Much of Michigan's bounty has been harvested and families across the state are preparing to gather to give thanks and usher in the holiday season. Even if you didn't raise your own turkey or your own vegetables, you can be confident that your agricultural neighbors across the state have been working long hours to provide a feast for your Thanksgiving table.

Michigan's grape growers and winemakers have been hard at work, too, having recently finished this year's vintage. What better way to celebrate the season than by including an award-winning Michigan wine! And since holiday gatherings can involve quite a few people, with quite different tastes, why choose just one wine? Open several different selections. Your guests can experiment and choose their favorite style. Whether served at your own table or presented as gifts to friends and family, sharing local wines is a tradition around the world. Here are some ideas to help you start your own tradition this holiday season.

Many Thanksgiving feasts include slightly sweet components such as sweet potatoes or cranberry sauce. A wine with a bit of sweetness of its own is a perfect match.

• Try a semi-dry Riesling from almost any of Michigan’s 40 wineries.
• Serve an old favorite such as Tabor Hill Classic Demi-Sec.
• If you prefer a drier wine, several Michigan wineries make a dry Riesling in the French style. (Yes, Virginia, there is a dry Riesling!) The flavor of Riesling is perfect with any turkey stuffing!

Is your goose cooked? That's just ducky!

• A flavorful and soft red wine is just the thing to complement these flavorful birds. Try Good Harbor’s Harbor Red, Leelanau Cellars’ Vis A Vis Red, or any of our wonderful Pinot Noirs.

The frost is off the pumpkin.

• Solera Cream Sherry from St. Julian or Warner Vineyards is delicious with Aunt Jenny’s traditional pumpkin pie.

The holidays sparkle!

• Bring out the fizz and make any occasion special by serving champagne-style wines made right here in Michigan by Shady Lane, Tabor Hill, Chateau de Leelanau, Chateau Chantal, Bel Lago or, our most famous producer, L. Mawby Vineyards. Mawby's newest sparkling wine, called "Sex" and bottled under the M. Lawrence label, has raised a few eyebrows. Give this slightly sweet, pink sparkler to your friends and enjoy their reactions!

Simplify with a wine and cheese gathering – a painless way to entertain a larger group.

• Set up several "stations" around your home with a couple of different Michigan wines at each, to encourage mingling. Offer different types of wines, including sparkling, dry white, semi-dry white, dry red, fruit wine, and port or sherry. If you choose two dry white or red wines, try to have one with a slight oaky taste and one without.
• Each station can also have apple slices, cheeses, and bread or crackers. Pair milder cheeses with lighter wines.
• Try one of the simple cheese appetizers shown on the facing page.
• Chill white, rosé and sparkling wines ahead of time.
• All-purpose wine glasses can be rented, if necessary. Add a pitcher of water for rinsing, a receptacle to pour rinsed glasses into, cocktail napkins and plates, and you're ready to enjoy the evening with your guests.

Visit your local retailer to find the wines mentioned here; or contact any Michigan winery to have your favorite wines delivered right to your door. Some wineries will even tuck their wine into a gift basket of goodies, ready to place under your holiday tree.

For more Michigan wine gift ideas, recipes to complement Michigan wines, and a complete listing of the wineries in Michigan, visit www.michiganwines.com, or call the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council at (800) 292-3939.