For Holiday Turkey Pairings, Try Old Vine Zinfandel from Kehret, Lone Madrone, Writer’s Block

After what wines pair with which Halloween candies (just say no in my opinion unless you’re pairing with a non-dry sherry or a port),  or which wines to pair with paella or corned beef, the biggest question on everyone’s mind is what to pair with holiday turkey— and all the trimmings. So if what wine to pair with turkey dinner is on your mind, worry yourself no more as we have answers to your questions! And (hint hint!) we’re celebrating Zinfandel Day too! 

Truth be told, it is challenging to pair one wine with a plateful of food. That’s why I prefer to have a few wines open and change them up depending on what I’m eating. For example, sauvignon blanc works well with green salads, caesar salads, and seafood appetizers. Like sauvignon blanc, sparkling wine also is a classic starter and greeter wine that goes with lots of appetizers, salads, soups, fried foods, and can certainly hold its own with turkey, dressing, and green bean casserole. Sparkling wine is also so good with potato chips and of course oysters!

In general, a good rule of thumb is to match the color of the wine with the food— so for example,  dry rose with ham, white wine with white meats like turkey or chicken, and red wine with prime rib.

But my go to “one wine fits all for holiday gatherings” is zinfandel. While you can pair a zinfandel rose (not white zinfandel which is likely too sweet) with lighter dishes, a dry zinfandel with the turkey and trimmings, and a late harvest zinfandel with dessert, most dry red zinfandels can travel with you from the beginning of the meal until the end which we recently put to the test with three old vine zinfandels from three regions of California. In addition to pairing well with turkey, zin goes great with ham as well as prime rib or grilled steaks; give it a go with turkey burgers ion the grill!

Zinfandel is quintessionally American, and definitely at home here in California for generations. The story goes that Italian immigrants brought cuttings with them of Primitivo, the dominant red grape from Puglia. as well as other grapes too in field blends to make wines for their homes. Primitivo became known as Zinfandel and while the grape vines themselves are basically the same, on the palate they are quite different— overtime our Zinfandel and our terroir has resulted in quite a different wine than the original. We compared Miraflores primitivo and zin here with pairings for turkey day.

What exactly is old vine zinfandel and why does this matter? Vines planted over 35 years ago can be known as and registered as old vine vineyards (35 because that’s the point that vines stop producing as well; most vineyards are torn out after 20 or so years). Recently I attended live via video much of the 2025 Old Vine Conference held this year in Napa, Sonoma, and Lodi where they discussed the many ways that old vine vineyards are good for the planet and make tasty wines too. Caine Thompson at Robert Hall said in one session about climate change that “without question, older vines are better adapted compared to young vines” and that they sequester more carbon. The old vines perform better in periods of climate extremes– more resilient and with better yields.  Note: notes and pairings of Robert Hall’s Zinfandel and other wines coming soon; read about their Carignane here.

And speaking of delicious wines from old vines— in the number three spot on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 for 2025 list in an old vine zinfandel from Ridge’s Lytton Springs vineyard in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma!

For Holiday Pairings, Try Old Vine Zinfandel from Kehret, Lone Madrone, Writer’s Block

Wines

• 2019 Kehret Vineyards Zinfandel, Sierra Foothills
• 2018 Lone Madrone Zinfandel Bailey Ranch, Adelaida District, Paso Robles
• 2016 Writer’s Block Zinfandel, Lake County

Menu

• Organic roasted winter squash soup
• Fresh organic green beans sautéed in butter
• Organic Yukon gold potatoes mashed with gravy
• Turkey breast roulade with Sue’s homemade herb dressing
  adapted from here
• Apple pie (Marie Calendar’s reduced sugar)

2019 Kehret Vineyards Zinfandel, Sierra Foothills

2019 Kehret Vineyards Zinfandel, Sierra Foothills

ABV: 14.8%
SRP: sold out; 2020 $50 on sale for $45
Grapes: Zinfandel
sample for my review

Zinfandel loves life in the Sierra Foothills, and many ancient and old vines still thrive there. Kehret sources grapes from older, head-trained vineyards in the Fair Play region in El Dorado County. Sue and I visited the winery in June 2021 and toured their completely renovated, modern facility; the stunning tasting room has views for miles from the top of Mt. Aukum.  While the grapes aren’t organic, winemaker and viticulturist Steve Leveque is committed to growing as sustainably as possible and making wines that express the grapes without excessive manipulation.

Appearance:  Pale in color, garnet, salmon rim.

Aroma: Boysenberry, mulberry, blackberry, roses, sandalwood, cedar, ponderosa pine, Sierra spice, warmth, lovely, sage.

Palate: Clean and refreshing, lively elegant fruit, bright acidity, smooth, minerality, soft tannins.

Pairing: The wine takes our delicious soup to another level. The wine brings out the herbaciousness and textural elements in the soup and the soup brings out elegant fruit in the wine. definitely a WOW pairing. We loved this wine so much with the meal, it loved the richness of the gravy and the herbs in the stuffing, the wine becomes so complex and adds to the complexity of the meal, it is a very yin and yang pairing. I loved it with the green beans and I don’t really like green beans very much. The soup is sweet and clean with the wine almost like  sweet cream corn, the wine becomes very intense full of bold fruit forward flavors, so surprised but I really liked it with the pie only because there was less sugar and full of spice and everything nice. This pie really worked with the wine. It worked because it was a reduce sugar apple pie. This was the wine that shined through from the beginning to the end of the meal.

2018 Lone Madrone Zinfandel, Bailey Ranch, Adelaida District

ABV: 15%
SRP: sold out; 2020 vintage $55
Grapes: CCOF organic Zinfandel
purchased with an industry discount

In February 2023, I visited Tablas Creek with winemaker Neil Collins who took me on a jeep tour to explore the lands and the vineyards. At the conclusion, he encouraged me to check out his winery, Lone Madrone, where he makes very different wines than the ones he makes at Tablas Creek which is very much Rhone-centric. At Lone Madrone, he is especially proud of the Bailey Ranch zinfandel. After my tasting at Tablas, I did have time to swing by Lone Madrone, and I not only tasted the Bailey Ranch zin, but I bought a bottle to bring back and share with Sue. Today, Neil’s son Jordan makes the Lone Madrone wines which are fermented at Tablas Creek. Since 2012 Lone Madrone has had a tasting room in a converted horse barn in the Adelaida hills, on Adelaida Road. It’s a great place to visit, and they have winemaker dinners and other events there regularly.

Planted about fifty years ago, the Bailey Ranch vines on north-eastern facing slopes are dry farmed certified organic.

Appearance:  Medium density, slightly cloudy, ruby, fushia rim

Aroma: Roses, rose potpourri, cherry pie, blueberry, eucalyptus grove after the rain, muddy earth, church incense, pepper, cinnamon, clove, mocha, bee pollen

Palate: Big bold cherry fruit, cherry tobacco, toast, mocha, cherry truffle, nice tartness and acidity, chewy tannins, lots of lingering fruit and toast toast and jam, sticky clay,

Pairing: The wine goes so well with the savory roulade and buttery green beans. Every aspect of this meal elevates the wine and the wine also elevates the meal. The wine works very nicely with the apple pie It brings out the cinnamon and earthy characteristics, it enhances the sweetness of the wine but it works well. The wine carries through from the beginning to the end of the meal.

2016 Steele Wines Writer’s Block Zinfandel, Lake County

ABV: 15.2%
SRP: $28; 2020 vintage $33
Grapes: Zinfandel
purchased on sale from the winery

Some of the oldest Zinfandel vines in Lake County grow in the Duncan-Shine vineyard which go into the Writer’s Block zinfandel. After 12 months in French, Hungarian and American oak with 15% new, the wine has little residual sugar (0.02 g/L.0; all that juicy sweet flavor comes from the grapes themselves. 1,150 cases. Excellent winemaking by Jed Steele and his son. In 2020, Steele sold his winery to Shannon Family.

Appearance:  Medium density, garnet, mauve rim, slightly cloudy

Aroma: Cherry pipe tobacco, roses, rose potpourri, green bean, tomato leaf, Earth, loamy soil, bay leaf,

Palate: Bright cherry fruit, lighter in body, unfortunately the fruit gets washed away by the oak treatment, stemmy, green bean, wood, lingering cherry phosphate finish,

Pairing: Perfect with the sweet and creamy squash soup. The sweet and savory of the soup goes nicely with the sweet and savory of the wine, The roast caramelization of the squash went perfectly with the wine. Everything about the meal works perfectly with the wine. It loves the savory herbs, as well as the herbs in the gravy. This wine did not make it from beginning to the end of the meal. It just did not give the love to the apple pie that the other two did.