cough syrup that tastes like your teen years.

• Choose Pinot Noir when you want one red to rule them all. It pairs with turkey, stuffing, mushrooms, root veggies, and every questionable life choice at the table.
• For rich dishes like rib roast or sausage stuffing, reach for reds with moderate tannins such as a Cab, Merlot, or Syrah… nothing so intense it bullies the turkey like a gym bro explaining creatine.
• Match fruitiness to sweetness: cranberry sauce, glazed carrots, and sweet potatoes love bright red-fruit wines like Zinfandel, Grenache, or a juicy Barbera, not ultra-dry reds that taste like licking a chalkboard.
• For herb-heavy dishes, pick reds with earthy or spicy undertones like Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, or Sangiovese so your wine complements the food instead of arguing with it like two uncles debating parking rules on Castro St.
• Open your bottle an hour (or even a day) before you pour; that will let it breathe, so the flavors explode… like when the acid you dropped to get through the day finally peaks. Hold on for the ride.

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Now for the bottles. Portlandia Pinot Noir from Oregon is cherry-forward, raspberry-bright, and silky enough to hold together your entire meal like the straight jacket you're sure your uncle should be in at this point. Broadside Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles brings blackcurrant, plum, and cocoa for Laura when she demands “a real red,” and you do not have the energy to deal right now. And Laurier Pinot Noir from Carneros offers smooth cherry, cranberry, and a soft earthy finish that basically tastes like Thanksgiving distilled into a bottle. Perfect with turkey, herbs, root vegetables, and the quiet resilience required to pass the gravy 14 times without snapping, sobbing, or sulking.

🍸 A Pair of Two Cocktails 🫐🍋

Looking for a lazy-but-legendary way to raise a glass this Thanksgiving? Enter the world of effortless cocktails. The two stars this year are Two Chicks' Calorie-Conscious Cocktails.

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Twisted Lemon is tart, refreshing and just a touch spicy thanks to real lemon juice, a hint of cayenne and vodka. It clocks in at only 45 calories per 1.5 oz pour, which means your waistline won’t send a snarky text the next morning. Pair it with something sharp and herby, like roasted Brussels sprouts with sage or lemon-buttered green beans. The mild heat gives the sides attitude.

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For those who want fruity but still sophisticated (and maybe slightly mischievous), Bodacious Blueberry blends all-natural blueberry juice, lemon, and vodka, sweetened with stevia, gluten-free and sugar-free. It’s designed to feel like “eating a slice of blueberry pie on a warm summer day”, so feel free to skip the weird desserts and have your fourth glass of "pie".

🦃 Last Chance to Grab the Best: Diesel Turkeys! 🍗

We still have a stash of frozen Diestel turkeys at a ridiculously low price: Only $4.89/lb! Why? Because, let’s face it, times are rough. Somehow you’re still working full-time but your paycheck’s on a tropical sabbatical. Don’t worry: Ava’s has your back. Whether you want to impress the in-laws with a fresh bird, or just keep the gravy flowing without overdrafting your account. 🦃