Need to impress your pals? Deliver 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 will get about it the higher.) Within the everlasting quest to get extra bang to 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 the very best wines for Thanksgiving underneath $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 technology of wine professionals at Skurnik Wines & Spirits. She sits on the New York Metropolis Gross sales Administration workforce 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 firms. A New York native and Brooklyn resident, she enjoys exploring town’s restaurant scene, attending live shows and Broadway reveals, and displaying off pictures 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 ultimately 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 business is among 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 lower cost factors?
Wine costs will not be 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 price you a fairly penny, however Pinot Noir from Oregon or California could be extra fairly priced. There are many high-quality choices at each value level within the wine world, so my recommendation can be to search for a robust importer, distributor, or wine store that you simply belief to seek out nice values at lower cost 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 robotically 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 will you spot high-quality, inexpensive wine labels?
One smart way to try this is to familiarize your self with importers—similar to Skurnik—in search of our label on the again of a bottle is a good way to hunt out high quality. As a common rule, it’s finest to guage wines based mostly on whether or not you want how they style, and never how they’re priced.
What are the very best wines for Thanksgiving dinner?
The massive number of Thanksgiving meals means you’ll be able to supply wines of many kinds, and have one thing for everybody to take pleasure in. Thanksgiving is difficult, so your wine selections don’t should be. The primary focus is on the meals, in fact, so I’ve supplied some wine options—all underneath $20—that won’t break the financial institution or overpower your meal.
White and Glowing
To maintain issues gentle, bubbly, and dry in one of the best ways.
Rosé and Reds
Full-bodied beauties for Thanksgiving’s heartier fare.
