the best thanksgiving wine pairings

A roundup of a dozen wines that pair well with all the turkey day food

The food day of food days is almost upon us…get those pants unbuttoned! Food and wine pairings can be hard. While turkey is easier to pair with wine all by itself, when you add in mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, stuffing, 2 dozen appetizers, carrots, pies, etc. etc. it can be a bit of a challenge to make sure you’ve got a wine that’s going to stand up to it all. We’ve rounded up some of our favorites that will make great thanksgiving wine pairings. A few basic things to look out for when you’re shopping: go for wines that tend to be higher acid, low in tannins, and more fruit-forward.

For the appetizer:

Sparkling wines are good to kick things off. But, we also like to start with something a little unexpected.

• Lambrusco. Sparkling red wine. Be sure to get a dry one. The sweet wines you find in stores in the U.S. tend to be lower quality.

• Beaujolais Nouveau. Fun, fresh, light red wine. Beaujolais Nouveau is released the third Thursday of November every year, just in time for the festivities, and is meant to be drank young (aka now!).

•A skin contact white wine (aka orange wine). The Hermit Ram Sauvignon Blanc pictured is to die for! Tastes like a funky sour beer.

Try them with: Cranberry Jalapeño Cream Cheese Dip

For our white winos:

You usually want to reach for a more herbaceous white wine (i.e. Sauv B) to go with all those greens on Thanksgiving. Here are a few others to give a go.

• Vinho Branco: Portuguese white wine, higher in acid, great with turkey.

• Riesling: You can go with a dry Riesling (not sweet) or opt for a sweeter one if you’ve got a lot of sweet side dishes (i.e. sweet potatoes loaded w/ mallows).

•White Burgundy: For you Chardonnay peeps, opt for a Burgundy or a unoaked Chardonnay.

Try them with: Alton Brown’s Cornbread Pudding

For the red wine drinkers:

We’ll personally be on the red train this year. Opt for a light to medium-bodied red. Again, try to avoid wines with a lot of oak contact.

•Pinot Noir: Something from Burgundy or the Willamette Valley, OR. This is one of the best Thanksgiving wine pairings out there!

• Zinfandel: One of our favorites, especially if you’re on the smoked turkey game.

•Beaujolais: Look for something from Fleurie. This Clos de la Roilettte is one of our all time favorite Beaujolais.

Try them with: Modern Proper’s Classic Sausage Stuffing

FOr Something in between:

Rosé is not just for summertime. A dry rosé is one of *the best* and most unexpected Thanksgiving wine pairings. They usually are higher acid, very low in tannins, and refreshing, fruity wines that can go with just about everything on the plate.

•Pét-Nat: For something fun, try a sparkling rosé. Pét-Nats are funky, natural sparkling wines.

•Côtes de Provence: Can’t go wrong with a classic rosé from the south of France.

•Pinot Noir: There are lots of great rosés made from Pinot Noir grapes. Just like red Pinot Noir is great for turkey day, so is rosé of Pinot Noir.

Try them with: Half Baked Harvest’s Thanksgiving Leftovers Croque Madame

For Dessert:

I usually have 0 room for dessert on Thanksgiving. A good alternative to pie is to crack open some sweet wine. Fortunately, these also go great with pie. So, win-win.

•Tawny Port: I love port so much, I can’t keep a bottle full. Go for something aged 20+ years. With these, you’ll get nutty, toffee notes.

•Late Harvest: Sweet white wines that go AMAZING with apple pie.

•Sweet Vermouth: We’ve been getting really into Vermouth. These are great straight up or in a spritz!

Try them with: Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake