With the holiday season quickly approaching, it’s time to plan for your Thanksgiving feast, and that, of course, includes the wine! If you need help picking the best wines for Thanksgiving, you’ve come to the right place to make wine pairings on Turkey Day effortless and fun.
Choosing the best wines for Thanksgiving is more about personal preference, versatility, and drinkability than ensuring each wine pairs perfectly with your Thanksgiving menu.
After all, Thanksgiving reminds us all that gathering, having a good holiday meal, and enjoying the company is what matters. After reading this Thanksgiving wine guide, you can be confident that your wine selection will provide something for every palette.
Jump to:
Basic Tips
Although you aren’t trying to pair your wine with each dish on your Thanksgiving table, these standbys do well at hitting the mark when choosing wine and food pairings for Thanksgiving. Before we get into discussing the best wines for Thanksgiving, let’s go over some general tips for perfect wine pairings.
- Wine should have the same level of flavor intensity as the food.
- Match wine with complementary flavors of food, or with enhancing flavors of food
- It’s okay to try new and unusual pairings; these are often the most unexpected yet delicious ones!
Important Tip for Picking Wines
Varietals of wine will vary depending on the origin region, wine age, and winemaking style used to produce them.
Don’t hesitate to ask the wine shop staff for assistance when selecting your bottles.
Red Wine Pairings
Pinot Noir
Most Pinot Noirs are smooth with spicy, earthy, and fruity notes. Pinot Noir has a mild flavor profile that won’t overpower any of your Thanksgiving food. However, it is bright enough to cut through some of the fat in the mashed potatoes and dark meat.
Zinfandel
Zinfandel is a bit more jammy and bolder with notes of baking spices when compared Pinot Noir. This creates a Thanksgiving wine pairing that provides some contrast while holding up to the food.
Zinfandel generally has a higher alcohol content and a fuller body, providing a slight spiciness to accompany the flavors of a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
Tip for choosing a Zinfandel: Spring for an old vine Zinfandel if your budget allows, it’s totally worth it.
Cabernet Franc
Another dry red wine with an excellent balance between fruit and earthiness is Cabernet Franc. It is often blended with other varietals to lend said balance. Cabernet Franc is easy to drink and cuts through more decadent foods, making it the perfect red wine pairing for Thanksgiving.
Gamay
Similar to Pinot Noir, Gamay is bright and fruity with slightly more delicate flavors. An excellent sipping wine, Gamay is dry, making it a great wine for pairing with an array of holiday foods, whether on the heavy side or lighter.
My Favorite Red Pick
A Cru Beaujolais is my personal favorite Thanksgiving wine, which is made from the Gamay grape.
I don’t recommend a Beaujolais Nouveau, which are usually released around Thanksgiving. They are very young wines, and it can be difficult to find a good one.
White Wine Pairings
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is medium-bodied and dry, with a good amount of acid. These characteristics make Chardonnay an excellent choice for a hearty Thanksgiving meal.
So, should you get an oaked or unoaked Chardonnay?
- A crisp stainless steel aged or lightly oaked Chardonnay is the safest bet so it doesn’t overpower the flavors of the meal.
- However, if you want your buttery mashed potatoes or smoked turkey to shine, going with an oaky chardonnay could work very well.
Viognier
Viognier is a smooth, rich white that is fruity, delicious, and well-balanced. Its smooth finish won’t overpower your meal and is also delicious on its own.
Sauvignon Blanc
This wine is known for its vegetal, grassy, bright lime notes, which will cleanse your palette in between mouthfuls of stuffing. If you want something to serve that is crisp, fresh, and easy to find, Sauvignon Blanc is an excellent addition to your wine pairings for Thanksgiving.
Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc is a versatile wine from the Loire Valley of France. It is a crisp white wine with high acidity and flavors of apple, pear, and citrus, which are the perfect match for roast turkey, ham, and other classic dishes.
Chenin Blanc can also be enjoyed on its own as a pre-dinner drink (Aperitif) or dessert wine.
My Favorite White Pick
My husband and I are the white white drinkers in our family. While a red Gamay may be what I drink with my Thanksgiving meal, you can definitely catch me sipping on Chenin Blanc while I’m finishing up in the kitchen before we eat.
It’s a light and easy drink to offer people as they arrive. Plus, it can carry on into the meal if you don’t finish the glass before dinner is served.
Sparkling Wine Pairings
Prosecco
Prosecco is slightly sweeter than Champagne and has a balance of acidity and fruit. Besides being an elegant dinner accompaniment, the bubbles will cut through some of the typical rich food served at Thanksgiving.
Sparkling Rosé
Sparkling Rosé wines can be dry or sweet. Like Prosecco, it is a tasty complement to Thanksgiving dinner. Most you find will be lightly sweet, satisfying the palette of anyone who may prefer that over dry wines.
Cava
This sparkling wine is friendlier to the wallet than the other sparkling wines. It provides bright acidity and zesty citrus flavors. This dry sparkling wine is light to medium-bodied, perfect for anyone who wants to sip on something lighter that will still go great with dinner.
Dessert Wine Pairings
Sauternes
Sauternes is a lovely, full-bodied dessert wine ideal for enjoying after Thanksgiving dinner. With notes of stone fruit like apricots and quince along with baking spice flavors, enjoy it with pecan or apple pie.
Port
Port is probably the most well-known dessert wine and is perfect for dessert. The medium tannins in Port provide a good pairing with any chocolate-based dessert or nuts. Port, like Sauternes, can be enjoyed simply as a dessert on its own.
Late Harvest Riesling
Late Harvest Riesling should be included in your wine pairings for Thanksgiving as an excellent option for a guest who may not want to drink the heavier dessert wines. This wine offers notes of honey, citrus, and floral aromas.
Unlike dry riesling wines, the grapes are left on the vine longer before being picked to produce a higher sugar content resulting in a sweeter wine. The Finger Lakes region in New York specializes in this type of riesling.
I go to the Finger Lakes every other year with two of my friends, and I can say there are some excellent wines from this region! There’s a reason we keep going back.
How Much Wine to Buy
An easy rule of thumb is one bottle of wine per person for Thanksgiving dinner and most holiday dinner parties.
While your guests may not each drink an entire bottle, approximately four glasses, you won’t run the awful risk of running out of wine with this amount! If you have any leftovers, you can always make a holiday sangria, save it for Christmas, or send some home with your guests.
This is just a rough estimate – ultimately, use your own judgment. If your guests are lukewarm in their love of wine and/or you’re serving a selection of other beverages, like cocktails, you can adjust accordingly and maybe scale down to one bottle for every two people.
Also, keep in mind, that alcohol consumption typically slows down the longer the event.
What Choose as a Hostess Gift
It’s always great to show up to a dinner party or holiday with a bottle of something to share with your hosts.
For Thanksgiving, I recommend bringing along a bottle of something sparkling, like Prosecco, which is festive and pairs well with food. If you’re comfortable spending more money, opt for Champagne to show your hosts you appreciate their hospitality!
Top Wine Picks
While I’ve given some great examples for the best wines for Thanksgiving, I sometimes just want someone else to choose for me when there are so many options to choose from.
Considering versatility and accessibility, if I had to pick the best wines for someone else’s Thanksgiving, here is what I suggest:
- For red, I think Pinot Noir is an all-around best red wine and a general crowd pleaser.
- For white wines, Chardonnay is ideal for its full-bodied versatility and will pair great with most everything. For the most versatility, go with a stainless steel aged or lightly oaked chardonnay.
More Food and Wine Guides
Did you find these guides or resources helpful?
Let me know in the comments and share on social media!
You can also subscribe or follow along on social media including Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook to get all of my latest and greatest.
Comments
No Comments