Carpe Wine: What to pour for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving brings a culinary symphony of flavors that can make wine pairing seem like a daunting challenge. Between the rich turkey, tangy cranberry sauce, savory stuffing, and sweet potato casserole, finding the perfect wine can seem like a lot — especially with the added pressure of family gatherings and guest expectations. While I can’t help you with the cooking, family dramas and guest expectations I can help simplify the wine selection process.

There is no need for precise dish-to-wine matchups, stick with versatile wines that will work with the entire Thanksgiving spread. And in the true American spirit, I’m keeping it local — highlighting exceptional American wines that capture the essence of this American holiday.

For red wine lovers, stick with a light-bodied red wine with moderate acidity and bright fruit flavors as they tend to work well with your traditional Thanksgiving spread. The light-bodied, less-tannic red wines like pinot noir, grenache and gamay work really well with lighter meats like turkey but are bold enough to sip with the gravy. The bright fruit in these wines also adds a little sweetness while the acidity balances it out with the variety of flavors piled on your plate.

I’m personally crushing on pinot’s from Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Sonoma County and Monterey in California. A few pinot noirs that would be a welcome addition to your table: Van Duzer, WALT and The Prisoner 2021 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.

If you’re a white wine lover shoot for wines that have a little more acidity that can complete the rich dishes on your plate. Sauvignon blanc, riesling, Gewurztraminer, grüner veltliner and chenin blanc make great options.

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Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars AVETA Sauvignon Blanc and Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley sauvignon blanc are delicious and easy pairings. I like to go outside the box so if you haven’t tried a Riesling from New York or Michigan, now is the perfect time. I’m loving the Gewurztraminer and Riesling from Dr. Konstantin Frank in The Finger Lakes in New York and Aurora Cellars in Northern Michigan, which also makes an amazing, award-winning grüner veltliner. It’s so good.

I’ve said it before in the column, when in doubt, pair your food with dry rose or bubbles, the same hold true for your Thanksgiving spread. The bright acidity and light body in both wines can pair with richer meat dishes (think hamburgers and steak) to lighter ones such as oysters and all the way to the mountain of dishes served on Thanksgiving.  

When selecting a sparkling wine, you’re going to want one that’s on the drier side so make sure to select ones that state Brut Nature, Extra Brut or Brut as these have little to no added sugar. Those that say Extra Dry, Sec, Demi-Sec, Doux will be on the sweeter side as they have more sugar added to the wine.

For two American sparkling wines that are sure to please, try Schramsberg Vineyards brut rose or blanc de blanc. Gloria Ferrer in Sonoma offers a wide selection of fabulous sparkling wines that should be accessible here in the valley. One sparkling wine that is less available but should be sought out is a new favorite, Corollary Wines, a new sparkling winery in Willamette Valley.

Doing a More Non-traditional Thanksgiving?

If you’re like me and you’re not feeling the traditional Thanksgiving spread this year, why not go outside the box with a beef tenderloin or grilled bison steaks with silky whipped potatoes. For the perfect pairing try ZD Wines 2021 cabernet sauvignon, Grgich Hills Estate 2020 Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon or Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars ARTEMIS cabernet sauvignon. Would you rather do the seafood side of things with steamed lobster drenched in butter sauce accompanied with a creamy risotto? If so this lobster wine pairing is perfect for a pinot grigo or chardonnay.