Wine Pairings for Your Fall Feast

This Thanksgiving, don't waste time guessing and gambling about wine pairings. To help you, we've laid out some simple guidelines as to what wines you should be looking at for your Thanksgiving Dinner table.

Typically for turkey, you think a dry white wine should suffice. Good for pairing with your juicy Thanksgiving bird, and you're generally correct. However, depending on the sides you're incorporating into your Thanksgiving meal, your wine selection can broaden accordingly. Additionally, many guests have their own preferences that may run afoul of conventional pairings, so it's best to have a few go-to varieties on hand to suit everyone's palette while still complementing that dinner you worked so hard to prepare.

For the sake of sanity, we made a few suggestions in the following wine categories to help you choose which selections to keep on hand this Thanksgiving. (For the sake of your wallet, it's up to you how many of each variety and at what vintage/price point you choose to enjoy).

the Sparkler

A before dinner warm-up when served with pre-meal relishes and appetizers as well as an all-around celebratory choice, a good sparkling wine is a great Thanksgiving choice. A drier brut is a good option for warming the appetite, and it even pairs quite nicely with the holiday bird.

the White

You have several options in this department. The Sauvignon Blanc is a classic Thanksgiving choice, as it pairs particularly well with not just turkey, but many of the traditional Thanksgiving side dishes too. A drier Gewürztraminer is also a favorite for with those savory holiday flavors, and your sweeter Rieslings can be a crowd pleaser when complementing squashes and other spiced wintry flavors.

the Red

A rich spicy Zinfandel is a great choice for a red Thanksgiving wine. With its bolder flavors, it pairs really well with cranberries and many other Thanksgiving flavors. Other great red options include the Pinot Noir, and if you're so inclined (like us), the Beaujolais. Traditionally released just before Thanksgiving, the Beaujolais Nouveau is not a wine meant to be aged. Its fruity flavors pair well with the larger meal, and it's generally a more approachable red for those non-wineophiles in your life. 

We hope this guide gets you started on making wine selections for your feast. However, if it just seems like too much trouble, you're always invited to join us for our Champagne Thanksgiving Brunch instead! We'll take care of ensuring all your favorites are prepared with the correct wines on hand for your added enjoyment. 

For more information or for reservations, please contact Chez Daniel at 952-888-4447.

Joyeux Thanksgiving!