If you are looking for a bottle of wine to take with you for a big splash at your Thanksgiving gathering, one fabulous recommendation I have is a nice Tuscan wine from La Gerla called Birba ($29.99). I was in one of our ABC stores trying to think of what to bring with me besides the traditional wines I take every year, and while thinking of what we serve, I wanted something that was a WOW wine for the season. All of a sudden, this bottle caught my eye and I remembered meeting Alberto on the Italian wine tour in Tallahassee (drinking this wine with dinner). So not only do I have a WOW wine, I have a great story to go with it. Then I had to buy a bottle, you know, just to make sure I wanted to take it with me next week.

First thing I would tell you is to open this bottle about 20 minutes before serving. Like a Brunello, this wine needs to stretch before consumption (think of this wine as Brunello’s little sister). Voluptuous raspberry and red berry fruit, then it finishes with a note of cedar and a hint of acidity to balance the Turkey and stuffing.  This wine is what I think of that goes with the beginning, middle and end of a Thanksgiving meal (but something tells me it won’t last that long). I’m always looking for a way to impress without breaking the bank, and this nice bottle fits that niche.

So what do we take from this? Head out after you read this, find your local ABC, and talk to your wine consultant about this wine. Try Birba and impress those around you for having such great taste. And maybe repeat for Christmas, or just for whenever you want a nice bottle with dinner.

Kathleen Anderson, Northwest Florida wine supervisor

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinekat.