6 Foolproof Thanksgiving Wines
Crowd-pleasers to bring to any holiday party or serve at your own meal—no matter what’s on the menu.
By Roger Morris
No wine matches perfectly with every imaginable food, but a few are versatile enough to make it from apps to dessert with nary a raised eyebrow—party-planning heaven. And yes, this means you can eat turkey, goose, salmon, or vegetarian casserole, with or without sauces and sides, and not worry about tannins or oak obliterating your palate. Below are six wines structured around different types of meals.
Champagne Demi-Sec
Provenance: Chilly France, northeast of Paris
Why it’s so versatile: Two qualities give it wide range—carbonation from the bubbles and great acidity to cut through fat but still pair up with leaner flavors. While drier champagne brut is most popular in the U.S., champagne demi-sec has just a touch of sweetness that makes it work better with spicy foods, many cheeses, and light desserts. Now you know.
An ideal Thanksgiving pairing: Turkey with oyster stuffing, a cheese plate heavy with crumbly chèvres and blues, and fruit tarts with flaky, buttery crusts.
California Chardonnay
Provenance: The best ones come from Napa Valley and Sonoma County.
Why it’s so versatile: Many people criticize California Chardonnays for being-over-the-top, but it is exactly that fruitiness and high alcohol that give “volume” to the wine, plus its barrel-aged toastiness allows it to take on food pairings that would overwhelm other white wines.
An ideal Thanksgiving pairing: Roasted pork served with baked apples or pineapple, a side of potatoes laced with sour cream or creme fraiche, and a mixed-berry pie.
See more: Experts Weight In on the Season’s Best Wine
European Gewurztraminer
Provenance: Alsace in eastern France and Alto Adige in northeast Italy
Why it’s so versatile: Most wines provide either a match or a contrasting balance to foods, but a peppery Gewurztraminer can actually add complementary elements to flavors.
An ideal Thanksgiving pairing: Cape Cod-style clambake with lobster claws, clams, and mussels served with spicy rice and finished with gingerbread loaf cake with a light nut sauce.
Long Island Rosé
Provenance: North Fork on the island’s East End
Why it’s so versatile: Many rosés are really tinted white wines best suited for summer sipping, but the top Long Island pinks provide both red fruitiness—to counter salty and savory notes—and lean red-grape varieties from Bordeaux, such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot, which won’t overpower lighter dishes like a Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel might.
An ideal Thanksgiving pairing: Baked ham with a side of glazed sweet potatoes and a finish of fresh berries with whipped cream.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc
Provenance: The southern Rhone Valley near Avignon
Why it’s so versatile: The mixture of a variety of local grapes, often led by Grenache Blanc, gives the wine great complexity and provides something to go with everything. It’s a chameleon wine that, within limits (don’t serve it with steak), matches its surroundings.
An ideal Thanksgiving pairing: Try a game bird such as pheasant roasted with chestnut dressing or duck in a mild, not-too-sweet fruit sauce, with bread pudding with dried figs and apricots.
Mercurey or Givry Pinot Noir
Provenance: Southern Burgundy in eastern France
Why it’s so versatile: Most great Pinot Noirs are lighter reds with less-apparent tannins (again, beware the bullying Cabs and Zins). Those from the villages of southern Burgundy, however, are fruity but lean, with good acidity, which allows them to match meats as well as fish and poultry.
An ideal Thanksgiving pairing: Salmon in a cream sauce with Provence spices, a mélange of sautéed vegetables, and a bitter-chocolate torte.
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photos: Getty (1); Courtesy of brands (2-6)
