This column originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.
From turkey and mashed potatoes to casseroles and pumpkin pie, a nice bottle of wine can enhance the Thanksgiving dining experience.
SPARKLING
A sparkling wine option is a festive and versatile selection to pair with your Thanksgiving meal. However, since Thanksgiving dinner usually features sweeter components, like sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce, you do not want a sparkling wine that is particularly dry or overly acidic.
Sparkling wines that are dry are labeled brut nature. Look for a label that says brut or extra dry. These styles will pair well with the meal and not be too acidic to balance out the sweeter side dishes. Wines labeled sec, demi sec or doux are on the sweeter side, with doux being the sweetest.
Prosecco is a great option for a touch of fruitiness while still having a refreshing palate. Hailing from Italy, it is made from the grape glera, which tends to have more melon, pear, apple and white floral notes which cause it to taste sweeter than a cava or Champagne.
WHITE WINE
Thanksgiving dinner comes with a lot of creamy dishes, lean proteins and carbohydrates. White wine can be great to pair with these, but you do not want a white wine that is too high in acidity, like a sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio. A highly acidic wine can clash with the sweetness, making it taste overly sharp or sour and also overwhelm the comforting, creamy textures of classic Thanksgiving dishes.
Instead, opt for a white wine with moderate acidity and fuller mouthfeel to complement the different dishes being served. A Châteauneuf-du-Pape blanc hails from the southern Rhône Valley in France. This wine region primarily makes red wines, so while a bottle of white Châteauneuf-du-Pape may be on the pricer side, its rich, full-bodied profile and balanced acidity makes it the perfect versatile wine to pair with the variety of dishes on the table. White wines from this region tend to have stone fruit, melon and hints of herbs and floral notes, perfect for both savory items like stuffing and sweet dishes like cranberry sauce. The wine’s creamy texture stands up to heavier sides like mashed potatoes, while its subtle minerality and spice enhance roasted turkey.
RED WINE
While some might say the side dishes are the star of the show on Thanksgiving, still, you will want a red wine option that pairs well with turkey. As a light protein, you do not want too bold of a red wine that will overpower the main dish.
Lighter bodied reds made from grapes like pinot noir, gamay or grenache are excellent options to pair with turkey because they do not overwhelm the protein and still pair well with side dishes. The red fruit forward notes of these wines — like cherries, strawberries and raspberries — will be enhanced when paired with cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and roasted vegetables. Because they are light reds, they won’t have high tannins — the part of red wine that leaves the interior of your mouth feeling dried out. The subtle tannins prevent these wines from clashing with creamy dishes like mashed potatoes or green bean casserole.
Regardless of what you choose to serve, the most important part of any Thanksgiving meal is spending time with loved ones, taking time to be grateful of all that the year has brought. Still, a good bottle of wine will leave most people expressing their thanks long after the meal has ended.
Centre County Gazette editor Jessi Blanarik is a certified sommelier and holds a master’s in wine tourism and sustainability. She has lived in and worked in the wine industry in Spain, France, Portugal and Greece.
