Exploration 4-Pack: Thanksgiving Wines - US Edition

If you are looking to choose wines for the Thanksgiving table but don't want to over-think it or fret about the "right" wines to serve, this 4-Pack will make that part of planning for Thanksgiving easier.

For me, the ideal wines for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, including appetizers, are bright, juicy, and fruit forward, they have very little to no oak, and make for excellent pairings with all sorts of food. I lean towards light to medium bodied, but as long as the previously mentioned qualities are present, a fuller bodied wine is not out of the question. For some Beaujolais is the easy and obvious choice, but this pack diverges and celebrates crowd-pleasing wines from the US. No lie, these wines have been super popular, and have been clear favorites from tastings or past explorer packs.

This year the pack includes four wines: a pet-nat from Maine, a dry Riesling from the Finger Lakes in New York, and two juicy reds (an Italian inspired blend, and a Pinot Noir) from California. While these wines are crowd-pleasers, they are also wines with personality, style, and are most definitely not ordinary.

This Exploration pack is discounted at 15% off regular prices. No further discounts apply.

	Oyster River Winegrowers 2024 “Morphos” Pet-Nat Seyval Blanc and Cayuga. Typical Pet-Nat aromas of apples, cider, flowers, bread dough and yeasty notes with a hint of funk. Very nice bubbles, not aggressive but assertive in a very pleasurable way. Flavors follow the aromas without a hitch. A fresh New England sparkler to pair with light foods or to just pass the time. Maine winery but grapes sourced from the Finger Lakes. No added Sulfites.
	Ravines 2021 Dry Riesling Finger Lakes 100% Riesling. Lime, green apple, green grapes, and lemon meringue cookies. This is a beautiful bottle of Riesling - tart, bracing, dry, yet yielding and soft in its demeanor. Very much like its dry German or Alsatian sisters, yet undeniably a New World wine with its simple appeal. A fantastic sipper that will please nearly everyone.
	Giornata 2023 Il Campo Rosso Predominantly Sangiovese, with Barbera, Montepulciano, and Aglianico. Black cherry, plum, red fruits, violets, dried thyme, and a mineral complexity. Flavors are full, intense, and complex. This is a standout Italian varietal wine made in the USA. Superb balance, smooth texture and a long finish. In a blind tasting this would be hard to pick out as a California wine and that’s a good thing! A fantastic value. Pair with meats, hard Italian cheeses, and portobellos.
	Au Bon Climat 2023 Pinot Noir Santa Barbara 100% Pinot Noir. Raspberries, plummy, juicy and round. Straightforward California Pinot that is not over-worked, or over-oaked. Medium-plus bodied, with a touch of heat on the finish. A classic from Santa Barbara that never fails to deliver.