Well fellow foodies and winos, another year has passed, and it's time once again to gorge ourselves at one of my favorite meals of the year, Thanksgiving. I have never understood why most of us save this holiday for one of my favorite meals, a juicy turkey dinner. I guess the reason I enjoy it so much are the multitudes of options available for preparing it.

Over the years, I have had the pleasure of enjoying my turkey oven roasted, grilled (whether it be gas, charcoal or a wood fire), deep fried, smoked and even cooked in the ground under a roaring fire. Some came out a little better than others, but all were interesting and different for lots of reasons.

The best part of the meal for me however, was the variety of sides available to pair with the, hopefully, juicy turkey. Most everyone has their favorite mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauces or relishes and vegetable choices. The one thing I've found that varies more from house to house than anything else though is the stuffing, or dressing, depending on where you're from.

I have tried lots of different kinds of dressing, pairing lots of ingredients to varied degrees of success, but there are a few that were consistently popular. The one I was raised on is still one of my favorites – a basic cornbread stuffing, loaded with sweet, caramelized onions, enhanced by the addition of fruit and nuts. Having been raised up North, my family more often than not used fresh cranberries and chopped walnuts for our stuffing. I always thought that the cranberries added a hint of tartness to balance out the sweeter cornbread and onion flavors.

My grandma, Nana Basley, being of German descent, always insisted on a bottle of medium dry riesling to enhance her Thanksgiving feast. We were allowed a taste or two of wine with our meal, and I always thought they went together well. After years in the wine trade, I finally learned why – the acidity and fruit flavors of the riesling paired well with her dressing and gravy. It is still my wine of choice when we make this dressing.

We used to spend some of our Thanksgivings with my Uncle Eddie and Aunt Rachel, who was of Italian descent. Her dressing of choice was a sausage stuffing, something I only had at her house (my Nana would never consider such a thing). I remember enjoying the combination of spicy sausage with the unusual addition (to me) of diced apple, and they balanced each other out wonderfully.

At their house we always had bottles of Chianti, usually the ones in their basket wrapping, easy drinking sangiovese at its best. It paired well with not only the roast turkey and the sausage stuffing, but also the antipasto and the lasagna, and the other umpteen courses they had at their feast (boy could they eat!)

Fast forward a dozen years to my time spent in Charleston, S. C. It was there that I was introduced to low country cuisine, as it is called, a multitude of foods that I had never tried before, things like grits and oysters. It is also where I first became a sommelier at a place called Kiawah Island, working in their fine dining and gourmet rooms. Oyster roasts were a common occurrence at the resort for vacationing groups, and my first Thanksgiving there gave me the opportunity to try oyster dressing.

Made with chopped oysters and their broth, this stuffing adds a distinctive seafood flair to your turkey feast. Paired with either a chardonnay, buttery and oaky or unoaked if you prefer a more fruit forward style, or a pinot noir if you prefer a red with your roasted meat. I would lean towards a Washington state or Oregon pinot noir for that earthy style instead of the fruitier style of their southern neighbors in California.

So whichever dressing you choose, and with whichever wine you decide to pair it, I wish that you, your family, and your company enjoy your holiday. And until next time ...

Sausage, Fennel & Apple Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 2 onions, diced

• 3 stalks celery, diced

• 1 fennel bulb, julienned

• 2 Granny Smith apples, diced

• 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, cooked

and sliced into 1/2-inch slices

• Italian focaccia or loaf bread, cut into cubes

• 1 Tbs. whole fennel seeds

• 3 Tbs. fresh oregano, chopped

• 3 whole eggs

• 16 oz. chicken stock

Directions:

In a large sauce pan, heat 5 Tbs. of olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion, celery, and fennel and give a good stir; reduce heat to medium and sweat until translucent. Add diced apples and sausage and cook for 7-8 minutes. Set aside. Toast bread cubes in a 350º oven for 12 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk three eggs with chicken stock; add bread cubes, vegetable/sausage mixture and spices. Give a good toss, moistening bread, then turn out into a casserole and bake for 40 minutes at 350º. Let rest for 30 minutes before serving.