We know everyone is suggesting that you pour a Pinot Noir from Oregon with the festive November meal. It’s like the new article of faith that turkey and dressing go best with a soft red. Maybe we’re traditionalists, but — barring a smoke pit — turkey is a subtle fowl, and fowl (unless we’re talking wild duck) generally pairs best with a white wine. But in keeping with the revisionist thinking, we’re on board with a spicy, assertive white.

Specifically, we’re recommending the 2023 Lagar de Cervera Albariño. When we think of spicy whites, three grapes come to mind: Gewürztraminer, Muscat, and Albariño. We’ve tried all three with autumn dishes, and while we like Muscat with apple and pumpkin pies, it’s often a toss-up between the other two grapes for the main meal.

This specific Albariño, however, gets the edge this year. You might recall that all of Europe (and especially Spain) had a ferociously hot summer in 2023. That resulted in the earliest harvest on record in the Rías Baixas region in Galicia in the northwest corner of the Iberian peninsula. (The vineyard at the top of the post, courtesy of the winery, was photographed by Javier Grandival.)

The grapes, which come from two subzones of the wine region, were hand harvested and transported under refrigeration to the Lagar de Fornelos winery. Despite the early harvest, the must fermented out to 13 percent alcohol ABV — one to two percent higher than normal. Finished on agitated lees in steel tanks before bottling, the resulting wine has the spiciness of classic Albariño with a steely intensity that’s perfect for cutting through the herbaceousness of sage stuffing and the unctuous qualities of various squash and sweet potato dishes.

Spicy wine meets Thanksgiving’s herbs

We gave it a dry run with an autumn favorite — the butternut squash risotto with bacon, saffron, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese shown at right. (We can wait a few weeks for turkey.) If anything, the wine helped bring out the lovely astringent qualities of the saffron and the smoke in the bacon. Definitely a match.

It generally sells for $22-$26 per bottle.

Special kudos are due to winemaker Ángel Suárez. Thanks to prevailing winds off the Atlantic Ocean, the Rías Baixas tends to be a cool, damp climate. Albariño is an indigenous grape that evolved for exactly that climate, making it somewhat threatened by climate change. Suárez gives us hope that skilled winemakers can still make wines with classic flavor profiles under changing conditions.