Friends, Americans, neighbours to the south, what are you going to drink with your Thanksgiving turkey?

Yes, you can drink red wine with this meal, you really can.  There are many options to choose from.  Pinot from Oregon’s Willamette Valley is perfectly positioned to partner with your holiday bird.

We visited De Ponte in 2013 on a hot August day intrigued by a recommendation from their neighbours at White Rose Winery (across the road) and Domaine Drouhin (located just up the hill).

We were greeted with a light palate cleansing white – their Melon de Bourgogne, a house specialty – and learned that their winemaker, Isabelle Dutarte, originally came to Dundee Hills from Paris to work at Domaine Drouhin.  They produce only about 2000 cases per year, so this is a fairly small enterprise.

The 2009 version is a medium garnet colour with lovely legs and medium plus intense aromas of youthful red fruit – raspberry, Byng cherry, cranberry and boysenberry – crushed cedar greens, minerality and clove.

In the glass, the wine is dry with medium plus acidity, ripe, silky tannins and high alcohol.  The medium plus intense flavours include more of the same red fruit as well as a hit of plum alongside a medium plus finish.

This wine is delicious (WSET Very Good) and aside from the high alcohol, it’s balanced and has lovely complex layers of fruit, minerality, wood, spice and acidity.

So, go Pinot – and let me know how it pairs with your cranberry sauce and stuffing.