Posted by – Shawn Keenan, Assistant City Planner

If you’ve ever had trouble trying to decide what type of wine to pair with your holiday meals or bring to a gathering of family and friends, there’s no need to worry, help is nearby.   Located in Downtown Auburn Hills, near the intersection of North Squirrel Road and Auburn Road, you’ll find all the help you need.  That’s where you’ll discover Michigan By The Bottle (MBT), a local wine tasting room that offers over forty different varieties of wine from twelve of Michigan’s finest wineries.

With the wide array of wines available, we asked one of our local wine experts, Courtney Casey, Founder and Co-owner of Michigan By The Bottle, if she could provide some advice on making that perfect selection for the this year’s Thanksgiving day gathering.

When hosting thanksgiving, Courtney says, she always likes to welcome guests with a bit of sparkling wine.  Bubbly sets the festive tone for the evening, and also pairs well with salty snacks and salads that might precede the main meal.

Pinot Noir is her favorite go-to for turkey; it’s light-bodied enough to avoid overpowering the poultry while being hearty enough to stand up to spice and many side dishes.  Pinot also matches up well with ham or salmon, if you’re going a less traditional route. 

Rosé and Dry Riesling are two other types of wine she often has on her Thanksgiving table.  Both are incredibly versatile and food friendly, providing a refreshing component while harmonizing with a variety of traditional dishes.

If you’re serving a sausage-heavy stuffing that’s full of spice and heavier, heartier flavors, a bold red like Cabernet Sauvignon or a Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc blend might be in order.

For the grand finale, Cortney says you’ll want your wine to be sweeter than your dessert.  A port-style fortified wine would be fantastic with something like French silk pie or flourless chocolate cake.  For pumpkin pie, shortbread or lighter sweets, consider an ice wine.

With this fine advice at hand, we hope your holiday celebrations are merry and many.

Michigan By the Bottle hours this holiday week:  2pm-9pm Wednesday, Closed Thanksgiving, 12pm-10pm Friday (Black Friday celebration), 12pm-10pm Saturday (Small Business Saturday Customer Appreciation Day), 12pm-6pm Sunday – and don’t foget the Jingle Bell bash on Friday, December 2nd during the Auburn Hills Tree Lighting Ceremony.