As soon as you have your Thanksgiving menu figured out, it’s time to start thinking about the wine. Wether you’re planning to have one glass for a toast, or to fill the table with multiple bottles, this easy guide to Thanksgiving wine pairing will make your meal taste even better.
A Guide to Thanksgiving Wine Pairings
There are a lot of different flavors on a Thanksgiving table. There are rich and buttery mashed potatoes, tart cranberries, and sugary sweet potatoes. Finding one wine to go with all of those dishes can be complicated. The best place to start is by thinking about your (and your guests’) preferences. Depending on which element of the meal you’re focused on, there are multiple red and white wine pairing that could work. If you know what you like, you can narrow it down a bit.
White Wines for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving dinner is a very flavorful meal. That’s an important thing to keep in mind when picking your Thanksgiving wine pairing. Some white wines are very light and delicate. While they may pair nicely with fish and vegetables, they would be overpowered by the food on turkey day. Look for a rich and creamy white that will stand up to the flavors in those mashed potatoes. Here are a few wines to look for:
Best All Around White Wine for Thanksgiving: Chenin Blanc
Chenin blanc is an extremely versatile wine. Depending on how it’s made in can be sweet or dry, subtle or exploding with fruit. A dry Chenin Blanc will be at home on your Thanksgiving table if you’re a big fan of Turkey. The delicate fruit will complement light and dark meat perfectly.
Best White Wine for Mashed Potatoes: Chardonnay
If mashed potatoes are your favorite dish, consider pairing with Chardonnay. Chardonnay has a rich and buttery flavor of its own, and will play nicely with your creamy spuds.
Best White Wine for Vegetables: Sauvignon Blanc
A refreshing Sauvignon Blanc will enhance the bright herbaceous notes in roasted Brussels sprouts and other vegetable side dishes.
Red Wines for Thanksgiving
Best All-Around Red Wine for Thanksgiving
A fruity, medium-bodied wine like Grenache is versatile and can stand up to a variety of flavors and spices without being too overpowering.
Best Red Wine for Turkey: Pinot Noir
If you like spooning cranberry sauce onto your turkey, this is for you. The ripe red fruit in a good pinot noir will add a little zing to your whole meal.
Best Red Wine for Sweet Potatoes: Zinfandel
A bottle of zinfandel has almost as many flavors as a Thanksgiving dinner. Drink this if you’re the type of diner who doesn’t really mind if your food touches. This big, luscious, fruit wine will stand up to just about anything on the table, and work especially well with sweet potatoes.
