In the Drink: A Thanksgiving wine guide | Lexington Herald Leader

This time of year, magazines and books abound with recommended wines for special occasions, but let's get real: How many of these picks ever show up on Central Kentucky shelves? It's particularly frustrating at Thanksgiving, when the spotlight is so focused on eating and drinking.

So I asked experts at four prominent Lexington wine shops to help create a Lexington-friendly shopping list.

On the case were Abbas Larian from Le Matin Cellar, Michael Sorg from Liquor Barn, Krim Boughalem from W+M, and Pat Wylie from Wines on Vine.

I gave each of them the actual five-course menu that I will feature at my holiday dinner and asked for suggestions within three price ranges for each course: $10 to $15, $15 to $30 and $30 or more. The menu is essentially traditional flavors with a few quirky departures, so the picks are adaptable to what you're serving. (Click here for recipes from my feast.)

The only requirement was availability. Not all shops gave a recommendation for every course.

I have parenthetically noted beneath each course certain taste and textural components that might have influenced the selections. In addition, bear in mind that generally, wines from the United States and Australia tend to be bolder than their more restrained and elegant counterparts from Europe. Finally, factor in how the courses build on each other, so that your choices have a similar progression and complementarity.

Click here for a printable guide to the experts’ picks.