12 Best Wines for Thanksgiving Dinner That Will Pair With Everything
A perfect patch for turkey, sides and dessert!
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When I worked at a wine shop, the fourth Thursday of November was the single busiest day. Each year, everyone wants to know what’s the best wine for Thanksgiving dinner? Luckily, the answer isn’t limited to one bottle or a single varietal. You have plenty to choose from if you seek out versatile wines that have enough fruit to go with the roast turkey and all the classic Thanksgiving side dishes — including the sweet ones that can be tricky to match with vino, like candied yams. You also can’t go wrong if you keep in mind what I call the four L’s: light, lively, low tannins and little oak (more on that below).
This best-of list features bottles that will enhance the big T-Day meal because when you nail the pairing, the wine will make the food taste better and vice versa. So keep scrolling to find out the top whites, rosé and reds, including the best Pinot Noir for Thanksgiving (spoiler alert: They’re all from the United States, appropriately enough, for the most American of food holidays.)
But what if you prefer something from France? Bien sûr, we also have the best French wines for Thanksgiving, including the best champagne for the day, which will carry you from pre-turkey appetizers all the way to the classic Thanksgiving desserts. If this is all sounding a tad too spendy, no worries! You’ll find that several of our best wines for Thanksgiving are under $20. And what if you’re planning to fry your bird? We got you there, too, with the best wine for deep-fried turkey.
For Thanksgiving wine pairing success, stick to the four L’s:
- Light: Low alcohol wines pair better with food. They won’t clobber the more delicate nuances of the meal and will slow down Aunt Barb from getting sloshed — a win-win.
- Lively: The most food-friendly Thanksgiving wines have enough acidity to cut through the richness of the meal — you need some verve to counter the drippings in the turkey gravy and all that butter in the stuffing recipes and mashed potatoes. A zippy wine will also stand up to the tartness of cranberry sauce.
- Low to no tannins: Tannins, the mouth-drying compounds found in many red wines, are a great match for a rich steak dinner. But with turkey, stuffing and green beans? Not so much; the bitter astringency can be as unwelcome as lumps in the gravy, hammering your palate over the course of the meal. To avoid tannins, dive into whites, sparkling wines and rosés. For low-tannin reds, seek out easy-drinking varietals, such as Pinot Noir and Gamay (the grapes in Beaujolais).
- Little to no oak: Oak is the enemy of the milder flavors in Thanksgiving dinner, like turkey breast, mashed potatoes and stuffing. Oak also contributes tannins (see above). You can drink whatever you like any time of the year but on Turkey Day, try to avoid oak bombs, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Rioja and most California Chardonnays.
Sparkling Wines
Sparkling wine is the superhero we all need on Thanksgiving Day. Crisp and versatile, the best sparkling wines can do it all: be an aperitif on its own; pair with appetizers (especially cheese boards and charcuterie); elevate the turkey and side dishes, like a gooey, decadent mac and cheese; even go with dessert.
Deep-frying your turkey this year? Sparkling wine is the perfect match. The scrubbing bubble action refreshes the palate and prepares it for the subsequent bites of food. Plus, bubbles are celebratory and what better way to raise a toast to the harvest and blessings from the year?
If the thought of crisp orchard apples makes your mouth water, consider this crowd-pleasing cava to kick off your Thanksgiving festivities. Serve it as an aperitif or with pre-dinner nibbles, like cheese, olives and nuts — all of which will harmonize with the almond notes in the wine.
For Champagne taste on a normie budget, look to this bright, fresh sparkling wine from the Jura region of France. The bubbles feel elegant and festive, with inviting aromas of apple, pear and lemon. Sip after sip, the wine stays vibrant and intriguing, thanks to the streak of minerality. This crémant is delightful as an aperitif but it's got enough heft and staying power to carry you through Thanksgiving starters and the main meal.
Nicolas Feuillatte Réserve Exclusive Rosé Champagne
Exuberant and scintillating, this rosé champagne is a one-bottle wonder. Does it work as an aperitif? Check. With starters and the main meal? Check and check. Showing hints of autumn spices, fragrant wild strawberries and luscious cherries, this overachieving champagne can even pair with dessert.
White Wines
Most white wines are a good match for turkey but it’s the cranberry sauce and all the Thanksgiving vegetable side dishes that can throw a wrench into your best pairing plans. You need a white that’s versatile and somewhat generous with the fruit. This is not the time to pour that bone-dry white you drink with oysters (looking at you, Muscadet). Why? The sweeter dishes will make a too-dry wine taste sour.
Another white wine to avoid is oaky Chardonnay (like many of the ones from California). A big, buttery Chard at Thanksgiving is like wearing a parka in July: too heavy and overbearing. Look for crisper, fruit-inflected whites that are lower in alcohol, like the following bottles:
Pretty much any wine will pair with turkey. If you want something to go specifically with the Brussels sprouts and green beans, a zippy New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is the quintessential quaff for veggie lovers. This one from the Marlborough region fills the palate with ripe tropical fruits while a frisson of acidity enlivens every sip.
Forget about cloyingly sweet Rieslings. Real wine aficionados know that a dry Riesling is the ultimate diplomat — it can make nice with (even enhance) every part of the pre-dinner and main Thanksgiving meal. This crisp stunner from the Finger Lakes evokes autumn in New York with hints of tangy green apple and spiced poached pear, all balanced with racy acidity and invigorating minerality.
In wine, as with real estate, it's all about location, location, location. Combe is a collab between vintner Pete Stolpman and star sommelier-turned-winemaker Rajat Parr. The duo are turning out bright, complex Chenin Blanc by virtue of the limestone-rich soil in Ballard Canyon (part of Santa Ynez Valley in California's Santa Barbara County). With notes of golden apple, pear and lemon, each sip sings with the turkey dinner, somehow making every bite tastier.
For the Chardonnay drinkers at the table looking for a bigger, bolder white, this aromatic Oregon Pinot Gris is up to the task. Notes of pear, lemon curd and jasmine on a silky texture give this wine an opulence befitting the holiday. It's enjoyable with cheese as well as the main Thanksgiving meal.
Rosé
Rosé all day — and all year. There’s no reason to pigeonhole pink wine as a summer drink. A dry, crisp rosé on Thanksgiving can easily transition from starters to the entire Thanksgiving dinner menu. The red fruit notes in this versatile wine compliment the turkey while the bright acidity gives a welcome lift to heavier side dishes.
This salmon-colored Napa Valley rosé is a cult fave for good reason: It has a finesse and complexity not found in more crushable "summer water" rosés. Come for the fragrance of wild strawberries, stay for the refreshing palate of lemon and slaty mineral. The lively acidity makes this wine a great match for turkey and richer side dishes, like the creamiest mashed potatoes.
Red Wines
Just like cranberry sauce is a classic partner to turkey, racy red wines brimming with red fruit notes and mouthwatering acidity will pair best with your T-Day bird. The other keys to unlock pairing brilliance: low alcohol (look for no more than 14% ABV on the wine label; ideally 12% to 13% ABV) and minimal tannins.
Steer clear of oaky wines and dense, tannic beasts, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Barolo and some Syrahs. Reds that are light on their feet will refresh the palate and enhance the Thanksgiving meal.
Imagine picking black cherries in the forest and you'll get a sense of what this delicious Pinot Noir offers. That brambly fruit character plus a whisper of tannins, invites you back for sip after sip. It's a fantastic match with the entire turkey dinner but the hint of baking spices, in particular, gives a thrilling boost to sweet potatoes.
With heady aromas of spiced black cherry liqueur, this expressive Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast fittingly has a touch of maritime salinity to keep all that fruit in check. The cranberry notes are just right for turkey while the bright acidity and light tannins stand up to rich side dishes and tangy vinaigrettes.
If you love the fresh, fruit-forward qualities of Beaujolais, then try this Northern Italian Gamay for Thanksgiving. You can count on it to have the same pretty fruit of Beaujolais (forest berries and cherries with hints of flowers). At 13% ABV, however, the Grosjean offers a bit more structure and oomph — making it better suited for a hearty turkey meal, especially with an herbed stuffing. This Gamay also happens to be fantastic with any pre-dinner charcuterie and cheese.
You might doze off after the turkey meal but do not sleep on Carignan for Thanksgiving. This wine varietal has the crunchy red fruit notes of cranberry sauce with a tinge of baking spices — making it a terrific pairing for T-Day. Emme's For You, Anything Carignan from Redwood Valley, California (Mendocino County) is a particularly fun version that's light, bright and easy drinking. You'll find hints of juicy pomegranate and brambly black currant buoyed by lively acidity. Serve the bottle slightly chilled to highlight the freshness even more.
How we chose these wines
To compile this list, the tasting panel sampled over 50 different wines. First, we tried each wine on its own, then with a typical Thanksgiving meal (roast turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans in vinaigrette and roasted sweet potatoes).
We rated each bottle according to the following criteria:
- Is the wine delicious on its own?
- Does the wine compliment the meal?
- Is the wine harmonious with all the side dishes?
- Does the wine refresh the palate after each bite of food?
Susan (she/her) is the recipe editor at Good Housekeeping, where she pitches ideas, parses words, and produces food content. In the Test Kitchen, she cooks (and samples!) recipes, working with developers to deliver the best written versions possible. A graduate of Brown University and a collaborator on several cookbooks, her previous experience includes stints at Food & Wine, Food Network, three meal kit companies, a wine shop in Brooklyn and Chez Panisse, the pioneering restaurant in Berkeley, California. She enjoys playing tennis, natural wines and reality competition shows.
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