Category: Viral

Earlier in November, word broke that Johnny Depp was being asked to leave the Fantastic Beasts series, whose third installment is currently mid-shoot. The reason? It had to do with him losing his libel case against the British tabloid The Sun, who had labeled him a “wife-beater” when describing his marriage to Amber Heard. But who would replace him? Early reports claimed it would be acclaimed Danish actor (and reliable franchise player) Mads Mikkelsen. Jump a couple weeks and — whaddaya know? — Depp’s official replacement is officially Mr. Mikkelsen.

The news came from a press release, aired by IndieWire, which formally welcomed the thespian to the Harry Potter spin-off series. Depp had played Gellert Grindelwald, the movies’ main villain, who had, as per the title of the second film, committed some crimes. Mikkelsen will actually be the third actor to assume the role. In the first film, Colin Farrell played Grindelwald, albeit in disguise, posing as one of the good guys. The final minutes find his mask being ripped off, revealing Depp.

Will something similar happen in the still unnamed threequel? After all, Depp did shoot one entire scene, for which, thanks to a contract hiccup, he will still be paid his full agreed-upon (and quite large) salary. If Depp makes the final cut, he’ll almost certainly net the highest paycheck for the least amount of screentime in cinema history. If he doesn’t make the cut, he will almost certainly net the highest paycheck for zero minutes of screntime in cinema history.

In the meantime, good on Mikkelsen, a great serious actor (you can currently see him in the drinking drama Another Round), a great Bond villain actor, and a great Hannibal Lecter actor. Maybe this will help NBC (or whoever) finally greenlight that fourth season of Hannibal, so they can finally remake The Silence of the Lambs, but for network television.

(Via IndieWire)

Since the release of her acclaimed debut solo record, Jaime, last year, Brittany Howard has been a staple on late-night television. The singer recently shared performances of her music on The Late Late Show and The Tonight Show. But in an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Howard went off-script.

Instead of sharing a rendition of one of her own songs, Howard chose to pay tribute to one of the greats: Nina Simone. Taking the stage backed by a full band, she shimmied around the set as she delivered the lyrics to Simone’s poignant 1969 track “Revolution.” Howard put her soul into the performance, belting out the stirring lyrics with animation as her band kept time with jazzy instrumentation. “And now we got a revolution / Cause I see the face of things to come / Yeah, your Constitution / Well, my friend, its gonna have to bend,” she sang.

Howard’s performance came on the tail-end of some exciting news. Just before she took Colbert’s stage, the Recording Academy nominated her for five Grammy Awards. She’s been nominated for Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, Best Alternative Music Album, Best R&B Performance, and Best American Roots Performance.

Watch Brittany Howard perform Nina Simone’s “Revolution” on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert above.

Jaime is out now via ATO. Get it here.

Kurt Russell doesn’t seem like the kind of actor born to play Santa Claus; he’s too macho, with his John Wayne-style drawl, to hang out with elves and delivering presents. And yet there he is, doing his second go as a more studly Kris Kringle in The Christmas Chronicles 2, the sequel to Netflix’s Yuletide hit from two years back (and, according to its star, a bit reminiscent of, uh, The Passion of the Christ). But one person on Twitter has a theory, one that makes Russell playing Santa seem like perfect casting.

The theory involves MacReady, the grizzled badass Russell played in John Carpenter’s remake of The Thing, about a shape-shifting, super gross alien that picks off a research crew in Antarctica, one by one. The movie ends ambiguously, with MacReady and one of his colleagues, Keith David’s Childs, alone together, unsure if either of them is secretly possessed by the alien, if neither of them is or what. But, Twitter user Kevin Biegel posits, maybe we have our answer, and that answer has been supplied by The Christmas Chronicles cycle.

“MacReady survived the end of ‘The Thing,” Biegel writes, “because he was picked up by Santa and brought to the North Pole MacReady then killed Santa for being a b*tch, assumed Santa’s role, and his adventures are chronicled in ‘The Christmas Chronicles’ films. These films = same universe.”

Why not! They do have almost the same beard! Of course, believing this — even in a tongue-in-cheek way — does ruin one of cinema’s great open-ended endings — a rare case where running the credits before a resolution has been reached doesn’t seem like cruel and cheap and lazy. On the other hand, it is amusing to imagine MacReady forced into a second life as a symbol of generosity and gregariousness.

And then there’s this: Along with Escape from New York, also by John Carpenter, The Thing helped Russell — who first became a star as a child and then teen actor, appearing in Elvis movies and ludicrous Disney comedies like The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes — utterly bulldozer his squeaky clean image. It would be funny if, having escaped the hell of family fare movies, Russell got sucked back in, and all because he made The Thing.

The Christmas Chronicles 2, which also features his real-life longtime partner Goldie Hawn, can now be streamed on Netflix. The Thing, however, is not part of any streamer’s subscription. But one can, however, head to Disney+ and watch the young, amusingly square Russell in The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and The Strongest Man in the World. If that’s one’s bag.

Saved By The Bell (Peacock series, Wednesday) — Here comes the official reimagining of the original series with a lot of the O.G. crowd on board for more neon-tinged adventures. Zack Morris is now (a terrible) California governor, Kelly Kapowski’s his first lady, and Elizabeth Berkley and Mario Lopez are back as Jessie Spano and A.C. Slater, respectively. If you’re lucky, you’ll see the return of Zack Attack. Screech is sitting this one out, but prepare for some (still lighthearted) social commentary.

The Flight Attendant (HBO Max series, Thursday) — Kaley Cuoco busts away from the The Big Bang Theory with a fun flight of (darkly comedic) fancy. She plays portrays an airline stewardess whose international jet-setting lifestyle includes falling into bed in various countries with various handsome men. During the course of one particularly fateful encounter, Cassie wakes up next to the dead body of a one-night stand. She spends the rest of the series attempting to clean sh*t up. Surrender to this madcap ride.

Mosul (Netflix film, Thursday) — Anthony and Joe Russo produce this Matthew Michael Carnahan-directed project about men who fight to take back homes and territory seized by ISIS. Prepare for a dangerous guerrilla operation to go down onscreen, along with an extraordinary display of heroism.

Superintelligence (HBO Max film, Thursday) — This action-comedy stars Melissa McCarthy and James Corden and follows an all-powerful A.I. that stands on the verge of either enslaving, saving or destroying humanity.

In case you missed these picks from the past several days:

Shawn Mendes: In Wonder (Netflix documentary) — The floppy-haired heartthrob takes fans behind the scenes of his demanding rise to the top, which led him towards a reckoning of sorts. The film promises a heartfelt glimpse into the pressures experienced while coming-of-age in front of absolutely everyone. While charting his path from precocious troubadour to global superstar, the project also includes never-before-seen footage of his private life and worldwide travels.

Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (Netflix film) — Everyone loves Dolly (who helped fund a promising COVID vaccine), so at least there’s one thing that you won’t be arguing about with your relatives (over Zoom) this holiday season. Featuring an album full of original Dolly music, this film (which co-stars Christine Baranski) revolves around how the coldest of hearts can melt in the face of family, love, and the enduring Christmas spirit of a small town.

Small Axe (Amazon film collection) — Five Steve McQueen-directed movies will drop each Friday over the course of five weeks. The stories, set in London’s West Indian community, will explore the endurance of the human spirit despite setbacks from discrimination and rampant racism, all set from the late 1960s to the 1980s.

Run (Hulu film) — Starring Sarah Paulson and directed by Aneesh Chaganty, this suspense film might be the perfect distraction. Paulson plays an obsessive mother who controls her daughter in total isolation, and her daughter’s now only beginning to grasp the secretive (and unnatural, possibly sinister) reasons for this behavior.

Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix film) — The Ron Howard-directed film isn’t getting great reviews, but audiences can now have their say while watching Amy Adams and Glenn Close both transform themselves for an Appalachian-set drama. This film’s based upon J.D. Vance’s memoir of the same name, and the story follows how Vance, a Yale Law student, returns to his hometown for a family crisis. In the process, he’s dealing with high drama amid his mother’s addictive struggles. It’s a modern-day exploration of the American Dream as fueled by complex dynamics and a multigenerational take on the common-yet-somehow-uncommon journey that each family member faces in different ways.

Black Narcissus (FX, Hulu) — All three hour-long episodes of FX and the BBC’s miniseries (starring Gemma Arterton) are now available on Hulu. This is a more methodical and reflective version of the story than the 1947 film and revolves around a group of nuns, led by Sister Clodagh, who journey to a remote part of the Himalayas on a mission, only to set up camp in a structure that once housed a harem and contains mysteries that could awaken forbidden desires.

After news of Chicago rapper King Von’s death broke earlier this month, the hip-hop community mourned the loss of the up-and-comer. His death had a huge impact on Asian Doll in particular, who had dated the rapper from 2018 up until this past August.

Still reeling in the days following Von’s death, Asian Doll decided she was going to pay tribute by getting a tattoo of him. When she first revealed her plans, she said she wanted to get it on her face. But after fans advised her not to, she instead decided to get the ink placed somewhere else.

Just ahead of King Von’s tragic death, Uproxx had the opportunity to sit down with him for his final interview. When asked about who he made music for, he replied:

“People that grow up in Parkway with single mothers. You know, that Section 8 sh*t. Grow up around there, with drug dealers around. People that grew up in sh*t like that and f*cked up predicaments. It’s a lot of people. And then people, just as entertainment, and sh*t, I guess. The suburban kids. Everybody who f*ck with the music, man.”

Sofia Coppola is widely considered to be one of the most unique filmmakers working right now, and she even has a much-liked new movie: On the Rocks, which reunites her once more with Bill Murray. But things weren’t always so hot for her. A lot of people’s introduction to her was in The Godfather Part III, the not-terribly-well-received threequel to what is otherwise a pretty flawless franchise. And when it came out in 1990, critics absolutely savaged Sofia, who played the teenage daughter of Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone.

Jump 30 years later, and Sofia’s father, Francis Ford, is ready to release a new cut of the film, called The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone (spoiler!). And another of its stars, Diane Keaton, has seen it and has two things to say about it: a) it’s a massive improvement and b) Sofia is, at least in this new version, really, really good.

In a new interview with Variety (in a bit picked up by IndieWire), the legendary actress says, like many, she wasn’t that into the original version. But after Francis showed her the new cut, she did an about-face.

“It was one of the best moments of my life to watch it,” Keaton said. “To me it was a dream come true. I saw the movie in a completely different light. When I saw it way back, it was like ‘Oh, I don’t know.’ It didn’t seem to do that well and the reviews weren’t great. But Francis restructured the beginning and the end and man, I’m telling you it worked.”

What’s more, even Sofia — who replaced Winona Ryder at the last minute — is pretty great. At the time, her gawky, unpolished performance was as a bad case of nepotism.

That’s not going to happen anymore,” Keaton told Variety. “She’s what a daughter would be like if you had this guy as your dad, the head of a criminal organization. She was not so sure of herself and is kind of quiet. Kind of haunted. I thought she was fantastic.”

Sofia has acted since, albeit in small roles. Did you know she has a tiny part in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace? But she transitioned into filmmaking, made a massively acclaimed feature debut with The Virgin Suicides, and the rest, as they say, is history. But maybe she’s so good in this cut that we’ll wish she’d been acting ever since, on top of making movies like Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, etc.

The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone arrives in whatever theaters are still open on December 4 and hits VOD on December 8.

(Via Variety and IndieWire)

College basketball tips off this week, and the best show on the hardwood (at least until the NBA comes back) will be Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 recruit in the nation and an offensive maven who will likely hear his name called first in the 2021 NBA Draft.

The Cowboys’ season will begin with a relatively quiet game against the University of Texas-Arlington, but any time Cunningham plays this season, it will be must-watch television. Cunningham is already dominating preseason All-American lists and NBA Draft boards after a tremendous season at Montverde Academy last year, and for good reason. In a league that is placing a premium on toolsy jumbo playmakers, Cunningham could enter the NBA as already one of its most valuable players.

Maybe Cunningham isn’t quite at the level of Zion Williamson, Anthony Davis, or LeBron James as a consensus top prospect, but he’s not far off. Rarely do players enter the NBA with such polished skill coupled with physical tools that make him NBA-ready. Cunningham isn’t a household name like those guys were on the days they entered college (or, in LeBron’s case, from the time he was 16), but there’s no reason to doubt he will be soon, and the NBA will have another brilliant young star.

In the NBA Draft, it’s all about gauging the outcomes. There’s a chance Williamson isn’t the perennial MVP candidate we expected him to be, but there’s a chance Cunningham is. It likely is a bit more likely that Williamson is that guy than Cunningham, but their range of outcomes overlaps. Comparing that to a player like Anthony Edwards Jr., for whom just about everything would have to go right for him to be an MVP at all during his career, shows how much Cunningham alone changes the thinking for teams drafting at the top of the 2021 Draft.

Listed at 6’8 and 220 pounds, Cunningham looks like a more lithe Luka Doncic or a stronger Paul George. That frame and his solid athleticism allow him to get just about anywhere on the court and make him a mismatch against just about any defender. While most people his size use that advantage as a scorer, though, Cunningham’s best quality may be his passing.

Already, despite being just 19 (Cunningham is older for a freshman and nearly reclassified to be a freshman last year), the Arlington native has just about every pass in his bag, both in transition and in the halfcourt.

At the same time, Cunningham has clearly put in work on his jump shot to go along with a quick first step. He’s also a solid leaper and because of his size, can work the post or the perimeter. From the day he gets to the league, he is going to be a nightmare to match up against. At the college level, it’s going to be nigh impossible to keep him from getting wherever he wants to go.

As with many young players, defense is not his biggest strength, but Cunningham fortunately has solid size and length that make him less of a concern on that end than, say, Trae Young. There have also been enough flashes as a team defender to ensure Cunningham at least understands his responsibilities on that end and provide optimism he could be pretty good in time.

And while this year’s Cowboys team is going to be pretty young, junior team captain Isaac Likelele will be back and give Cunningham a decent scorer to set up, in addition to senior guard Ferron Flavors. We saw Young set the world ablaze with a similarly weak supporting cast in 2017-18. It doesn’t take much when you have this much talent.

Coming off a Draft in which there was very little elite talent and no real prize for tanking, the 2021 class is strong overall, but Cunningham is easily the best prospect in the class heading into the college season. A team like, say, Detroit that looks like it will really struggle this year could really benefit, especially as few teams look dead-set on tanking right now.

It’s not as if Cunningham doesn’t have competition, either. The 2021 class is strong overall, and deep on wings, the most valuable position in the NBA. But you won’t see Brandon Boston or Keon Johnson on preseason All-American lists. Cunningham is a head above his counterparts.

What that means is that while Cunningham likely dominates college basketball, NBA teams will be making moves in conjunction, trying to figure out a way to get their hands on a perfect modern NBA player and one of the most gifted players to come along in the draft in years.

North Carolina punk rapper Nascar Aloe brings unstoppable energy to UPROXX Sessions in this week’s episode as he rips through an twitchy performance of “I Throw A Fit.” The song’s title is apt; Aloe never stands still for a moment. His infectious aura vibrates off the walls as he calls out Donald Trump, police, and politicians in railing screed against the hypocrisy of the “land of the free.”

Calling himself “the new Sid Vicious,” Nascar Aloe experimented with different styles and stage names until settling on his current in-your-face punk persona. He’s proven prolific, dopping projects at an alarming clip that fits his DIY, anything-goes mentality. Most recently, he dropped the three-song Battery Clash! EGO Bite, which contained the songs “Hi,” “Abyss,” and “Dysfunctional.” Earlier this year, he also released The Garage Tapes featuring Ghoulavelli and Miyagi. Though he’s not highly active on social media, he has used it to call out disparities and oddities of the modern music scene. He’s part of an anti-establishment wave of young, punkish rappers that includes characters like Jasiah, Joey Trap, and Tokyo’s Revenge.

Check out his raucous performance above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

In December 2018, The Utah Department of Transportation opened the largest wildlife overpass in the state, spanning 320 by 50 feet across all six lanes of Interstate 80.

Its construction was intended to make traveling through the I-80 corridor in Summit County safer for motorists and the local wildlife.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that there were over 100 animal incidents on the interstate since 2016, giving the stretch of highway the unfortunate nickname of “Slaughter Row.”

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Forty-six deer, 14 moose, and four elk were killed on that stretch of highway in 2016 and 2017 alone.

The number of deaths is a tragedy for the local ecosystem but the situation is also dangerous for humans traveling at high speeds on the interstate.

via UDOT

When authorities agreed to build the $5 million project some were skeptical about whether it would work. There was a fear that the animals would be too afraid to cross the bridge. A three-mile cattle fence was installed leading up to the overpass to encourage wildlife to make their way towards the structure.

Well, the skeptics can rest easy, because footage from a surveillance camera recently released by the department of wildlife proudly proclaims, “It’s working!”

Surveillance video taken over the past seven months shows that bobcats, coyotes, deer, mountain lions, moose, and even bears all use the structure.

Deer

via UDOT / Facebook

Coyote

via UDOT / Facebook

Bear

via UDOT / Facebook

“From what we can tell, the number of accidents there is down dramatically,” UDOT spokesman John Gleason told the Salt Lake Tribune. “At least initially, it appears the investment in safety is paying off. And we expected it to take several years before the animals got used to using it, so this is great.”

UDOT believes it will take up to five years of studying the bridge to know if the project will work long-term.

via National Wildlife Foundation

News of the bridge’s early success has to be good for developers in Southern California building the world’s largest and most urban wildlife crossing. The crossing above the busy 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills, just outside of Los Angeles, will be 165 feet wide and span 200 feet.

The $85 million dollar project created mostly with private money aims to help improve genetic diversity in the local mountain lion population and increase biodiversity in the area.

“Genetic decline, which is the result of isolation from these freeways for these cats is getting so bad, that they’re starting to show birth defects,” Beth Pratt with the National Wildlife Foundation told LAist.

Two different microclimates have developed on each side of the freeway and this will allow them to reconnect.

“This project offers an opportunity to kind of stitch those two spaces back together,” he said, “and allow that transition to occur naturally.”

Let’s face it, Thanksgiving 2020 won’t resemble what it was last year or any year before that. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, there will be far fewer people attending family dinners and Friendsgivings. And with more than 11 million Americans (and counting) having suffered from the virus since it first emerged in the U.S., most folks are likely to skip even socially-distant gatherings in an effort to prevent further spread of COVID-19.

Fewer seats at the table means smaller Thanksgiving spreads this year. But just because you’re being responsible doesn’t mean you have to skimp out on the holiday fixings. Or all the bottles of wine you’ll need to pair with your stuffing, turkey, and sweet potato pie. It’s been a rough year for many of us. A lot has changed and a lot has been lost. But we’re still here, and that’s something to be thankful for.

It’s definitely a good enough reason to break out the good grapes.

Regardless of what’s on your menu this holiday, there are plenty of solid wines that should have a place on the table. To help with your Thanksgiving prep, we’ve rounded up eight superior bottles that will put you in the holiday spirit, whether you’re spending the day with your family over Zoom, sitting down with your quarantine cluster, or feasting alone. You don’t have to spend a gazillion dollars to enjoy any of these picks, either.

All of the bottles listed are under $40 and can be found at retail shops around the U.S., or ordered online via the linked prices below.

Banshee 2018 Sonoma County Pinot Noir

ABV: 13.9%
Average Price: $28

The Wine:

The vintners of Banshee Wines pride themselves on producing superior, standout Pinot Noir. They own several vineyards across Sonoma County, California where the grape grows with its own unique character based on its terroir, or rather the surrounding climate, soils, and various other earthly elements that add to a grape’s taste.

The 2018 label is a mashup of each Banshee Pinot plot, resulting in a wine that is both silky and savory, sour and sweet.

Tasting Notes:

Here is the mixed berry pie you probably won’t be baking for Thanksgiving. A mélange of macerated berries is the aroma this wine gives. On the sip, blackberries and plum are most prevalent, but out-of-nowhere comes a splash of sour cherry. It’s a surprisingly tart note that’s followed up with a slightly herbal and savory, short finish.

Bottom Line:

Pair this wine with your holiday sweets like hot blackberry pie or apple crumble topped with vanilla ice cream. All that fruit and sweet creaminess of the ice cream—not to mention the contrasting temperatures—will make for one refreshing yet fully flavorful end-of-meal experience.

Marques de Murrieta Rioja Reserva 2015

ABV: 14%
Average Price: $29

The Wine:

This blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano produced in Spain is quite simply harmony in a bottle.

Seriously, this wine is singing with ripe fruit, acidity, and body. It’s aged for 18 months in American oak barrels, then spends another year in the bottle to produce what is truly an elegant and refined vino, packed with as much character as the favorite aunt you may not get to see this holiday season.

Tasting Notes:

This wine is rich in dark fruits that radiate from the bottle once the cork is popped. Dried black cherry and juicy black plum get a lift from cedar and tobacco while a touch of spice (that’s the Garnacha you’re tasting) simmers in the background. The wine is supple and plush with meaty tannins—the naturally occurring polyphenol found in plants, fruit skins, and seeds that lend to its astringency—that are rounded out with a hint of cardamon in the long and lingering finish.

Bottom Line:

The juicy complexities mixed with the velvety soft tannins and fruit flavors of this wine make it a mellifluous pairing for baked turkey and stuffing (and/or dressing, depending on where you live).

Château Malescasse 2017

ABV: 13.5 %
Average Price: $22

The Wine:

This wine is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon and Petit Verdot from the Haut Medoc appellation in the Bordeaux region of France. It’s pretty juicy thanks to all the Merlot, which makes up 53 percent of the wine.

Tasting Notes:

This wine shows a ton of black fruit—think blackberry, blackcurrant, and blueberry. You can taste a bit of menthol in the finish, which gives this jeweled red wine a pretty and light texture that also leaves a cooling sensation in the mouth.

Bottom Line:

This is no-fuss wine. It’s smooth and easy to drink and has just the right amount of juiciness to stand up to any roasted or baked bird that may be gracing the table. This one would also be great to cook with.

Consider adding a splash to cranberry glazes and sauces, and especially your red sauce pasta and after-Thanksgiving stews.

Oak Farm 2018 Barbera

ABV: 15%
Average Price: $25

The Wine:

Have you ever spent a sunny, brisk fall afternoon rummaging through the woods, foraging for mushrooms and herbs and berries? Well, you may feel like you’ve done all those things after a sip of this earthly deliciousness. Comprised of Barbera and Petite Sirah grown in Lodi — the center of California’s Central Coast — this wine is equal parts fruit, spice, and earth that adds up to a medium-bodied bottle that is truly dynamic.

Tasting Notes:

Fragrances of fresh baked pie waft up from the glass. You can smell the bounty of berries and fruit that make up the filling, the flaky and subtly sweet crust enveloping its decadent insides. On the sip, the garnet red wine is a bouquet of hibiscus petals and leaves mixed with a blend of spices, seasoning, and an array of wild mushrooms that satisfy the palate.

Bottom Line:

The pairings for this bottle are endless. Drink this with your Thanksgiving meats. Sop up a side of mashed and sweet potatoes and buttered rolls with a sip or two of this. Use this wine for balsamic glazes and drink a glass while you dine.

Braised collard greens, roasted rainbow carrots, and even a cheese plate will be taken to new heights with this wine.

Umberto Cesari Moma Sangiovese Cabernet Sauvignon Rubicone IGT 2018

ABV: 13%
Average Price: $15

The Wine:

Who says red wine can’t be mouthwatering? This blend of Sangiovese with a tidbit of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot hailing from Italy certainly is. While it’s completely elegant with soft tannins, its flavorful finish completely washes the palate and leaves you salivating for the next glass.

Tasting Notes:

Aromas of cocoa, raisin, and red berries are jumping out of the glass, while the sip feels like new suede. There’s some acidity that greets the palate and a hint of spice in the finish, but overall this is a delicately balanced wine that may likely leave you licking your lips after each sip.

Bottom Line:

The undeniable smoothness of this wine makes it incredibly easy to drink. Sure, it’s perfect complete on its own but it’s also very capable of moistening the palate after eating white meats that lean on the drier side.

Château de Villemajou Grand Vin Red 2016

ABV: 14%
Average Price: $33

The Wine:

This wine is a blend of Carignan, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Grenache is one of the many fantastic wines derived from one of Gérard Bertrand’s massive estates in the Languedoc region of France. This is the big, bold, bad boy at the dinner table. This wine is full of body and structure just firm enough to cut through the heartiest of Thanksgiving dishes.

Tasting Notes:

Aromas of toasted bread slathered with blackberry jam smother the nose, while the palate is cloaked in deep, dark cherry muddled with sprinkles of whole peppercorns. The finish is enticingly dry and heavy. You’ll feel the weight of this wine from the first sip to the last.

Bottom Line:

This is a full-bodied showstopper that’s meant to be experienced alongside more sumptuous meals like, ya know, Thanksgiving dinner.

William Estate 2018 Napa Valley Chardonnay

ABV: 14.2%
Average Price: $27

The Wine:

Chardonnay grapes picked all across Napa Valley aid in this wine’s creamy, sophisticated taste. Fruit from the St. Helena AVA influence the fruit flavors, and grapes from the breezy Carneros region bring the citrus vibes and crisp acidity. Meanwhile, Chard from the Oak Knoll AVA supplied the sturdy bones of the wine.

The blend of regional fruit was fermented and aged in oak barrels, lending to its bold body and distinctive taste.

Tasting Notes:

This wine is oozing with aromas of buttery croissants and dulce de leche while the sip is fresh with notes of Bosc pear, yellow apple, and Meyer lemon. It’s rich and creamy with a velvety structure that gets a blast of character in its long finish that zings with acidity.

Bottom Line:

If you’re looking for something that is both voluptuous and refreshing, this wine is your go-to.

Valados de Melgaço Alvarinho Reserva 2019

ABV: 13.5%
Average Price: $25

The Wine:

Rarely do you find a wine as spritely and effervescent as Alvarinho paired with a holiday meal. But this Thanksgiving isn’t anything like the Thanksgivings of the past, so why not take a break from tradition and try something different?

This vibrant Portuguese wine from Monção e Melgaço is bursting with cheery character, which is really all you need to survive the holidays.

Tasting Notes:

This wine tastes like apples and nectarines invited a few flowers over for a cute little party. Maybe lemon made an appearance and brought a little CO2 and turned the shindig into an all-out rave.

But seriously, this wine is bubbling with juicy fruit aromas and it is very lively. You can even make out a few bubbles when pouring it in the glass—a signature characteristic of Portuguese white wines. On the sip, the wine is busy — with apple notes like Delicious green and yellow apples, Pink Lady apples, and Royal Galas. There’s a hint of floral lingering in the shadows while zesty citrus fruit brings it all together. The finish is booming with minerality and, boy, is it looonnngggg.

Bottom Line:

This wine is a break from the norm, and it has just enough texture and personality to cut through the plethora of starchy sides that are loaded onto Thanksgiving plates. This holiday is full of tradition — this year, try something new for a change.