The 5 Best Wines to Pair With Thanksgiving Dinner
Happy Thanksgiving my friends, possibly the best day of the year to gather around great food and wine and celebrate all our gratitude with our friends and family. Truly a dream day in my world.
If you're like me, you'll be using Thanksgiving as an opportunity to open up MULTIPLE bottles of wine for the party. Good idea. Here’s what to pour alongside the turkey, sides, and pumpkin pie:
Beaujolais
Bow-jo-what? Bow-Jo-Lay! This is THE wine to buy for Thanksgiving if you only plan to drink one thing all night. Beaujolais comes from Burgundy, France, and is made from a grape called Gamay. Similar to Pinot Noir, it is light-bodied and has lots of red fruit (think tart cherry, currant, and cranberry) going on. It also tends to be a bit herbal and earthy, depending on the kind you get. A wine that tastes like cranberries and has herbal notes to it is going to be PERFECT with Thanksgiving. Its my #1 red wine on the table!
Dani's Picks:
Joseph Drouhin Beaujolais Villages $
Georges DuBeouf Beaujolais Villages $
any Cru Beaujolais (look for the following on the label) $$
Morgon
Moulin-a-Vent
Brouilly
Cote de Brouilly
Julians
Chenas
Fleurie
Regnie
Chiroubles
Saint-Amour
Even better… Beaujolais is not really in fashion right now, so you can get a GREAT bottle for under $20. Beaujolais Nouveau comes out around this time every year so that is a fine option, or if you want to spend a few extra bucks go for Beaujolais Villages. And then if you want to get really fancy you can do a Cru Beaujolais. Any of these will be perfect with Thanksgiving. If you don’t think you will like this wine, please just trust me and try it with this meal.
Riesling
Before you go all “I don’t like sweet wine” on me here, let’s think about the kinds of dishes that are served at Thanksgiving: sweet potatoes. Cranberries. Creamed Corn. I see a lot of sweet dishes on the Thanksgiving table. Sweet food does NOT go well with dry wine. Any Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, whatever that you put on the table that doesn’t have sweetness to it will not work with food that has sweetness. Therefore, Riesling is awesome with Thanksgiving because it has great acidity (perfect for food pairing) and a hint of sugar which will match any sweetness in dishes. Make sure to pick one that isn’t dry, but also don’t pick one that is dessert-sweet. We’re looking for off-dry or “kabinett” level here.
Dani’s Picks:
Dr. Loosen "Blue Slate" RIesling, Kabinett, Mosel Germany $$
Chateau Ste Michelle Eroica Riesling, Columbia Valley WA $$
Pinot Noir
Similar to Gamay, Pinot Noir is a good pick if you can’t find Beaujolais or are really that afraid of trying something new. My favorite Pinots for the Thanksgiving table are light-bodied and fruit forward, so look for examples from California from the regions Russian River Valley or Carneros. Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley in Oregon are also great for this meal.
Gewurztraminer
I rarely drink Gewurztraminer, so this is a favorite to showcase at Thanksgiving. If you choose one from the USA it will most likely contain residual sugar…perfect for all those sweet sides on the table! My favorites come from Alsace, France though, which have flavors like cinnamon, clove, ginger and allspice…the perfect match for many flavors happening on Thanksgiving day.
Dani's Picks:
Trimbach Gewurztraminer, Alsace France $$
Columbia Crest Gewurztraminer, Columbia Valley WA $
Sparkling Wine
Last but not least, don’t forget about bubbles! This is a great way to get the party started and also a fantastic accompaniment to dinner because the carbonation in sparkling wine will “scrub” away lingering flavors from dishes on your palate. It’ll make each bite of food feel like your first!
Any sparkling will be nice at Thanksgiving, but look for “extra dry” on the label for the best match. These bubbles have just a hint of residual sugar to them, pairing well with all the dishes on the table (see a theme here?)
Dani's Picks:
Mionette Prosecco “Extra Dry” Veneto, Italy $$
Freixenet (or any) Cava, “Extra Dry”, Spain $
Roederer Estate Brut Rose, Anderson Valley CA $$
Looking for a wine to pair with pumpkin pie? Personally, I’m not a fan…but if you must, save some Riesling for dessert or pick up a bottle of Moscato d’Asti (an off-dry semi-sparkling wine from Italy). By the end of the meal though, you might be craving coffee (with a little Bailey’s, eh?)
Happy Thanksgiving my friend! Cheers to a great day celebrating food and wine at the dinner table.
