Wish to impress your pals? Convey a bottle of high-quality vino to a cocktail party, then blow them away with the value. Bonus factors for with the ability to title why it prices what it does. (The nerdier you may get about it the higher.) Within the everlasting quest to get extra bang on your buck, wine is a heavy hitter. So with Friendsgivings and Thanksgiving proper across the nook, we tapped Erica Skurnik of New York’s Skurnik Wines & Spirits to find one of the best wines for Thanksgiving below $20
“A common misconception about wine is that a higher price indicates higher quality,” notes Skurnik. “There are some incredible wines coming from lesser-known regions or made with lesser-known grapes falling into the under $20 category—it just might take some extra time and effort to find them.”
Erica Skurnik
Erica Skurnik is a part of the second era of wine professionals at Skurnik Wines & Spirits. She sits on the New York Metropolis Gross sales Administration staff and has expertise throughout the corporate, together with the American wine portfolio. Earlier than becoming a member of the household enterprise, Skurnik labored in Human Sources at main monetary companies corporations. A New York native and Brooklyn resident, she enjoys exploring town’s restaurant scene, attending live shows and Broadway exhibits, and displaying off photographs of her French Bulldog.
An Skilled Recommends the Finest Wines for Thanksgiving Below $20
Although she by no means imagined becoming a member of the household enterprise rising up, Skurnik finally felt a tug after graduating from Vanderbilt and pursuing a profitable profession in Human Sources. “As a kid, you never think what your dad does for work is ‘cool,’ but we always had wine on the dinner table, and I ended up knowing more about the stuff through osmosis than I realized,” Skurnik says.
Provided that the wine trade is without doubt one of the few dominated by family-owned companies, Skurnik believes the corporate’s generational ingredient has been important. “Having family on both sides of the coin is part of the secret sauce that contributes to our success,” she notes.
Are there sure varietals which might be recognized for sustaining high quality at cheaper price factors?
Wine costs are usually not dictated by grape selection alone. For instance, Cabernet Sauvignon tends to rack up a excessive invoice when it comes from sure areas of the world—like Napa Valley, Bordeaux—however not in others—Chile, Australia, Washington. Pinot Noir from Burgundy will value you a fairly penny, however Pinot Noir from Oregon or California will be extra moderately priced. There are many high-quality choices at each worth level within the wine world, so my recommendation can be to search for a robust importer, distributor, or wine store that you just belief to search out nice values at cheaper price factors.
Are there sure areas which might be recognized for producing high-quality wines at decrease costs?
Identical to grape varietals, sure wine areas include a luxurious model price ticket. Whereas there are some wine areas of the world that mechanically include the next price ticket (like Burgundy or Napa Valley), there are many areas which might be producing tremendous high-quality juice with out the value barrier to entry.
A few of my favourite areas that fall into this class embrace Chile, Argentina, Spain, Portugal, South Africa, Washington, and Oregon.
How are you going to spot high-quality, inexpensive wine labels?
One wonderful means to do this is to familiarize your self with importers—equivalent to Skurnik—searching for our label on the again of a bottle is an effective way to hunt out high quality. As a basic rule, it’s greatest to guage wines based mostly on whether or not you want how they style, and never how they’re priced.
What are one of the best wines for Thanksgiving dinner?
The big number of Thanksgiving meals means you may supply wines of many types, and have one thing for everybody to get pleasure from. Thanksgiving is difficult, so your wine selections don’t must be. The principle focus is on the meals, in fact, so I’ve offered some wine strategies—all below $20—that won’t break the financial institution or overpower your meal.
White and Glowing
To maintain issues mild, bubbly, and dry in the easiest way.
Rosé and Reds
Full-bodied beauties for Thanksgiving’s heartier fare.
