Wine of the week: 2008 Washington Hills 'Paradise Peak' Gewurtztraminer

It's that time again. The annual debate over what to drink with turkey rages, with partisans of reds or whites or sparklers digging in for battle. Honestly, the question is incapable of resolution. Personal taste inevitably will carry the day at your dinner table and ours.

While we favor a medium-bodied red like pinot noir or a brambly insurgent like zinfandel, we know many insist on white wine with white meat. For them we're recommending the 2008 Washington Hills "Paradise Peak" Gewurztraminer (about $10 at wine shops and big box stores).

Gewurztraminer is light enough for those who prefer that style but has enough spice edge to make it an amusing companion to the classic Thanksgiving bird. Our Washington state pick leads off with a fresh, lightly floral scent at first pour and opens on the tongue with flavors of spice, white flowers and lots of fresh pear, with delicate undertones of tangerine and a smidgen of grapefruit. There's even a hint of coconut at the back, which kicks in briefly and faintly before the satisfyingly clean finish.

While this wine is slightly sweet up front, that is not the dominant note. The impression overall is of light and lively crispness, making it both a good palate cleanser between bites and a fine choice for an aperitif, just in case, like us, you'll bring out the red with the main course.

By Colette and John Bancroft. She is the Times' book editor, and he is a freelance writer specializing in food, wine and travel.