These are the times that challenge the wine lover’s souls: the days of festivities and feasting fast approach, where wine calls to find home upon the most bountiful of tables. This spirited season has become the very test of joviality: will there be wine enough to please them all?

The casual family scenes of unity and happiness gathered around a large communal table of thanksgiving are about as plentiful as kangaroos in Alaska. Making the perfect selections to accompany such particular or placid of palettes is something of fantasy for the foundations of formulations.  The advice of “drink what you like” hollows itself as reassuring advice upon such recollections of good ol’ Uncle Ed scrutinizing a bottle of Dom Perignon for a ten cents bottle deposit.

First of all: Breathe.

You can bubble away some of the drama with Spanish Cava or perhaps an Australian favorite such as Jacob’s Creek Chardonnay Pinot Noir Brut Cuvee NV ($10.99). For dear ol' Uncle Ed you can get a six-pack of some exotically domestic brew. As for pleasing the rest of your relations, there is a wine for everyone. Regardless of how interesting the branches of your family tree may twist, they are the very embodiment of the celebrations to come. So share the love, spread the joy, toast the future, and prepare to uncork.

When selecting wine, it’s always good to remember that the holiday table has a diversity by which one wine cannot pair all. Variety is the spice: a selection is where the foundation of experience lies. There are no rules, so have fun! The perplexities of this task aren’t as hard as Aunt Margaret’s piecrust.

With the common fowl of a turkey-trimmed table, a wonderful wine choice is a German Riesling. These wines have a ripeness and acidity that allow it to withstand the plethora of varying flavors. They carry a touch of fruitiness that matches well with sweeter dishes such as candied yams or glazed carrots. With a light body and bright acidity, Balthasar Ress Hattenhiemer Schutzenhaus 2003 Rehingau Reisling Kabinett ($15.99) carries the clean flavors of apple, pear and citrus it can compliment most side dishes as well as the main affair.

No harvest feast would be complete without a red wine. Pinot Noir has escalated through the great grape ranks to make a sound argument for any turkey table selection. With its rich dark cherry, raspberry and a nuance of vanilla from oak, Frei Brothers 2002 Reserve Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($19.99) should take tradition at the holiday table.

Wonderful wines are available Spain, such as Ramon Bilbao 2000 Rioja Tempranillo ($11.99). With it’s distinct scents of black raspberries, coconut and toasted oak, wood-grilled goodies and game meats melt into a splendid mealtime match for this mighty red. Also, Mr. Zinfandel (Don Baughman) would not allow any celebration to lack the foundation of a good Zinfandel: they’re packed with concentrated fruit, subtle pepper and smooth vanilla that cry to duet with the dinner plate. A universal selection, Rancho Zabaco’s 2001 Dry Creek Valley Reserve Zinfandel ($16.99) can do no palette wrong. 

With all this concern placed on these cork-capped captivations, make sure not to overlook the children. Make them part of the celebration with an elegant glass of St. Julian’s sparkling juices ($3.50). After all, why let the grow-ups have all the fun?

Dining upon lots of rich food, as the holidays tend to foretell, is just fine as long as it all ends well. And, contradictory to Uncle Ed’s annual ritual, lying on the sofa in a food coma isn’t really the goal … or is it?

End the evening with dessert! To tie a bow on another stressfully punctuated package, the fruit-filled richness of port or the toffee-toned sweetness of an Australian ‘stickie’ can make an excellent selection. Chambers Muscat ($15.99) or R.L. Buller & Son Fine Muscat ($17.99) could nearly stick to you’re teeth! These Aussie’s are sweet enough to be served as a fall desert and are able to pair perfectly with any final course of random pumpkin pie.

Enjoy the weeks to come and don’t worry about it. If you need help, our wine experts are always happy to help you with your selections. They would never recommend less than what they would select for their own finicky families. Until then: Carpe diem, Carpe vino, and Carpe your seasonal sanity. Salute!