These are the best Hudson Valley Wines for Thanksgiving, without a doubt! With import taxes looming over all imported wines in the coming year, there is no better time to learn the secrets of Hudson Valley Wines. We have several hidden gems to share. These are a few of our favorite whites and reds from our recent tastings.
Best Holiday Reds from the Hudson Valley
Few wines go as well with a Thanksgiving bird as a Cabernet Franc. The Hudson Valley has become one of the areas most concentrated with this Vitis Vinifera varietal. Most vineyards have joined the Cabernet Franc Coalition to help promote the association of the Hudson Valley with Cabernet Franc. The greatest Cabernet Franc comes from its namesake origin, France. This Whitecliff Cabernet Franc comes the closest of any wines we have tasted to a classic Bourgueil or Chinon from the Loire Valley in France. And this wine currently holds our title for the Best Red in the Hudson Valley.
The other red that we would recommend as a an unexpected favorite from the Hudson Valley is the DoubleFallLine blend from Fjord Vineyards. This exceptional wine uses a little known grape from the Austrian wine regions called Blaufrankish and is paired with Cabernet Franc and Merlot to create a pleasant round palette.
Best Holiday Whites from the Hudson Valley
For a classic Chardonnay for the holidays, we have a tie. we also recommend a wine from Whitecliff Vineyards called Reserve Chardonnay. Here are notes from the Winery: “Our barrel fermented estate grown Chardonnay…. This vintage is totally dry and got 9 months in French oak. ” We agree that this is a very approachable wine that has notes of apple and honey and would go well across all Thanksgiving dishes. The Benmarl Winery Reserve Chardonnay would also go very well and a head to head tasting of these two wines is a blog post for the future. The last recommendation is the Benmarl Winery Traminette which currently holds our title for the Best White in the Hudson Valley. This one is sold out on their website but local stores may still carry the wine and it may be worth a visit to the winery.
