The best wines to serve on Thanksgiving

On this most American of holidays, a lot of zinfandel will be poured.

It’s not certain how zinfandel vines reached California, but the grapes are all over the Golden State. Rich, loaded with berry flavors, pepper and more, they often make for a serious red, not the once-popular blush stuff called white zinfandel.

Standout zinfandel comes from wineries such as Turley, Robert Biale, Martinelli, Ridge, Storybook Mountain, Rosenblum and St. Francis.

And Ravenswood, which specializes in zin, ranks as high as any winery. Winemaker Joel Peterson’s single vineyard designates deserve your attention, especially during the holiday season of turkey and roast beef.

The 2013 Dickerson Napa Valley Zinfandel is notably ripe, fresh and full of red fruit; the jammy 2013 Belloni Russian River Valley Zinfandel offers dark fruit and a slightly floral quality. Each is $35. The 2013 Barricia Sonoma Valley Zinfandel also is $35, and delivers plenty of cherry, raspberry and blackberry. And the 2013 Big River Alexander Valley Zinfandel, from 100-year old vines, is a juicy, big-flavor number for $37. They’re all excellent wines to accompany turkey, with or without all those side dishes, which almost define the meal.

Ravenswood’s 2013 Teldeschi Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley is a bit higher in alcohol, with a harvest of black fruit and the right style to complement a rib roast. The 2013 Old Hill Zinfandel from Sonoma Valley, both elegant and big, uncorks heady with black fruit and leads to a long finish. The complex, rewarding Old Hill zin is $60.