What is the best wine for Thanksgiving?

The best wine for Thanksgiving is a versatile medium red or a crisp white, because the plate mixes lean turkey with sweet, herbal, and rich sides. Pinot Noir and Beaujolais cover the turkey. Chardonnay, dry sparkling, and Riesling cover gravy, cranberry, and sweet potato. Save a big Cabernet for steak leftovers.

What wine goes with turkey?

Pinot Noir and Beaujolais are the most reliable reds with roast turkey. Turkey is lean, so high tannin tastes bitter. A crisp or lightly oaked Chardonnay is the white that fits the meat, butter, and gravy. If the cranberry is very sweet, pour an off-dry Riesling beside it.

Should Thanksgiving wine be red or white?

Both. Pour Pinot Noir or Beaujolais for red with turkey, and Chardonnay, Riesling, or dry sparkling for the sides and for guests who skip red. One color does not cover cranberry and gravy equally well, so a mixed table wants more than one bottle.

What wine goes with stuffing and cranberry sauce?

Sage stuffing pairs with Pinot Noir or a lightly oaked Chardonnay. Sausage in the stuffing can take a cru Beaujolais. Cranberry sauce is sweet-tart, so an off-dry Riesling or a dry sparkling wine tastes better than a tannic red, which turns bitter against the sugar.

Is sparkling wine good for Thanksgiving?

Yes. Dry sparkling wine is one of the most useful bottles for Thanksgiving. Serve it when guests arrive, then keep it on the table. The bubbles and acidity cut gravy, butter, and rich sides, and they stay pleasant with turkey. Choose brut, not a sweet sparkling, unless you are pouring it with pumpkin pie.

Thanksgiving wine

Thanksgiving Wine Pairing: Turkey, Sides & Guests

Versatile medium reds — Pinot Noir and Beaujolais — and crisp whites handle turkey and a table of mixed sides. Save a big Cabernet for steak leftovers.

What to open

Five wines that cover turkey and the sides

Turkey is lean and mild. The sides are not. A bottle has to work with sage stuffing, sweet-tart cranberry, and rich gravy at the same time. Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, Chardonnay, sparkling wine, and Riesling do that. A big, tannic Cabernet dries the meat out.

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is the default red for roast turkey. It has red fruit, moderate tannin, and enough acidity for gravy and herbs. It stays pleasant when the plate also has cranberry. Choose a lighter Pinot, not a heavy, oaky one.

Beaujolais

Beaujolais, made from Gamay, is juicy and low in tannin, and it is better slightly cool. It matches lean turkey and still tastes bright next to sweet-tart cranberry and buttery potatoes. A cru Beaujolais has a bit more body when the stuffing includes sausage.

Chardonnay

A crisp or lightly oaked Chardonnay fits turkey, butter, and mashed potatoes. Too much new oak tastes bitter with cranberry. An unoaked or lightly oaked bottle is the safer white for the whole plate.

Sparkling

Dry sparkling wine — Champagne, Crémant, Cava, or a dry Prosecco — works when guests arrive and again with the meal. Bubbles and acidity cut gravy and rich sides. It is a pairing for the food, not only a toast. Choose brut unless the pour is for pumpkin pie.

Riesling

Dry to off-dry Riesling is the wine for cranberry, sweet potato, and any glaze. A little residual sugar meets the sweet-tart sauce so the wine does not taste sour. A very sweet dessert Riesling belongs with pumpkin pie, not with the turkey.

The plate

Wine for turkey, sides, and dessert

Match the loudest flavor on the plate. When one bottle has to serve the whole table, stay with Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, or dry sparkling.

On the plate	Wine to pour
Roast turkey	Pinot Noir or Beaujolais
Stuffing	Pinot Noir or lightly oaked Chardonnay
Cranberry sauce	Off-dry Riesling or dry sparkling
Mashed potatoes and gravy	Chardonnay or Pinot Noir
Sweet potato	Riesling or dry sparkling
Pumpkin pie	Off-dry Riesling or lightly sweet sparkling

These are starting points for a mixed table. Sausage in the stuffing can take a little more body. A very sweet cranberry relish wants off-dry Riesling, not a bone-dry wine.

Keep going

Pair the rest of the table

The pairing tool matches any dish you type. Steak leftovers want a different bottle from the turkey.

Thanksgiving sides with a full pairing

These live pages pair a specific side or dessert from the holiday table.

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FAQ

Thanksgiving wine questions

What is the best wine for Thanksgiving?: The best wine for Thanksgiving is a versatile medium red or a crisp white, because the plate mixes lean turkey with sweet, herbal, and rich sides. Pinot Noir and Beaujolais cover the turkey. Chardonnay, dry sparkling, and Riesling cover gravy, cranberry, and sweet potato. Save a big Cabernet for steak leftovers.
What wine goes with turkey?: Pinot Noir and Beaujolais are the most reliable reds with roast turkey. Turkey is lean, so high tannin tastes bitter. A crisp or lightly oaked Chardonnay is the white that fits the meat, butter, and gravy. If the cranberry is very sweet, pour an off-dry Riesling beside it.
Should Thanksgiving wine be red or white?: Both. Pour Pinot Noir or Beaujolais for red with turkey, and Chardonnay, Riesling, or dry sparkling for the sides and for guests who skip red. One color does not cover cranberry and gravy equally well, so a mixed table wants more than one bottle.
What wine goes with stuffing and cranberry sauce?: Sage stuffing pairs with Pinot Noir or a lightly oaked Chardonnay. Sausage in the stuffing can take a cru Beaujolais. Cranberry sauce is sweet-tart, so an off-dry Riesling or a dry sparkling wine tastes better than a tannic red, which turns bitter against the sugar.
Is sparkling wine good for Thanksgiving?: Yes. Dry sparkling wine is one of the most useful bottles for Thanksgiving. Serve it when guests arrive, then keep it on the table. The bubbles and acidity cut gravy, butter, and rich sides, and they stay pleasant with turkey. Choose brut, not a sweet sparkling, unless you are pouring it with pumpkin pie.

Find a wine for the whole Thanksgiving plate

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