With two little ones this year, I didn’t have a lot of bandwidth to make a bunch of different dishes to bring to our family Thanksgiving. Luckily, Kuhlman Cellars sent me three of their holiday wines meant to pair perfectly with a Thanksgiving or traditional holiday meal! These were fun to try with my wine-loving family at our lake house this Thanksgiving.
Kuhlman Cellars kindly sent us the following three wines. I included Kuhlman’s tasting notes, but also added in the Colborne’s take on each of the wines we tried.
The Kuhlman Rosé – 2018 Hensell
- 2018 Hensell: A beautiful blend of hand harvested fruit, including Grenache and Cinsault from the Texas High Plains, this rosé has a nice light strawberry color. The nose is very nice with red berries such as cassis and sweet violet aromas. In the mouth the wine is soft with great roundness in the mid palate and a medium acidity lingering in the finish. A la carte price: $26.
- Thanksgiving pairing suggestion: appetizers such as chips and dips, soups, salads
- Our Take: We paired this rosé with a cream cheese and spicy cranberry sauce spread on a salty cracker. It went really well with the mix of salty, spicy and sweet. It’s a beautiful darker pink color, and seemed to have more depth and interest than most rosés. It didn’t seem crisp like a summer wine. It definitely felt appropriate for the season. I really liked this one!
The Kuhlman White – 2018 Estate White
- 2018 Estate White: This beautiful blend of Marsanne and Roussanne 100% from the Estate Vineyard, harvested at the end of July 2018, offers a crystalline yellow straw color. Captured in stainless steel tank fermentation, aromas of jasmine flower and fresh white peaches invite the mouthwatering acidity combined with honeysuckle and lemon drop flavors. The Estate White is perfect with salty and spicy dishes. A la carte price: $28.
- Thanksgiving pairing suggestion: turkey, dressing, and gravy
- Our take: We LOVED this wine! I usually reach for red wine, but this was my favorite of the three. We ate this with our main course including all your typical Thanksgiving dishes – turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole. It paired really well. It was easy to drink, without lacking flavor. There was no bite whatsoever and a very smooth finish. It also has a surprisingly high alcohol content of 13.8%!
The Kuhlman Red – 2016 Alluve
- 2016 Alluve: As one of Kuhlman Cellars’ proprietary blends, the Alluvé is crafted to be soft structured and food friendly. Though considered an “Everyday Drinking Wine,” there is a complexity of flavor accenting the soft approachable body. With notes of bright red fruit, bramble, anise, and thyme, this light and elegant wine is reflective of the unique Texas Terroir. Alluvé has become one of Kuhlman Cellars’ most popular red blends. It’s versatility, velvety mouthfeel, and supple tannins make it a wine you will revisit voraciously. A la carte price: $29.
- Thanksgiving pairing suggestion: ham, mashed potatoes with gravy and cream based casseroles during dinner, pumpkin pie for dessert
- Our take: The Alluve was another solid wine to round out this set of three. We opened this red blend half way through dinner, so we got to try it with all our Thanksgiving staples and also enjoy it with a rich chocolate brownie and Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream. It was on the lighter side for a red and was very easy to drink. Because of these two qualities, it would be a good red to enjoy if you want to have a glass of wine with light lunch!
Looking Towards Christmas
We enjoyed these wines with Thanksgiving, but they would be perfect for those that have another traditional holiday meal around Christmas (or even those that don’t – they’re just great wines)!
Best news? Kuhlman Cellars has hooked my readers up with a discount code! If anyone is interested in trying these wines, you can use code “route2healthandwealth” for free shipping on 3+ bottles. The set of three is $74. This is great because shipping on wine bottles can get expensive!
Our Thanksgiving Meal
My parents’ lake house has a wine room so we decided to move out the chairs and set up a table in there for Thanksgiving! It turned out beautifully.
On the menu we had fried turkey, spicy pork sausage stuffing, green bean artichoke casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce and a green salad. It was all to die for! Shoutout to my mom and dad for doing most of the cooking (I can only take credit for the green beans and the dessert) and for hosting my wild little family this week.
Interested in other food and wine posts? Read about Houston’s Food and Wine Week, a local to Cypress food and wine event and our family’s favorite crock pot meal!
