I’m not a fan of sweeping generalizations—this applies to life as well as to wine. With that proviso I can state that, for the most part, I’ve never been a lover of California Pinot Noir.

What’s in a name? How about Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio, Ruländer, Graubergunder, Malvoisie, Tokay d’Alsace and Szürkebarát—all names for the same grape, which is technically not a variety in its own right but a mutated clone of Pinot Noir. Talk about an identity crisis.

Every now and then, my boss, Sharon, will open what she calls a “stupid bottle of wine.” These bottles are so-called because, as she puts it: “It’s just a bottle of wine.” Yet their precious and rare nature allows them to command a price that most people wouldn’t dream of paying.

Deciding which wines to pair with the wide range of flavors, textures and aromas that find themselves together on Thanksgiving Day might seem like a daunting task. It doesn’t have to be.