Thanksgiving Wines

You worked hard to prepare this wonderful feast: roast turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, brussels sprouts, gravy and cranberry sauce. What a treat, and what a challenge for wine pairing… You need to be sure to complement the food with wines that pair well and bring the best out of this great meal.

Ideally, your wines should have higher acidity to cut through the fat and refresh your palate throughout the meal. Whites with a hint of residual sweetness will help balance out the sweeter dishes, while red wines with less tannin will put less stress on your palate and avoid overpowering a delicious turkey. The more complex the flavours, the more it will resonate with the range of flavours on your plate.

So what does this mean? Avoid overpowering whites (Sauvignon Blanc or oaky Chardonnays) or low acid whites (Viognier) and big reds (Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, or younger vintages of Brunello, Barolo or Bordeaux).

Here are a few pairing ideas to make the most f the meal. Some of you are traditionalists and some like to buck the trend, so I’ve set out a few ‘Classics’ and a few ‘Alternative’ wines to consider. You can also find the full list of Thanksgiving wines at your chosen LCBO stores by selecting ‘Seasonal’ wines under Paul’s Picks (once you Sign Up—it’s free!).

Classics: White wines like unoaked Chardonnays or Pinot Gris as well as reds like Gamay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel are a good choice. This means that whites from Chablis, Alsace and Soave or reds from Burgundy, Beaujolais, Lodi (California) and Puglia (Italy) are all in play.

Alternatives: If you want to impress your friends, or just show up your wine-snob in-laws, then white grapes like dry Riesling (from Austria or Australia), Pinot Gris (from Oregon), Albariño (Spain) and sparkling wines like Cava or Champagne work very well, and can be found in Austria while red grapes like Barbera (from Piedmont), Blaufränkisch (Austria), and Frappato (Sicily) are all great choices.

Click on this link for our list of Thanksgiving wine recommendations.

I particularly like the Terras Gauda Albariño (white) and Bouchard Aine & Fils Beaujolais  (a great value red!)