Made primarily from the rare Pineau d’Aunis grape, this wine is packed with peppery, herbal, olive and earthy notes that were incredibly refreshing after a few days of Thanksgiving-induced indulgence.

With the holidays officially upon us, we are in prime entertaining/dining out/party hopping mode. That means we’re also at the height of wine giving and receiving, a time of no small anxiety for many of us. One thing that legitimately stresses me out though is the fear of giving someone a bottle of corked wine.

100% without irony, I have always loved “very special” holiday-themed television programming, so here’s my addition to the canon with a brief list of what I’m thankful for, STBNY-style.

As promised, Paul and I had a “friend-giving” potluck, where we invited over a bunch of friends for a pre-holiday dinner. We road-tested several wines that I think would go nicely with a variety of turkey feasts.

Inspired by Stephen Colbert and his genius “Better Know a District” segment, I’m kicking off an occasional feature profiling some lesser-known grapes. First up: Petit Verdot.

Alcohol is the most obvious component of wine — but the hardest to talk about. We’re all familiar with its effects on us, both good and bad, but we’re much less conscious of how alcohol influences the way a wine tastes and feels in our mouth.

Saturday night’s Spin the Bottle launch event at Heights Chateau was, if I do say so myself, quite the success. There was a great crowd, the folks at Heights were so kind to let me host my event there, Sarah’s flowers were lovely, and oh yes, the wines.

It’s not easy to recommend Thanksgiving wines because it’s such a wildly varied meal. So instead of specific picks, here are some guidelines I like to follow when choosing and serving wine for the holiday.

Many thanks to all of you for being a part of this fledgling STBNY community. You’re all invited to celebrate with me at a tasting this Saturday, November 14, from 5-7 pm at Heights Chateau …

I am a big fan of cooking meat with white wine. Its acidity and freshness nicely balances the richness of the meat, particularly in slow-cooked beef and lamb dishes, and opens up new pairing possibilities.