All-American Thanksgiving Wine Pairing 2023 ·

30 May 2024, 00:00

I just returned from Napa Valley and Sonoma County. This year I thought it appropriate to propose an All-American Thanksgiving Wine Pairing list to accompany your feast. I recommend wines from California, Oregon, and Texas that hold up to the spicy flavors of side dishes. I propose wines that do not overwhelm your palate with heavy tannins which would detract from the wonderful food flavors. See my Top 9 Wine Pairing Guidelines below for further pairing tips. If you like to make a Thanksgiving Menu to display like I do, I have a Sample Thanksgiving Wine Course Pairing Menu below for you to download and create your own pairings.

Now, the annual Wine Wanderings Thanksgiving wine recommendations!

All sommeliers get the majority of wine pairing questions during the holidays. What wines do I serve with my Thanksgiving Dinner? What if I smoke my turkey? What do I serve with appetizers? I always want to give a satisfying answer, and not frustrate the hosts. Still, I usually say, “It depends.” What are you serving? How do you prepare your turkey/ham? Will it be roasted, brined-wet and dry, smoked, or deep-fried? Will you begin with appetizers? Will you have a salad? What are your side dishes? Will you serve a dessert wine? The Top 9 Tips below should help you decide your choices. This year it’s All-American.

Here are my Top 9 wine pairing suggestions for Thanksgiving. Remember, these are not hard and fast rules, just guidelines:

Tip # 1: Serve what you like to drink, not what you think you must serve.

Tip # 2: Be festive. Serve a sparkling wine as a welcoming aperitif.

Tip # 3: Match the weight of the food with the weight of the wine.

Tip # 4: Use bridge ingredients in a recipe (cheese, fruit, nuts) to make wine more compatible with vegetables, salad dressings, and spices. A Sauvignon Blanc or still rosé wine works well with lighter ingredients.

Tip # 5: Avoid heavily tannic wine with turkey and spicy casseroles. Pinot Noir is always a good choice for roasted white meats as it has lighter tannins. Dry Rosé works well, too. Keep that special Cabernet Sauvignon in the cellar/shelf, as the tannins will fight the spiciness of the food.

Tip # 6: Red Zinfandel’s flavors of plum, pepper, jammy blackberry, and tobacco can hold up to a smoked or deep-fried turkey.

Tip # 7: A Garnacha/Grenache based wine, domestic or international, works well with ham, especially those honey-based hams, or if served with cherry sauce. The raspberry, baked cherry, and spice notes are a perfect pairing.

Tip # 8: Full-bodied white wines like Chardonnay and Viognier pair well with heavier sauces, root vegetables, or cheese.

Tip # 9: Dessert wines should be sweeter than the dessert, or the wine will taste flat/sour.

Happy Thanksgiving to all Wine Wanderers!

Christmas Gift Subscription to WW

2014 J Schram Noirs – Schramsberg Sparkling Wine, (Reserve of Pinot Noir), $140

Wine Enthusiast, 2013 vintage, 95 Points

2020 Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc, North Coast, $40

Wine Enthusiast, 93 Points, 2019 vintage.

2022 Gary Farrell Rosé of Pinot Noir, Russian River, $45

2020 Grgich Hills Estate Rose, Napa Valley, $27

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2022 Cliff Lede Marla Blanc Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon Blend, Stags Leap, Napa Valley, $ 135