5 Tips to Help You Find the Best Wines for Thanksgiving Dinner
It’s that time of year again where you might be wondering…what are the best wines for Thanksgiving dinner?
Well, you’re not alone. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…Thanksgiving is a sommelier’s nightmare. There are just so many flavors on the table, and it’s hard to find wines that will please your guests while also working well with the motley of dishes that make a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
But fear not, I’m here to help.
The key is to find wines that are refreshing and acidic enough to stand up to the heavy dishes, but that won’t overpower any of the food.
In this post, I’m sharing tips on how to find the best wines for your Thanksgiving meal, along with my recommendations for which bottles to serve at your holiday this year.
5 Tips to Help You Find the Best Wines for Thanksgiving Dinner
Follow this Thanksgiving wine guide to find wines that will make your guests happy and pair with anything from turkey to green bean casserole or your aunt’s famous mac and cheese.
So let’s get into it. Here are 5 tips to help you find the best wines to serve at your Thanksgiving celebration this year.
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1. Start the meal right with some bubbly
It’s the holiday season - sparkling wine is not optional.
Not only is it a great way to celebrate and start a meal (no holiday is complete without a toast, right?), but it often goes with most foods. Like I always say, when you don’t know which wine to pair with a meal, sparkling wine almost always works.
You can serve a glass of bubbly as an aperitif with cheeses or other apps before dinner, or you can keep a bottle (or two) of sparkling wine on the table to pair with the entire meal…it’s just that versatile.
Sparkling wine is high in acidity, which is key when you have so much butter and cream in your recipes. The bubbles and acidity work together to cleanse your palate and will overall make the meal more enjoyable.
But don’t fret - you don’t have to break the bank and get champagne. Stick to affordable, high quality bubbly like Crémant, Cava, or Franciacorta, all of which are produced using the méthode champenoise.
Try these sparkling wines:
Contadi Castaldi Franciacorta NV Brut - $26.99
Albert Bichot Crémant de Bourgogne NV Brut Reserve - $21.99
Papet del Mas Cava NV Brut - $13.99
2. Go with high-acid white wines that aren’t too “oaky”
White wines with higher acidity are going to act as the perfect palate cleansers between bites of creamy mashed potatoes. Plus, if you have any strict white-wine-only drinkers at the table, these options will carry them through the whole meal and complement the turkey, as well.
Be careful not to choose a white wine with too much oak (i.e. an unbalanced California chardonnay). Not only are oaky wines polarizing and you’d probably like to avoid adding another unnecessary debate between relatives at the table, BUT oak can overpower flavors on your plate and overall just make the meal feel heavier.
For this reason, you might also want to avoid any wine you’d describe as “buttery”...there’s already so much butter in the meal, must we add more?
With such a heavy menu, it’s best to go with something light and refreshing. I’d recommend Riesling (dry for the meal, sweet for dessert), Albariño, Sancerre, Verdejo, Bordeaux Blanc, or Vermentino.
Try these white wines for Thanksgiving:
Dr. Loosen Blue Slate 2021 Riesling Kabinett - $20.99
Granbazan Etiqueta Verde 2021 Albariño - $22.99
Lucien Crochet Croix du Roy 2020 Sancerre- $38.99
Cune Vendimia Seleccionada 2020 Verdejo - $16.99
Chateau Reynon 2019 Blanc - $17.99
Ryme Las Brisas Vineyard 2021 His Vermentino (FYI: this is an orange or skin-contact wine) - $34.99
3. include Rosé - it just might be the most underrated Thanksgiving wine
News flash: Rosé is meant to be enjoyed year-round and Thanksgiving is the perfect excuse to do so! If you want to talk about food-friendly wines, rosé is where it’s at.
For a lighter style, Provence rosé or rosé of Pinot Noir from California will be safe bets for you.
BUT if you’re ready to impress your guests and change their preconceived notions about rosé, try a rosato from southern Italy. It’s a darker shade of pink, which often scares people into thinking the wine might be sweet, but it’s typically dry. The deep pink is a result of longer skin maceration and it creates a wine that’s juicy, full-bodied, and perfectly capable of standing up to heavy Thanksgiving foods.
Try these rosé wines for Thanksgiving:
Les Sarrins Cotes de Provence 2021 Rosé - $23.99
Cantele Negroamaro 2021 Rosato - $17.99
4. Light-bodied red wines are ideal
If you keep things traditional and serve turkey as the main dish, you don’t want to overpower the bird with bold wines like Syrah. Stick to light-bodied reds like Beajolais, Grenache, or Pinot Noir (and be sure to chill them in the fridge for about one hour before serving for optimal enjoyment).
These lighter red wines also have higher acidity and lower tannins than the bolder go-tos.
Why does this matter?
To put it simply: Tannic wines need fattier meats (think: fatty steaks), as they can overpower lean meats and fail to soften, even when paired. Wines that are lighter in tannins stand up perfectly well to light meats like turkey and will also work with heavy sides like stuffing or mashed potatoes and gravy.
Bonus: These wines I’ve suggested are typically full of red fruit flavors, like cranberry, so (you guessed it) they pair well with that infamous Thanksgiving condiment.
Try these red wines for Thanksgiving:
Louis Jadot 2020 Beaujolais Villages - $13.99
A Tribute to Grace 2021 Grenache - $32.99
Brooks Willamette Valley 2021 Pinot Noir - $29.99
5. Dessert wine is optional, but you MUST follow this one rule…
Having a dessert wine is totally up to you, but if you plan on serving wine with dessert, you MUST make sure the wine is sweeter than the food. Otherwise, the wine will end up tasting bitter and astringent.
So, if you’d like to forgo a dessert wine, I’d recommend skipping serving any sort of wine by the time the pie comes around.
Some of my go-to dessert wines: Sauternes, PX Sherry, Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, Port (for chocolate desserts or cheeses)
Try these dessert wines to end your Thanksgiving meal:
Chateau Rieussec 2016 Sauternes - $31.99
El Maestro Sierra Pedro Ximenez Sherry - $18.99
If you’d like to learn all of my wine pairing secrets and a chance to taste my hand-picked wine list for Thanksgiving, join us for this month’s virtual tasting, Unique Wines for Thanksgiving. Our wine tastings are always interactive and you’ll learn a lot while also having fun!
And if you would like to learn more about wine, be sure to join our Wine Tasting Club that allows you to connect with wine lovers around the world and be a part of at least two virtual wine tastings per month (plus so many more perks)! You can also check out our upcoming sommelier-led or winemaker-led virtual and in-person wine tasting events or book a private wine tasting experience here.
Next up: Check out this post about some of my go-to white wines for fall and winter.
Ready to further your wine education? Enroll in a WSET class today and use code LexiStephens for a discount.
