Dinner is Served. Your Wine at Thanksgiving

As Thanksgiving approaches, our thoughts turn towards wonderful meals, time spent with family and friends. As we serve our traditional turkey dinner and everyone is seated around the table which is groaning under the weight of all the fantastic foods we’ve prepared, we will want to find a wine or two to accompany our feast which is served with gratitude and love.

As far as food pairings go, turkey, having both dark and light meat, allows us a perfect opportunity to experiment or offer choices of both red and white at our table. As it lends itself to so many options we thought this might be a great time to look at some of those you might wish to choose this Thanksgiving.

White Wine choices

With white wines you’ll want to go for those with well-balanced acidity. Amongst those we would recommend begin with the Riesling family of wines. Its flavor profile of apples, apricots and honey will be divine with your meat and sweet potatoes, and herby stuffings.

Sauvignon Blanc’s crisp citrus based palate is a perfect candidate for your turkey and mashed potatoes. It is particularly suited to dishes that are surrounded by herbs.

Pinot Grigio is a natural and can handle foods that are rich and flavourful. It takes garlic, herbs and onions in its stride.

If you want something a little out of the ordinary, a bit of an adventure for your dinner table guests, why not serve a wine with a Viognier? Choose Gnarly Head Authentic White which combines Riesling, Moscato, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier for a lush and juicy palate and fruity aroma.

Red Wines

Aim for fairly tame tannins in your selection of reds Pinot Noir, Syrah, Shiraz, Beaujolais Nouveau and Zinfandel fit the bill nicely and will support the flavors of your food.

Pinot Noir is a traditional favourite at Thanksgiving. Its earthy tones and fruitfulness will show well set with your turkey and stuffing.

The Syrah grape of Syrah and Shiraz wines have a spicy edge, and their complexity lends a sophistication that is gracious handling a multitude of flavours such as those that will be set around your dinner table. It is well suited to both the white and dark meats of your turkey.

If you desire a fuller bodied red then Zinfandel’s have a stronger intensity than Pinot, yet are still balancing for so many of Thanksgivings side dishes.

Rosé & Sparkling

Maybe, if you don't want to choose between, or serve the two, you might chose a go between and opt for a rosé, or a delightful sparkling to really set the occasion.

Menage a Trois Folie is a blend of Merlot, Syrah and Gewürztraminer which will make a delightful pairing with your Turkey and all its trimmings, as will Coppola Sofia Rosé or Rosatello Sparkling Rosé which are light and fruity.

Do you have room for Pumpkin Pie? Hhmmm, maybe later….