10 Wines for the Thanksgiving Table

As one of the biggest feast days of the year--the biggest for nonreligious families--and a celebration of the harvest, Thanksgiving is perfect occasion to share a few good bottles of wine with friends and family. Pairing can be somewhat difficult, with casseroles, chutney-like cranberry sauce, stuffing, grain or bean dishes, and light- and dark-meat turkey sharing the table. The task is made even more difficult by the improvement in American cuisine; as dishes have become spicier, old standbys may no longer go as well as they used to. It is perhaps best to have a few different bottles available on the table, allowing guests to choose what they like and even to switch when they move from one dish to the next. For each person to have two full pours of wine--although four half-pours is perfectly reasonable, too--allow one bottle for every three people; put out more or less depending on the length of the meal and the habits of the guests, and keep something versatile in reserve in case you run low. Below I recommend ten wine styles or varietals which pair well with multiple traditional Thanksgiving dishes, and of which examples are available at prices to accommodate most budgets.

Whites

1: Chardonnay. Chardonnay--not heavy "butter bombs" which only go well with stuffing, but more balanced, fruitier Chardonnays like Columbia Crest, Bridgman, and numerous others--is the closest to a wine that goes well with almost every dish at the Thanksgiving table. It's acidic and full-bodied enough for the gravy, light enough to not overwhelm the turkey, mellow enough for grain dishes, and has enough acid zip and fruity and oaky flavor to not be made to taste insipid by garlic, herbs, and spices.

2: "Extra dry" sparkler. Many guests simply don't like fully dry sparkling wines, moreover, brut sparklers are more suited to delicate dishes. "Extra dry" wines, with a bit more residual sugar, can stand up better to rich stuffing and heartily spiced dishes. The carbonation, in addition to being festive, adds some acid to counteract the richness of the food, moreover, many of these wines, such as the reasonably priced Korbel, are made largely with Chardonnay.

3: Off-dry Riesling. A fully dry Riesling is too delicate for the Thanksgiving table, but like a spoonful of sugar in a cup of tea, a bit of residual sugar in the wine keeps the aromatics at the fore. It doesn't hurt that good off-dry Rieslings like Fetzer or Columbia Crest are inexpensive. Perhaps best of all Riesling is a crowd-pleaser that even people who ordinarily avoid wine seem to like.

4: Gewürztraminer. Although structured very similarly to Riesling, even a dry Gewürz can go well at the Thanksgiving table, although the nuances may be lost. This is a good choice if offering multiple bottles at the table; it goes better with the stuffing and turkey than with cranberry sauce or vegetable dishes.

Fruit Wine

5: Pomegranate wine. In warmer parts of the USA, pomegranates are fall produce. Commercially available pomegranate wines, such as Proshyan, come not from these American growing regions but instead from places like Armenia or the Levant, but so what?: with big, jammy fruit flavors, about as much residual sugar as one of the better White Zins, and enough acid for balance, it pairs well with robust or spicy dishes but doesn't overwhelm more delicate poultry flavors.

Rosé
6. White Zinfandel. Another crowd pleaser, White Zin is straightforward and usually slightly sweet, but the better examples aren't sticky or flabby and have enough acid to go well with gravy and rich sauces, and enough flavor to not taste insipid but not enough to dampen the palate. Ask wine-shop help for recommendations, as the off-brand wines can be much better than more familiar mass-market labels, which should be avoided with one exception: Beringer's sparkling White Zin is a good variant on the "extra dry sparkler" concept given above.

7. Rosé of Grenache. Many a bright, tangy, good dry rosé is being made from this grape, known as Grenache in the USA and the Rhône and Garnacha in Spain. They're a little more delicate when paired with food than they seem alone, but can be magnificent with steamed vegetables and vinaigrettes and poultry with juice instead of gravy. Put this out with a few other options or reserve it for pairing with lighter dishes at the beginning of the meal, and as they usually teeter on the brink of being high-alcohol, don't take a sip immediately after a bite of cranberry sauce.

Reds

8. Beaujolais. We usually don't think to pair red wines with poultry, but when it's served in a rich and spicy style, a soft red wine can be every bit the good pairing as that "reddest" of white wines, Chardonnay. The result of a marketing gimmick, Beaujolais Nouveau from the current year's harvest is usually available by Thanksgiving. It's not bad, but it's not very good, either, tending towards being thin and grapey. Instead try a good cru Beaujolais, e.g. Fleurie or Moulin à Vent, as they usually have fuller flavor than the Nouveau but the same low tannins. Bottles from small vineyard producers can be hard to find, but Jadot, Duboeuf, and Latour are widely sold, usually priced in the $15 range.

9. Zinfandel. Zinfandel is low-tannin, albeit not so much as Beaujolais, and much earthier, spicier,and jammier. This is the wine to put out for the Cabernet lovers who can't have their Cabernet (as that would just taste awful), and goes especially well with herb-heavy spice-rubbed poultry, stuffing, or tomato-based sauces. If there are dried fruits in the stuffing or casseroles, even better! Tasting is the best way to find the Zin you like, or you can ask staff at some of the better wine shops. Cline, Ridge, and Rosenblum are dependable in the moderate-to-expensive price range; Fetzer is a go-to Zin under $10.

10. Pinot Noir. Pinot noir goes as well with dark-meat turkey as it does with duck, and is a fit complement for cranberries or dried sour cherries that may be in the stuffing or casseroles. As it is often low-acid, however, it runs the risk of being made to taste funny by rich or fatty dishes; this is a better choice for the multi-bottle strategy than to serve alone. Known as the "heartbreak grape" for good reason, this is difficult to grow, difficult to get right, and priced accordingly. It is not unusual to find bad twenty-five dollar Pinot Noir or good ten-dollar Pinot Noir that beats it easily. At a moderate-to-expensive price, Erath and Argyle are dependable; Beringer and Rex Goliath make acceptable Pinot Noir for under $10/bottle. For those who can afford it, luxury-priced Pinot Noir from Burgundy or the West Coast is also available, even widely so, but better reserved for occasions when the dishes are chosen to pair with the wine and not the other way around.

Afterword

In keeping with the agrarian spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, consider serving a local wine at the Thanksgiving meal this year. Traditionally associated with upstate New York, the West Coast, and a few small areas in Ohio and Michigan, American winemaking has expanded to suitable soils and microclimates in almost all fifty states. Dry table wines to rival those of California are even being produced in such odd places as Illinois or Arizona, fruit wines of high repute are coming out of Minnesota and Wisconsin, and vin d'Idaho is no longer just a Muppets joke. In many places the varietals aren't what one usually finds on grocery store shelves, but learning what Chardonnel and Baco Noir are is no more difficult than figuring out Gewürztraminer or Zinfandel. Pack a picnic, drive out to the countryside, and taste to sort out which are the good offerings and which are the failed experiments. You'll feel more connected with the land, and have fun, too!