GIVE IT A SWIRL

Best wines to pick up en route to your feast

T HANKSGIVING’S no turkey trot for wine lovers. I’m stumped choosing vintages for family and friends with wildly different tastes who pick over everything from corn to cranberries for hours on end.

My go-to crowd pleaser is California pinot noir, which tends to mesh with most any meatcentric meal. A favorite of mine is the aromatic, easy-drinking Au Bon Climat pinot noir from Santa Barbara County, Calif., 2016. ($18.39 at Garnet Wines & Liquors, 929 Lexington Ave.; 212-772-3211. Open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving.)

But for a more erudite pinot pairing, I turned to Aldo Sohm, the great wine director of Le Bernardin and Aldo Sohm Wine Bar. “One parameter is: What can you drink for a long time without getting bored? It’s a long meal,” Sohm says.

He chose Calera Central Coast

pinot noir, 2015. “An elegant, smooth pinot that’s an excellent food-pairing wine as it’s so balanced,” he says.

(Half-bottle only, $18.99, at 67 Wine & Spirits, 179 Columbus Ave.; 212-724-6767. Open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving. The shop had this wine and Sohm’s next two picks in stock earlier this week, but call first to check availability.) Vietti perbacco nebbiolo delle Langhe from Piedmont, Italy, 2014, $26.99. “Perbacco is made from parcels [that are] planted in the Barolo region,” says Sohm. “The wine has a good flavor, freshness and an elegant tannin structure. A certain lightness keeps you sipping it with your turkey.” Domaine Marcel Lapierre “Raisins Gaulois” vin de France, 2016, $16.99. “This is a 100 percent gamay mainly from the Morgon region from a respected Beaujolais producer,” he says. “It’s fresh and light with a joyful fruit.”