Wine for Thanksgiving: Match the Sides, Not the Bird
Turkey, gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie. No other meal has such a set menu. So what to serve?
When cooked properly, turkey can be flavorful and moist. When overcooked, as it often is, the dry meat is neutral and unexciting. So we moisten it with gravy and cranberry sauce and surround it with flavorful and sweet dishes to enliven it.
If the task of selecting the beverage to accompany the annual eat-in has fallen to you, remember the sweetness of the sides, the fact that you are buying for everyone, not just yourself, and the fact that the average American does not like wine that is very dry.
What is needed is something quenching to wash down overcooked white meat, something with a hint of sweetness so it will not taste bitter beside the side dishes, something tart enough to cut their sweetness, and something friendly that everybody will love.
Making a list of specific wines that I like will bring more frustration and satisfaction because so many wines are sold only in a handful of stores. So below are my recommendations for different types of wines. Ask your wine merchant for recommendations. They will rarely steer you wrong because they want you back.
German Riesling Kabinett. Riesling is a grape that makes light and fresh wine, and Kabinett is a grade of wine that is slightly sweet, but not too sweet. The Teutonic label can be confusing, so just look for the words Riesling and Kabinett. They can be floral and like a handful of fresh grapes. That's Schloss Vollrads, a first rate winery in Germany at right.
Austrian Riesling, New York Riesling, Washington State Riesling. Occasionally as good as the best German Rieslings, but the Austrians are good values, and the best New Yorkers can be shockingly good.
Alsace Riesling. Similar to German Riesling, but often a bit more complex from aging in wood barrels.
Alsace Pinot Blanc. Refreshing, with just a hint of sweetness.
Alsace Pinot Gris and Oregon Pinot Gris. Light and tart. Steer away from California Pinot Gris.
French Rhone whites, American Viognier, American Rousanne, American Marsanne. These are bigger wines, richer, complex, but rarely too sharp or harsh.
Rosés or other pink wines. These wines are very refreshing and delightful. Alas, most are too sweet. But if you can find a good one, it will go well with your meal.
If your guests are into wine and prefers them bone dry, and if your meal is more savory than sweet:
Sauvignon Blanc or Semillon. I love these wines, especially Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and white wines from Bordeaux.
Pinot Noir and French Burgundy. The best of these are expensive, but they can be lighter than Cabernet and Merlot, and more tart, making them great foils for rich savory foods.
Tell us in the comments below what you plan to drink on Thanksgiving, and where you go for wine buying advice.
Click here for some websites that are good sources of specific wine recommendations.
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Unless otherwise noted, all text and photos are Copyright (c) 2009 By Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn, and all rights are reserved. Links and recommendations are all products, services, and websites I truly admire, and are never paid endorsements. For more of my writing and recipes, please visit AmazingRibs.com. Click here for information on reprint rights.
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Oops. I also missed your flub on Alsatian Riesling.
First of all, generalizing German Riesling is a dicey prospect. The wine is done is so many different sytles within that one country that it is impossible to say that there is a "German" style. Indeed, great vintages in the Rheingau can be average or poor in the Mosel (and vice versa), and the differences between different producers can be drastic. Drink wines from Joseph Leitz beside wines from Schmitt Sohne: the differences will be obvious to the greenest novice.
Thus, saying that Rieslings from Alsace are "more complex" than their "German" counterparts is a generalization that is rife with misleading inaccuracies. Furthermore, it would be extraordinarily rare to find someone using oak barrels for Riesling--in Alsace or anywhere. Riesling can tend to have a delicate flavor structure, and the flavanoids in oak would stand a good chance of overpowering the fruit components. It would just be bad winemaking.
All that said, I do agree with the suggestion of Alsatian Riesling for a typical T-giving spread.
These are mostly good suggestions, but the comments about rose are a bit off.
The VAST majority of rose wines on planet Earth are DRY. Outside of white Zinfandel, you will struggle to find any rose that can be construed as "sweet." The problem is that White Zin has bastardized and marginalized pink wine as a category, so now most consumers equate "pink" with "sweet" when they look at wine. The sugar-water that California labels as "Riesling" has likewise made it incredibly difficult for wine directors like myself to point diners in the right direction when a wonderful (and DRY) Riesling from Alsace or the Rheingau is exactly what their meal needs.
If you buy a French or Spanish rose, you have about a 99.9999999% chance of that wine being dry, and an almost equally good chance of the wine being incredibly food-friendly.
People do need to drink what they like. My personal choices for Thanksgiving wines are Pinot Noir or Gewurtraminer. Both pair well with the wide variety of foods that will be eaten. A dry rose would be another nice choice.
Nice article, but still. People need to relax when it comes to wine. Drink what you like. Never mind which wine pairs with which food. For thanksgiving I would say: buy at least two kinds of wine. One you personally like, (for me, that's chardonnay, one glass daily with every dinner) and one you normally don't drink. (for me, that's sweet wines) Also buy some beer, b/c some people just don't like wine. That pretty much covers everyone.
I agree! I like to tell folks that there should be no rules in the bedroom or the kitchen. My recommendations are the safe choices that appeal to the most people and mate well with the foods, but feel free to bring something for yourself if you don't like my choices. Don't forget the beer, booze, and soft drinks.
My favorite wine rule for a holiday is, try something different.
Perfect choices! Turkey and zinfandel has got to be THE worst pairing in history. If anyone dares serve you this (or gasp- an overoaked chard) grab a cold beer, you'll be better off. For those who do prefer a heartier red, however, barbaresco/nebbiolo is your best bet. Its got the light texture but deeper flavors of cherries and mushrooms/umami...and champagne is always great with turkey! I recently tried a sparkling Vouvray that blew me away -- honey notes, preserved lemon, toffee - but with a gorgeous lightness and yeastiness. ($18 retail).
Though a francophile, I only serve American wine on an American holiday. Pinot noir is always the featured wine on our Thanksgiving table. I agree with Craig that it can be expensive, though avoid "reserve" pinot noir which is over-oaked and over-priced. Oregon, California and New York all procduce delicous pinot noir for Thanksgiving.
For the pink wine lover, white zinfandel goes surprisingly well with turkey since both have sweetness. My own preference would be a rose pinot noir from California. I applaud the rieslings, especially those from the States. Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho and New York all produce wonderful wines that would grace any Thanksgiving table.
American grenache, zinfandel (especially those made by pinot producers), and sparkling wines can also be delightful. As a host, anything goes. Have some cabs, merlot and chardonnay on hand for guests. Older cabernet sauvignon and merlot can be wonderful with turkey, though just as rare as turkey teeth! With chardonnay, go for the good stuff. American chardonnay, when done well, can have both sweetness and richness that can compliment the great American meal.
Great suggestion. American wine for an American holiday!
It's our family tradition to always have some bottles of the Beaujolais Nouveau around on Thanksgiving. I know many purists will pooh-pooh this young wine as a "soda pop" choice, but it's often quite good and it's fruity sweetness goes with all types of dishes, omnivore and vegetarian. There are often guests at our feasts because the house is also opened to friends in town whose extended families live elsewhere and more often than not, this wine is a hit.
I like Nouveau most years, but it is not a flavor for everyone even though many taste like cranberries. I usually pick up a bottle when it comes out in late November, but I rarely serve it for T-day. I save it for burger night.
I like my Cab with virtually everything I eat except peanut butter and jelly and that's what I'm drinking with my turkey. So there.
This is a really enjoyable article, although I don't like the use of the word "sides".
I agree with the earlier poster about Riesling, although I also enjoy those from Washington State.
Kentucky writer John Ed Pearce taught many of us well about how to have an enjoyable Thanksgiving. Don't fuss ahead of time. Get up early, put on nice music, cook a bit, drink some wine, throw some wine in what you're cooking. Go slow, Be in a good mood when your guests arrive. Offer them wine and good cheeses. Love and live.
As a winemaker in Napa, I can endorse this article. German Riesling is a great choice for Turkey Day. Burgungy and Pinot are very solid #2 choices. Avoid any Cabernet, Zinfandel or Syrah (Shiraz) as they are too strong for the food. Chardonnay is not as good a choice as Riesling, as it does not have the sweetness. The best news is that you can get a very good German Riesling Kabinett for under $20. Just make sure it is German and try to get it from a store that specializes in wine and not your everyday liquor store, as they are unlikely to have much of a selection.
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