Wine for wine’s sake–I’m all for it. 

Sipping, sniffing, swirling and enjoying a glass or two after the baby’s down and the cells are off is one of life’s easy, affordable pleasures. At six o’clock, I don’t worry about pairing my sauvignon blanc or nebbiolo (my two favorite grapes) with anything. Dinner’s in an hour and, until then, I want quality time with my just my stemware and my wine.

Thanksgiving, however, is a whole other ball of wax. The history, the gathering of family to share the year’s biggest feast and the focus on traditional, American flavors demands that the food takes center stage. Let’s say that wine is the back-up dancer that makes the turkey and all those casserole dishes look and taste even better. (Sorry–Burlesque on the brain. I’ll be one of the crazies mobbing the theatres this Thanksgiving weekend. I don’t know what I love more–cornbread stuffing with a glass of Sancerre or a bucket of popcorn and Cher belting out “You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Me.”)

For Thanksgiving, there’s no better wine store in Manhattan than Bottlerocket Wine & Spirit. They specialize in food and wine pairings, cleverly organizing the majority of their cellar according to what’s on your dinner/celebration menu. Their displays read, “Take-out,” “Seafood,” “Meat,” “Treats” (… you get the point) and then offer an array of wines from around the world that will perfectly suit those flavors.

You can thank Tom and Gary, the store’s owners, for the super fun, easy-to-navigate Thanksgiving food and wine chart shown above that’s so easy to use, Parker acted as sommelier for our Turkey Day celebration.

 Here’s what our little family will be enjoying tomorrow:

Kicking Things Off: Champagne

Pol Gardere Brut NV
Blend of Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
Bubbly white, medium-bodied, dry, floral, crisp
From Chigny-les-Roses (village), Champagne (region), France
$29
Pouring with Turkey Drumstick: Pinot Noir

Montinore Estate
Pinot Noir 2009
Red, dry, light-bodied, earthy, lean
From Willamette Valley, Orgegon
$21

Drinking with our Veggie Sides: Verdicchio

Zaccagnini
Verdicchio 2008
White, dry, medium-bodied, floral, yeasty, herbaceous
From Staffolo (village), Le Marche (region), Italy
$15

Sipping with Pumpkin Pie and Bowls of Toasted Pecans: Red Blend

Clos de los Siete
Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah 2008
Medium-full bodied, oak, violet, black currants, raspberry
Mendoza (region), Argentina
$19

Bottlerocket Wine & Spirit
5 West 19th Street
New York, New York 10011

www.bottlerocketwine.com