
The Best Wine For Thanksgiving Dinner!
The best wine for Thanksgiving is the one you LOVE most. However, since you’re asking, we have a few recommendations for you. 🙂
A typical Thanksgiving menu consists of roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pecan and/or pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, a salad and so on. It is a little bit challenging to get through this sumptuous menu on a single wine..unless it’s Champagne or sparkling wine.
Champagne and sparkling wines have that elusive sense of occasion, they are a super-hit at parties, family dinners, and other festivities. Plus, the effervescence of sparkling wine is excellent for cleansing the palate. Champagne is a very pleasant and classy aperitif and the notes and aromas are bold enough to go along with main courses as well.
So there you have it...if you were looking for a short and quick answer on what’s the best wine for Thanksgiving, it’s Champagne. If you wanted a slightly longer and more elaborate answer, read on...
There is a very wide variety of wines to accompany all the courses during Thanksgiving dinner. This is not an exhaustive list but it will give you a few ideas.
Red Wines For Thanksgiving Dinner:
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most popular red wines and is very consistent with food pairing.
The high amount of tannins in this red wine can be paired with heavier foods like turkey and ham and also pair well with side dishes like cranberry sauce, corn casserole and even peas and carrots.
This red wine has become more accessible to people since winemakers have been focusing on producing wines that are more fruit-forward and easy to drink. The character of Cabernet Sauvignon can vary greatly depending on where the wine was grown (i.e., Napa Valley, Bordeaux, Tuscany).
Because of this variability, it's best to experiment with different regions when choosing Cabernet Sauvignon for your Thanksgiving dinner.
Merlot
If you like red wines but don’t enjoy the tannins in Cabernet Sauvignon this is a great alternative because Merlot tends to have much lower tannin levels which make it softer and more approachable. There are even some very well-made New World style Merlots that would go just fine during Thanksgiving dinner.
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc follows the same rules as Cabernet Sauvignon but has a bit more herbaceousness and green notes that can pair well with Thanksgiving dishes like sweet potatoes, squash, peas and corn casserole. This wine is also the main ingredient in many of Loire Valley’s red wines (i.e., Chinon, Bourgueil).
Syrah/Shiraz
The most famous regions for this grape are Australia, California, Chile and Washington State. Expect blackberry aromas from these plush-fruited styles from Down Under whereas the American versions tend to be more jammy with high levels of ripe black fruit. What you should expect with this wine is a velvety mouthfeel that works well with the richness of Thanksgiving dinner.
Pinot Noir - Pinot Noir can be found everywhere from Burgundy, France to California to Oregon. This cherry red grape’s tannins are very soft and its acidity compliments many Thanksgiving dishes. Most American versions tend to be lighter in body which makes them great food wines because they don’t overwhelm lighter dishes like turkey, green beans or stuffing.
Sangiovese
If you love Italian food then this is your jam! Sangiovese is one of the most versatile wines on the market because it pairs just as well with spaghetti sauce as it does with braised meats and tomato-based sauces.
It also happens to be the most common red grape in Tuscany. This high acidity wine has cherry and berry flavors which pair well with Thanksgiving dinner.
Related Content:
- 21 Of The Best Dry Red Wine Types You MUST Try
- My Absolute FAVORITE Sweet Red Wine Types!
- How Many Calories In A Glass of Red Wine?
- How to Store Red Wine
White Wines For Thanksgiving Dinner:
Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc is an under-appreciated white wine that can pair just as well with ham, turkey, stuffing, and green bean casserole as it does with pumpkin pie or cranberry sauce. It's usually unoaked so its fruitiness is very refreshing on the palate which makes it a go-to for many wineries across France (i.e., Loire Valley), California, and South Africa to name a few places.
Riesling
If you like sweeter wines this is your best bet during Thanksgiving dinner. Riesling is very versatile with an array of drier styles to sweeter versions that are loaded with stone fruit aromas and flavors. The trick here is pairing it with food that can handle higher levels of sweetness like pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, or pecan tartlets.
Gewürztraminer
If you really love sweet wines this is your best bet because Gewürztraminer has the highest natural sugar content amongst all varietals which makes it a great dessert wine. You should expect apricots, lychee nuts, and roses on the nose from this beautiful aromatic wine. Sweetness levels vary but some examples are off-dry (i.e., Sptlese) whereas others are sweet (i.e., Auslese).
Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp and refreshing wine that can handle some of the big flavors from Thanksgiving dinner quite well. What’s great about this varietal is that its fruitiness makes it an excellent palate cleanser, especially after having turkey with white gravy or stuffing. The character of Sauvignon Blanc can vary greatly depending on where it was grown so experiment a bit to find the style that fits your palate best!
Pinot Gris/Grigio
Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris has been taking off in North America over the last several years because everything involving this grape seems to be good. These wines have a creamy mouthfeel and soft acidity which makes them great food wines. They can handle rich, creamy dishes like mashed potatoes or stuffing very easily. In fact, many of these wines also have honey aromas that work well with Thanksgiving dinner whether you serve it before, during, or after the meal!
Related Content:
- The Major Types of White Wine
- The Top 3 Dry White Wine Types
- How Many Calories In A Glass of White Wine?
- Red Wine Vs White Wine: Which Is Better For You?
In Closing...
Pairing food and wine always require some experimentation so don’t be afraid to try new things. Turkey with gravy, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole are all pretty safe bets for Thanksgiving dinner but you can do your own thing by choosing wines that speak to you!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there! Cheers!
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