First of all, to tickle the palate and get all into a celebratory mode, a glass of a sparkling wine such as cava, prosecco, or champagne is a great way to begin any feast.  You don’t have to have an expensive “vintage” bottle for this occasion, there are many very good bottles available in the $10 to $40 range. Just chill to 45° and enjoy a communal toast to kick things off.

Next, because a majority of meals are based on the turkey and an assortment of side dishes, a flavorful white wine is a logical choice. You can, of course, serve Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Viognier or many other dry whites, but a meal with so many different flavors really calls out for a nicely chilled (45°) dry to off-dry Riesling. These wines are produced from the noble grape of the same name; the most famous come from areas in Germany and are subcategorized by names which help determine the sweetness levels of the wine. Kabinett (dry), Spatlese(off-dry, a hint of sweetness),and Auslese (off-dry, a little sweeter), would be the preferred picks here while other styles such as Trochenbeerenauslese (nicknamed TBA) and Eiswein (Icewine) are more suited as dessert wines.  Since we tend to shy away from sweet wines, a Kabinett or Spatlese seems to be the most suited to the American wine consumer’s palate, but remember, these dryer style Rieslings are not cloyingly sweet in the style of white zinfandel. Rieslings can have layers of flavors of apple, peach, and pineapple combined with a refreshing, well-integrated acidity and just a hint of sweetness that can compliment many different cuisines. They work wonderfully with many difficult to match foods (great with spicy Thai or other Asian cuisine), and you can find them in a range of prices from $10 to $60. There are also many Rieslings produced in the US, notably from Washington, Northern California, and New York, as well as Australia, New Zealand and other areas that have the cool weather Riesling vines thrive in.  Although not generally subcategorized as the German wines are, most tend to be comparable to Kabinett or Spatlese wines in sweetness level. Prices can be lower than their German counterparts, a great point when you have many guests to serve.

What about red wine? In most cases, the darkest meat on the table will be the turkey’s leg or thigh, or perhaps a ham.  I’ve noticed a trend for some Thanksgiving dinners to include heavier dishes like roasted beef or lamb; any of your favorite full bodied reds such as Merlot, Cabernet or Syrah would be just fine in that case.  For the more traditional turkey or ham dinners, however, I believe that a great match is one of the many fine bottles of Pinot Noir available on the market today. Pinot Noir is a light to medium bodied red wine, usually showing aromas and flavors of strawberry, cherry or raspberry, and secondary notes of spice, smoke, mushroom, as well as other savory notes. Many popular Pinot Noirs come from Central to Northern California, Oregon, New Zealand and France (usually designated “Red Burgundy”). Pinot Noir wines are much like the “Swiss army knife” of red wines when it comes to pairing with a meal. Their relatively delicate flavors are unlikely to overpower and will compliment the dark meat of fowl as well as an assortment of pork dishes, salmon and Ahi tuna;  the fuller bodied styles even do well with beef dishes like Beef Bourguignon. Serve them at about 63 to 67° for the best aroma and flavor. 

Use these general suggestions as a starting point. When you shop for the Riesling or Pinot Noir I suggest that you ask your trusted wine merchant for their recommendations. Let them know how many wine drinkers you will be hosting and provide them with a price point that you wish to stay under. As a general rule you will get about 5 healthy pours per 750 ml bottle.

If you don’t already have one, purchase a sturdy, waiters-style wine opener, a good one from your wine merchant will run you less than ten dollars, all households should have one.

A final tip, there will always be those who prefer a nice Chianti, Cotes du Rhone, Beaujolais, Gewurztraminer, or whatever with their Thanksgiving meal, so I always try to let people know what we are serving ahead of time, so they can bring a bottle of their own favorite if they choose. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

About the Vintner 

The Wine Club has been offering fine wines and accessories at discounted prices since 1985. Today there are 3 stores in California: Santa Ana, San Francisco, and Santa Clara, and www.thewineclub.com , a web store that has a constantly changing inventory of over 1200 different wines and accessory items for you to choose from, you can pick them up or we can ship to most of the USA. Stores are open 7 days a week and each has wine tasting events scheduled on most weekends, so come on by and visit.