Thanksgiving 2016 Wine Pairing Mini-Guide

It’s November, which means one of our favorite holidays of the year is almost upon us: Thanksgiving. No matter how you feel about eating roast turkey, there’s a plate for every kind of taste to enjoy. And on this special occasion, the perfect complement to a Thanksgiving feast is a good pairing of wine. We’ve put together a Thanksgiving Wine Pairing Mini-Guide for you to use when you put together your grocery list for your Thanksgiving meal. 

If you’re making Turkey:
Since turkey is a heavier, greasier meat than chicken, it makes sense to go with a red wine pairing. Now, depending on whether you’re a dark meat or a light meat kind of person, there are different wines for either of those scenarios. Cairgnan, a grape from the Lanugedoc region of southern France, bursts with red fruit flavors, spiciness, and a meaty nose – the perfect pairing for the dark meat. Try our Recanati Wild Carignan Reserve for an elegant glass of red.

If you prefer the drier, lighter meat of the turkey, your best bet is a fruity, low alcohol content Brachetto d’Acqui, a fizzy red wine from Italy that’s got raspberry aromas, and is delightfully – but not overly – bubbly. The Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto d’Acqui is a good one to try and at a reasonable price point. It also doubles as a great dessert wine in a pinch.

If you’re making Roast Beef or Meatloaf:
Hey, not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving with a bird in the oven; if you’re one of those people, there’s plenty of good wine to choose from. If you have a rack of beef ribs roasting in the oven, you’ll want a red wine with firm, smooth tannins and oak flavorings for the ideal Thanksgiving wine pairing. Chateau Fonbadet is a stunning red blend that will richly complement your roast.

More of a meatloaf person? Obviously there are many different kinds of meatloaf recipes out there, but why not try for the perennially crowd-pleasing Shiraz? The Australian Layer Cake Shiraz, with hints of black pepper and smoke are sure to provide the perfect Thanksgiving wine pairing with your meatloaf.

If you’re making Pork Roast:

The “other” white meat is a delicious and more budget-friendly meat to cook for a huge crowd, and no less tasty. Since pork tends to end up a little on the dry side, you’ll probably want a wine that’s a bit more juicy to balance that out. A great Thanksgiving wine pairing with pork is to go with a medium-bodied Chardonnay such as the Santa Barbara Winery 2011. 

If you’re a vegetarian:
Chances are, the sorts of vegetable dishes you might eat at a Thanksgiving dinner are going to have pumpkin in them, particularly if it’s a vegetarian-only affair. If you’re going to have, say, pumpkin soup, it should be paired with a lighter-bodied, acidic wine such as Albola Pinot Grigio.