Best Wine for Thanksgiving? Oregon Pinot Noir, of course.

I am unabashedly my father’s daughter on this one: Oregon Pinot Noir is where it is at (dad, above, tending to the grape-ies, as we call them in our family).

I am not just saying this because I have spent hours laboring in the fields in my youth, or because my mom and dad moved to Oregon to fulfill their lifelong dream of vineyard tending, or because I have a product to peddle.

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(Bradshaw Vineyards, circa 2006) (Bradshaw Reserve, 2005)

But truly, as someone with discerning taste, I could not agree more with Slate.com on this one (from Steinberger’s column last week, via fellow Oregonian, NMS’er and Blog PI man, W. Winter Beutler)… the headline reads:

Pinot’s Progress

What to drink at Thanksgiving? An Oregon pinot noir.

I will spare you an entire re-post of their story, but will leave you with these two thoughts:

#1: “Long before most Americans had ever heard of pinot noir, winemakers in Oregon were staking their futures on this ornery but immensely rewarding grape. The gamble paid off: Pinot noir has flourished in Oregon, particularly in the Willamette Valley, just southwest of Portland. Despite this success, Oregon wine country hasn’t lost that frontier feeling; it’s still long on pluck and blessedly short on flash, attributes that some might consider cardinal American virtues.”

(My parents definitely were 2nd wave pioneers heading up to Oregon 20 years ago. We have owned wine country since 1987… reminds me of a Jay-z line Jesse oft quotes [adapted]: still growin’ vines from ’88. Also that year: baby sister was born and “In 1987, McMinnville, Ore., hosted the first International Pinot Noir Celebration, which gathered pinot producers and aficionados from around the world for a weekend of talking and drinking. It’s been held every year since and has become for pinot buffs what Woodstock was for potheads.”)

(yup, still looking like the fronteir… those weeds are a bitch to shovel, let me tell you)

…and finally, in homage to Turkey day this Thursday:

#2: “If you are planning to go native with the wine this Thanksgiving, I suggest making it an Oregon pinot noir, and not only for the patriotic symbolism—a good Oregon pinot will pair beautifully with the bird.”

I will raise a glass of Oregon Pinot to that. And hope you all do too. Happy Thanksgiving. – Leslie