Raise a toast to a terrible year with a magnum of Champagne!
Needless to say, in the midst of ever-changing plans and a relentless season, we are feeling extra-thankful.
No matter how small the Thanksgiving celebration, though, one thing we know for sure: there will be wine and bubbles!
So what bottles shall we open?
We asked two tastemakers in New Orleans how they will spend Thanksgiving and what they will be sipping.
The resounding answer: Blanc de Noirs.
Pink bubbles!
For a French Quarter Champagne lounge owner and a steakhouse sommelier, not just any pink bubbles in their own cellars will do, of course.
But take their cue and think pink: choose bottles of sparkling wine made with pinot noir grapes to pop on Turkey Day.
Here’s why they say it pairs fabulously with your Thanksgiving feast:
Crystal Hinds, Effervescence proprietor
“I will be spending Thanksgiving with the smallest group in my life’s history: my two sons, their significant others and my husband. I have saved a magnum of Jean Vesselle Oeil de Perdrix (Eye of the Partridge). It is such a unique wine saved for a unique year—2020!
It is made by a grower located in the chalky soils of Bouzy in Champagne and is 100% Pinot Noir. The wine is macerated on the skins for a brief period, giving it an amber glow in color. This is a very old winemaking technique and super special.”
How it pairs: “The acid will go great with my baked brie in puff pastry laced with brown sugar and pecans, but the power of the Bouzy Pinot Noir will be able to handle the roasted turkey, yams, dirty rice and fall vegetables. It still has a delicate finesse and elegance with a touch of raspberry and spice that will accompany our dessert spread—if any of these magnificent bubbles last till then!”
Melissa Rogers, Doris Metropolitan sommelier
“Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. My whole family gets together for it; we have always had like 30 people at the house. Although this year I’ll be staying in NOLA and working at Doris. We are forgoing the big family celebration in favor of a Zoom one.
I always spend Thanksgiving drinking lots of bubbles. Champagne is an underutilized pairing in my opinion (It pairs with everything) and I love it. For Thanksgiving I like to drink Blanc de Noirs.”
How it pairs: “The red fruit and floral notes pair fantastically with turkey and the trimmings.”
"I saved a magnum of Jean Vesselle Oeil de Perdrix. It is such a unique wine saved for a unique year—2020!"
Crystal Hinds, Effervescence
Effervescence is a fabulous Champagne bar and restaurant on the edge of the French Quarter—a must for sampling bubbles (think Champagne Flights and an impressive menu of never-ending bottles) with mind-blowing bites for brunch or dinner. Kudos to Crystal for hustling up ever-amazing experiences throughout the pandemic!
1036 Rampart Street, New Orleans
Doris Metropolitan is an Israeli steakhouse where Melissa is also the GM. We frequent Doris on celebratory nights in the Quarter over the warm beet root salad (that has a party trick), a fabulously extravagant meat board, their famous truffle fries and whatever wine they suggest for pairing.
620 Chartres Street, New Orleans