Sparkling wine goes with anything. A Cava from Spain is a bit softer than Champagne.

Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday. Food and football. The meal is built around turkey, but it's the side dishes, traditional to your family and friends and as varied or exotic as your friends and family, that make the meal.

Thanksgiving Day dinner offers wine lovers a unique challenge as well. You're faced with picking a wine that goes with turkey but also with tart cranberry, earthy wild rice, stuffing with nuts or sausage or giblets, sweet potatoes, creamed onions, green bean casserole ....

Here are five suggestions from local wine experts to help you solve this annual food/wine pairing puzzle.

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Valpolicella, in one style, delightfully accessible; in another, titanically age-worthy

​Valpolicella is a red wine from the rolling green hills north of Verona, the northeastern Italian home of Romeo and Juliet. It hasn't always gotten respect, and some producers continue to be content with large production and average quality. Still, Valpolicella, a blend of three traditional grapes, is very flexible wine. It arrives on our local lists and shop shelves in three distinct styles, and it can be one of Italy's most likable and food-friendly wines. It can also be one of the greatest dry red wines in the world.

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​Wine can be an intimidating subject for many people. With so many wines, varietals, vintages, and regions, it can be hard to know where to start. What's the difference between chenin blanc and sauvignon blanc? Why are American wines categorized by grape variety and French wines by region? Was 2009 a good year or bad year for wine? Is this bottle worth $27, or can I find one just as good for less?

Whereas you can pick up a six-pack and enjoy it without too much fuss and mix a cocktail with complete assurance, wines can seem dauntingly complex. You want to know something before you buy, but how do you get to that place?

You could spend a lifetime randomly tasting and comparing. Or pick a few dependable wineries, or a region or style you like, and never vary. Or, better yet, you can study a little and learn something before you leap.

Here are five books I think every wine lover would enjoy and learn a lot from. Combined with liberal tasting, these books should relieve any fears and answer most of your questions.

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