Choosing Thanksgiving Wines

Late autumn, and harvest is done. We have at last conceded our fate and moved indoors. It’s time to lay a fire in the hearth, light the oven, and excavate the stew pot, roasting pans, and baking dishes from the dark recesses of our cupboards. It’s time to cook comfort food.

The traditional Thanksgiving meal is comfort food’s quintessence, a celebration of cooking. (There are few raw foods on the Thanksgiving table—at least in my house.) And because it’s also a collective sigh of gratitude for our good fortune, the meal is ablaze with a spectrum of flavors: 

Savory: roasted turkey, gravy, potatoes, dressing

Buttery: mashed potatoes, gratins, buttered vegetables, pastry, pie

Herbal: sage, thyme, savory, bay, parsley

Earthy: sausage dressing, potatoes, root vegetables, dark meat turkey

Creamy: gratins, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, whipped cream

Salty: cheeses, gratins, gravy, relishes

Sweet:  squash, yams, pie

Tangy: cranberries, fruit relishes, pickles

Bitter: spinach, chard, kale, collards, walnuts, pecans

Spicy: nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, black pepper

Nutty: chestnut dressing, pecan pie, nuts with a cheese course

Given such variety, it’s no wonder we get flummoxed when choosing wine for the meal. No single wine pairs perfectly with all of these flavors, although some can bridge multiple dishes. Riesling’s one good example, plus Pinot Noir and gamay-based Beaujolais. That’s why these wines are traditional recommendations.

But there’s also no need to stick to one wine, or a single white and red. A range of wines delightfully echoes the theme of abundance, and provides diners with options to match the medley of flavors on the table. Here are a few additional recommendations to guide your planning: 

• Consider the style of your gathering. Nuanced wines, such as older vintages or delicate whites, can get drowned out by a boisterous party. You want wines with enough oomph to stand up to robust flavors—and robust discussion.

• Keep alcohol levels low so diners stay alert—this is especially important if your meal is served mid-day. Look for wines at or below 13% alcohol.

• Consider serving local or American wines to echo the theme of the holiday. Hard ciders and ales, especially from regional sources, are great pairings, too.

• Avoid highly extracted, jammy red wines, which can feel too heavy with a big meal, and tannic reds like Bordeaux, which can overwhelm poultry and vegetable dishes. Stick with light bodied reds with good acidity.

I think the following wine styles work most beautifully with the Thanksgiving meal. I’ve noted the foods with which each pairs best, as well as the traditionally recommended varieties and some alternatives to try. If you’re receptive to offering a range of wines, consider buying one of each style, then seeing which ones diners prefer. Those in bold are my top picks:

Sparkling wines are refreshing and celebratory, and also pique the appetite. Bubbles scrub the palate between bites. Often low in alcohol, they’re great starter wines some will choose to enjoy throughout the meal. Blanc de Noirs Champagne is terrific with poultry. Cleansing. 
Pair with: Hors d’oeuvres, buttery pastries, roasted turkey 
Traditional: Champagne
Alternative: Cava, Prosecco, Moscato

Spirited whites harmonize with lighter dishes and starters, especially vegetables. They match the acidity of cranberry relish, pickles, and conserves, and cut the richness of butter and cream-based dishes. Refreshing.
Pair with: Appetizers, vegetables, vegetarian dishes, fruit relishes, richer dishes
Traditional: Dry Riesling
Alternative: Albariño, unoaked Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc

Whites with a hint of sweetness integrate well with squash, yams, cornbread, and other sweet dishes, and balance salty ones. Perceived sweetness comes from actual residual sugar in the wine, but floral and fruit aromatics can give a similar impression. Harmonious.
Pair with: Squash and yams, salty dishes (gratins), peas
Traditional: Off-dry Riesling, Gewürztraminer
Alternative: Viognier, Malvasia Bianca, Muscat

Full-bodied whites balance and integrate with white-meat poultry, gravy, butter and cream-based dishes, and butter-dressed vegetables. They have the body to stand up to bold flavors but enough acidity to offset their richness. Harmonious.
Pair with: Roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, squash and yams, gratins and creamy dishes
Traditional: Chardonnay
Alternative: Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Rhône white blends, Rioja Blanco

Rosés offer lively acidity but more pronounced body than white wines, letting them stand up to richer flavors. They’re great with poultry, vegetable dishes, and vegetarian fare, and also cut the richness of cream and butter-based dishes. Refreshing.
Pair with: Roasted turkey, vegetables, vegetarian dishes, fruit relishes
Traditional: Provence rosé
Alternative: Pinot Noir rosé, Grenache/GSM rosé, Lambrusco, Orange wines

Juicy reds with good acidity are terrific with dark-meat turkey, and supple tannins ensure they go well with light meat, too. They’re good with gravy, dressing, and gratins, and are light enough for vegetarian fare. Brilliant.
Pair with: Roasted turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, fruit relishes, vegetables and greens
Traditional: Cru Beaujolais, Pinot Noir
Alternative: Grenache, Barbera, Dolcetto

Savory, spicy reds with supple tannins complement the darker flavors on the plate: dark meat turkey, sausage or chestnut dressing, potatoes. Carignan goes with cranberry; herbal and peppery notes in Syrah and Rhône blends pick up sage, thyme, savory, and other seasonings. Integrative.
Pair with: Roasted dark meat turkey, gravy, sausage dressing, roasted potatoes
Traditional: Zinfandel, Syrah
Alternative: Rhône red blends, Carignan, Rioja Crianza

Dessert wines must be sweeter than the dessert, otherwise the wine will seem flabby. Tawny Port and Madeira pair with pecan and pumpkin pie; sweet whites pair with fruit desserts. Sweet sparkling wines feel especially refreshing after a big meal. Integrative or cleansing.
Pair with: Pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie
Traditional: Tawny or Ruby Port, late-harvest Riesling
Alternative: Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, Sauternes, Moscato d’Asti, Recioto di Soave

 

Still confused? Keep it simple. Grab some Riesling, Pinot Noir, and a bottle of your favorite bubbly. After all, Thanksgiving is not really about the wine, but it is—consummately—about tradition.

Comments

[Jameson Fink]

I like the phrase "spirited wines" as a way to describe wines with good acidity without using the "a" word.

[Meg Houston Maker]

Thanks so much for reading, Jameson. I'm not afraid of acidity, but I know the word makes some people nervous. "Spirited" and "refreshing" are perhaps a bit more approachable.

[gwendolyn alley]

Personally, I love zin with turkey--but what I realized from your post, Meg, is that I am a dark meat turkey lover and that zin might overwhelm white meat. I also love zin with ham and many families offer both. I agree that dry rose provides a nice refreshing alternative; it works well with both ham and turkey. I appreciate that your post offers general guidelines without being specific to brands. Happy Thanksgiving!

[Meg Houston Maker]

Gwendolyn, thanks for the tip about ham and the plug for Zin and dry rosé, both of which are great choices. Beaujolais is also good with ham. I'd think a rosé of Zin could be terrific, too. But wait—haven't we seen that somewhere before?

[fredric koeppel]

Every year I offer for Thnksgiving dinner zinfandel, pinot noir and riesling, always American wines, well, zinfandel of course, because Thanksgiving in an American feast. I've not been very creative; I always serve the Ridge Three Valleys Zinfandel, the Domaine Serene Yamhill Cuvee Pinot and a Trefethen Riesling, preferably two or three vintages back. I'm thinking this year of changing the routine to a German Riesling (probably Mosel), a Burgundy (probably from a minor, lighter AOC) and a different zinfandel. I mean, America is a land of immigrants; serving European wines should be fine. And I'll say that this post is the most thoughtful that I have ever seen about these annual issues of Thanksgiving and wine. Thanks for all your research and good writing.

[Todd - VT Wine Media]

Nice compact list of tips and supporting info... again you have produced a useful piece that folks can take shopping with them as a cheat sheet if necessary.
This year we are having another big gathering in the 25+ people range at my folks place and I've opted to go with a volume of value Spanish Garnacha for the meal red (majority will go this direction), and with some Alsatian Sylvaner & Muscat for the white.
Special bottles will be saved for tasting and enjoying, before and after the big meal, as well as into the weekend.
Have a great holiday!

[Meg Houston Maker]

Fredric and Todd, thanks for reading and offering your thoughtful comments. I'm so glad you enjoyed the article.

I do like the idea of serving American wines for Thanksgiving, but I also like your sentiment about the melting pot. The Thanksgiving mythos has it that Pilgrims and natives dined together, and anyway, all those European vines are now grafted to American rootstock, right?

[Jon Jefferson]

I noticed a brief mention of ciders and local ales. Ciders would make a great traditional addition to the feast. And of course ales would also add in the tradition considering the low stores of beer were the reason they landed at Plymouth Rock.

[SAHMmelier]

A great piece. This should be everyone's go-to for Thanksgiving wines. We went with Gewurz, Albarino, and Viognier. A little something for each of the varied guests.

[Meg Houston Maker]

SAHMmelier, that sounds like a nice variety of whites: sweet/floral, zingy/citrusy, and lush/stone-fruity. Which was your favorite with the meal? And which was your guests'?

Jon, thanks for the comment about ales and ciders. If you want to go local for Thanksgiving, beers and ales are a great choice because they're so widely available. That's less true for hard ciders, though. Here in New England, we have several good cider orchards with true cider apples, but in other states, it's hard to find the right kind of fruit. I think this category will grow over the next ten years or so, and we'll start seeing new plantings of old apple varieties to supply the demand.