Turkey Day Wine!

Looking for a great bottle to pair with the bird? Really anything goes, but for this very American meal, I like European wine best.

The traditional rich flavors of the Thanksgiving feast need a high acidity wine for balance. Try French, German, or Italian white wines or even lighter reds for a better pairing. This makes perfect sense if you think about the liberal use of butter and cream in French, German and Northern Italian food.

If you’re undecided, sparkling is an excellent choice and the bubbles will help aid with digestion.

We began the day with a Cremant De Bourgogne, or what I like to call affordable French champagne.

For more options, let me take you to the cellar!

German Riesling

German Riesling is fruity and often sweet but not always. Look for a dry variety if you prefer less sweetness. Riesling also has a little fizz, and is an excellent option for guests who are not big wine drinkers but like to have a glass on special occasions.

Pinot Grigio from Italy
Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand

In my house we serve the turkey with a sausage stuffing, so light reds, or rose also pair well.

Rose from the Loire Valley
Pinot Noir from France

If you are strictly a red wine drinker, I can’t think of a better meal to enjoy with Pinot Noir. I usually prefer rich reds like an Old Vine Zinfandel or a Merlot, just not today. The wine should not compete with the main event: turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin, or pecan pie, and all of the fixings.

Pecan Pie

Have a Happy Thanksgiving all, and I hope you are enjoying yours with family and friends this year!

Advertisement

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s