The Ultimate Thanksgiving Wine Guide
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year because any day that revolves around eating amazing food and drinking delicious wine is my kind of day! The tricky part about Thanksgiving is you have so many different dishes on the table and a whole crowd of people with different palates to please. Check out my tips and recommendations for the perfect bottle(s) of wine for Thanksgiving!
A few quick tips for choosing your Thanksgiving Wine:
- Start with bubbly
- Choose wines with higher acidity and lighter bodies
- Oaky, full-bodied, high-tannin wines won’t be your best bet
- Pair sweet with sweet
More details on these tips are below 🙂
Sparkling Wine or Champagne
No holiday or celebration is complete without Champagne! This time of year, I’m usually willing to splurge on a nice bottle of Champagne. I’m also a huge advocate of other incredible sparkling wines made in the traditional method to toast to this time of year! Some of my favorites include Cap Classique, Crémant, and Cava. Sparkling wine is always fun to start off Thanksgiving day with, plus it acts as a palate cleanser throughout the meal.
Gerard Bertrand Cremant de Limoux Brut 2019, $26
Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rose, California, $28
Steenberg ‘Lady R’, Cap Classique, Constantia, South Africa, $32
Champagne Palmer Brut Reserve, $59
Chablis
For those of you who say you hate Chardonnay, have you had Chablis? This is possibly my favorite expression of Chardonnay. Chablis is a cool climate region in Northern France where they produce wines from Chardonnay that are light, crisp, and citrus-driven with notes of minerality. This isn’t your super buttery, oaky Chardonnay. Because of its high acidity and lighter body, it’s a great food pairing wine.
Domaine du Colombier Chablis 2020, $26
William Fevre Chablis Domaine 2020, $38
Petit Manseng
People close to me know how big of a Petit Manseng fan I am. You can find dry or off-dry styles, and while I usually gravitate towards dry whites, a Petit Manseng with a touch of sweetness makes it that much more enjoyable with food. Plus, the more residual sugar in the wine, the better it will go with your pumpkin pie!
2018 Michael Shaps Petit Manseng, Monticello, Virginia $27
Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards Petit Manseng 2021, Monticello, Virginia, $35
2014 Booker Sweet Late Harvest Petit Manseng, Paso Robles, CA, $129
Rosé
Rosé all year round, please! So many rose wines are incredibly food friendly. Plus think about your homemade cranberry sauce bringing out those tart and delicious red fruit notes in the wine. Pretty much any kind of rose would be an awesome wine for thanksgiving, so it just depends on your preference! Below are a few of my recommendations that I love.
Commanderie de la Bargemone Rosé 2021, Provence, France$16
Nicosia Etna Rosato Lenza di Munti 2021, Mount Etna, Sicily, $25
Frappato
On our trip to Sicily last year, I fell in love with Frappato. It’s a lighter style of red wine that is super food friendly! With notes of pomegranate, white pepper, and dried strawberry, this light red would be perfect as a Thanksgiving wine and delicious with turkey.
Nicosia Frappato di Vittoria Sabbie di Sutta 2021, Mount Etna, Sicily, $20
Occhipinti Il Frappato 2020, Sicily, $57
Beaujolais
I don’t care how over-rated Beaujolais is as a Thanksgiving wine, it will always make my list! Made from the Gamay grape, this wine is typically fruity, floral, and light bodied. There’s Beaujolais Nouveau, which is released on the 3rd Thursday of November every year. It’s a super light and fruit-forward wine that people often associate with Thanksgiving due to the timing of it’s release and its flavor profile. There are also Beaujolais wines that have more body and structure to them. If this is more your style, look for Beaujolais Fleurie and Morgon.
Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages 2021, $14
Georges Duboeuf Fleurie 2019, $31
Pinot Noir
If you’d rather have something more on the earthy side, Pinot noir is a great red option for a Thanksgiving wine. Lighter in body and tannins, this wine often gives notes of cherry, raspberry, mushroom, and cloves.
Josephine Dubois Pinot Noir 2020, Burgundy, France $18
Cristom Mt. Jefferson Cuvee Pinot Noir 2019, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $45
Failla Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2021, Sonoma County, California, $41
Dessert Wine
I hope you have room for something sweet after all of those warm, delicious Thanksgiving foods! Personally, apple pie is my go-to dessert, but it’s smart to pick out a sweeter dessert wine that will go with a little bit of everything. The main rule is your wine should be sweeter than the food. I love Vin Santo from Italy or Greece, or Sauternes from France! These will all be made with primarily white grape varieties, so you’ll get similar notes of tropical fruits, honey, caramel, hazelnuts, etc. These will be delicious with anything from sweet potato pie, to pumpkin pie, or cake. Or have it solo as an after-dinner treat to sip on.
Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes 2020, $33
Felsina Vin Santo 2013, Chianti, Italy, $49
Gavalas Vinsanto 2013, Santorini, Greece, $60
Thanksgiving Wine & Table Decor
Aside from picking out the wines, the other fun part for me is always decorating the Thanksgiving table. This year I’ve linked everything on my table on my Like to Know it. If you’re looking for more wine-specific decor, check out my wine favs here!
