With Thanksgiving just around the corner, you may be wondering what wine goes best with turkey. In fact, the question is a bit more complicated than that — yet the answers are relatively simple. That’s because Thanksgiving isn’t just about the turkey, but also, all the fixings — the stuffing, sweet potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, creamed onions, and any other side dishes. And that’s what makes the answer easy — no matter what wine you open, it’ll probably work with something on the table.
But I can’t end the story here — as a “wine expert” I have to provide some wine recommendations for Thanksgiving dinner. So here we go …
Best Sparkling Wine for Thanksgiving Dinner
For celebratory sparkling, you can’t go wrong no matter what you choose. Everyone loves bubbles, so any wine with effervescence will be appreciated. Generally speaking, a sparkling wine will be opened and enjoyed before the feast, likely with appetizers, so which one(s) you choose is a stress-free decision — just go with what you like and what your wallet will bear. As far as finding a sparkling wine that goes with the Thanksgiving dinner spread, I highly recommend that you choose a “real” Champagne (i.e., one from France) if it’s within your budget. The high acidity, rich flavors, and complexity of Champagne will pair beautifully with just about everything from the starters to the sides as well as the bird. Alternatively, if your budget is a little tight this year, you can get very close to Champagne-level performance for about half the shekels by choosing a good-quality California sparkler made by the “traditional” or Champenoise method. Additionally, there is the benefit of serving an American wine; Thanksgiving IS a celebration of America’s founding, after all. My favorite American sparkling wine is Domaine Carneros, which is partly owned and heavily influenced by the highly respected Taittinger Champagne family. Domaine Carneros Brut Rose is wonderfully fresh and vibrant with bright acidity, good brioche, and clean, zesty flavors of citrus, red berries, ruby grapefruit, and a hint of cucumber. You can find it for around $40 at your local fine wine shop.
Best Rose wine for Thanksgiving Dinner
Similar to sparkling, just about any wine is pretty in pink, will be a crowd pleaser, and will primarily be poured during pregame. For people who just love rose wine no matter what’s on their plate, no worries, as most pink wines pair well enough with most foods served during the Thanksgiving feast. If you want to geek out a bit and pick a perfect pink for pairing, my suggestion is to seek out a Tavel such as Chateau d’Aqueria. Tavel is an area within the Rhone Valley of France that produces rose wines with a darker tint than you’re probably used to, and tends to be fuller bodied, with more weight and complexity on the palate — making it a really nice match with turkey in particular. Find a retailer carrying Tavel here.
Best White Wine for Thanksgiving Dinner
Continuing with the theme started by sparkling and rose, you can’t really mess up by serving a white wine. In addition to pairing easily with turkey, there are a bevy of white wines that pair well with Thanksgiving side dishes. Both high-acid and low-acid white wines will find a friend at the table, the only watch-out would be wines that are heavily oaked — which may be better suited enjoying as a pre-meal cocktail. The easy choice is a Sauvignon Blanc from anywhere, or an unoaked (or lightly oaked) Chardonnay. For a big group of people that requires a bunch of bottles, my go-to is Louis Jadot Macon-Villages, which is a crowd-pleasing, clean, vibrant, unoaked Chardonnay that won’t hurt your wallet (under $20 / bottle in most areas of the US). If you want to step it up a notch, Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuisse has a bit more oomph — fuller body, richer, more complex flavors, and a creamier texture. It’ll cost about $10-15 more, but hey, it’s the holidays — aren’t you and your guests worth it?
Find a retailer for: Louis Jadot Macon-Villages | Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuisse
Best Red Wine for Thanksgiving Dinner
And here is where the can’t-screw-up theme ends! Choosing the best red wine for Thanksgiving takes a little more effort, especially if you are hoping to find the perfect bottle that pairs with almost everything on the table. To match with the white and dark meats of the turkey, as well as meld with the myriad side dishes, you’ll want a red wine that has light to medium tannins, fresh acidity, and red berry fruit flavors. At least two types of wine come to mind — Beaujolais and Pinot Noir. Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages is one of the best red wines for Thanksgiving for two major reasons: first, it pairs with nearly everything from the turkey (dark and white meat) to the cranberry sauce — and trust me, the tangy sweetness of cranberry sauce can be extremely challenging to match with red wine (and some whites). Second, Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages is remarkably affordable — about $15/bottle — so having multiple bottles on hand won’t break the bank (find a local retailer here). As for Pinot Noir, there are so many options at so many price points and from so many areas, it’s hard to make a specific recommendation — and also hard to make a mistake. What I will offer is from my own experience: Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir with turkey is a truly magical pairing IMHO. It can be difficult to find (look for it locally here), but if you do, it’s definitely worth adding to your table. Bonus, it’s from California, if you’re looking to be patriotic for this very American holiday.
Speaking of patriotic red wines, another great selection for Thanksgiving is Zinfandel — a grape generally considered to be American bred and born. The story goes that Italian immigrants brought a grape called Primitivo from the motherland and planted it in California, where it is now known as Zinfandel. A European immigrant grape? How can it get more American than that? St. Francis “Old Vines” Zinfandel is spicy and fruity with ripe black cherry and vanilla notes that pair perfectly with roast turkey and stuffing –particularly sausage stuffing. It should be fairly easy to find at a local retailer, click here to look.
Best Wine for After Thanksgiving Dinner
Once you’ve filled your belly with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and all the rest, it’s time for dessert — and yes, there’s a wine for that, too! Chances are, there will be pumpkin pie, and for that, you’ll want to pair a glass of tawny port. Go with whatever your budget will allow, with my recommendations being: Croft Reserve Tawny Port, Taylor Fladgate 10-Year Tawny, and Taylor Fladgate 20-Year Tawny Port. If you can afford it, and you want to REALLY drink something magical after Thanksgiving dinner, see if you can find Taylor-Fladgate 30-Year, 40-Year, or Golden Age 50-Year Tawny. Find Croft Reserve Tawny at a retailer here, find all Taylor-Fladgate Ports here.
Want MORE wine recommendations for Thanksgiving dessert time? See The Ultimate Guide To Thanksgiving Wine and Pie Pairings!
