Wines for the Thanksgiving Table

Thanksgiving is the quintessential American holiday and one of my favorites. I mean, who wouldn’t look forward to a day focused solely on serving a bounty of food to bring friends and family together to celebrate all we have to be thankful for? That bounty also includes wine of course, but how do you choose a wine that will pair well with turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and green bean casserole? Fear not – I’m here to help!

2020 Thanksgiving dinner at the Geis home

I’m not really a big holiday person. While I enjoyed and appreciated getting the day off of work for government holidays before I retired, I rarely got excited about holidays like New Years, President’s, or Columbus Day. But the ones that celebrate significant events such as the 4th of July, Christmas, and Thanksgiving and that are also centered around food are my favorites. Even better, I get to figure out which wines to pair and serve with the meal which is always something I look forward to. Usually it’s pretty easy – spicy reds like Zinfandel or Syrah with BBQ or hamburgers on the 4th, and a nice Napa Cabernet Sauvignon or red Bordeaux with a standing rib roast for Christmas dinner.

But Thanksgiving? That’s a different story. The sheer number and variety of dishes usually served for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner can challenge the most experienced wine connoisseur to find a pairing that works well. So, how exactly do you pair wine with a meal that includes all the basic tastes of food such as sweet (think sweet potatoes with marshmallows), sour (think cranberry sauce), salty (think mashed potatoes and gravy), savory (think roasted herb turkey and stuffing), and bitter (think side salad with radicchio and endive)?

My approach is to select wines for the Thanksgiving table that are extremely versatile and pair well with the widest range of flavors and dishes possible instead of focusing on wines that pair perfectly with the main course like roasted turkey, goose, or even Turducken (a decidedly odd southern engastration that consists of a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken). Also, I always go with American-produced wines given the fact that Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday (although I understand our neighbors to the north celebrate Thanksgiving as well).

My three recommendations for this year’s Thanksgiving table include sparkling wine, pinot noir, and rose. I always go with a dry (Brut) sparkling wine because they are a great foil for anything sweet or salty. A more fruit-forward pinot noir is a perfect match for the main course as well as some of the richer sides like stuffing. And finally, a dry (instead of sweeter) rose wine will complement almost any dish served at Thanksgiving. I actually like to serve all three to give our guests a choice as well as the opportunity to taste each of them with the food (a kind of unstructured wine tasting that takes place throughout the meal)!

Since everyone will likely have a different budget for wines, I have included wine recommendations at three different price points: (1) “Scrimp and Save” wines that cost less than $15; (2) “Special” wines that cost between $15 and $25; and (3) “Splurge” wines that cost more than $25.

I have also included information on availability of the wines so you know how hard they may be to find. Wide availability means you should be able to find them at your local wine store and certainly at the bigger stores like Total Wine. Somewhat limited availability means the larger wine stores like Total Wine carry them but in limited quantities so you might have to call around and search a bit to find them. Limited availability means you will have to search around for them, and they will likely only be available from the winery, online, or at an independent or boutique wine store. All of my recommended wines are high-quality wines that I’m sure you will enjoy, regardless of the price point. And of course, if you can’t find these specific wines, ask the staff at the wine store for substitute recommendations – they will have plenty of alternative suggestions for you!

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• Scrimp and Save (wines less than $15)

  • Darkhorse Rose ($8) – wide availability

  • Bogle Pinot Noir California ($10) – wide availability

  • Korbel Brut Sparkling Wine ($12) – wide availability

• Special (wines between $15-$25)

  • Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare Rosé ($15) – wide availability

  • Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Whole Cluster Fermented ($22) – somewhat limited availability

  • Decoy by Duckhorn Brut Cuvee Sparkling ($20) – wide availability

• Splurge (wines more than $25)

  • Robert Sinskey Vineyards Vin Gris of Pinot Noir Rose ($44) – limited availability

  • Belle Glos Pinot Noir Clark & Telephone ($50) – wide availability

  • Iron Horse Wedding Cuvee Sparkling Wine ($41) – somewhat limited availability

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Hopefully these recommendations provide you with some new and exciting ideas for pairing wine and food served at the Thanksgiving table, and I look forward to hearing what you chose and how you liked it!