What to Pour With Thanksgiving Dinner: Wine, Bourbon and One Big-Batch Cocktail
Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26 this year, and it is the hardest meal of the year to pair. Turkey is mild, the sides are sweet, salty, tart and buttery all at once, and the table runs from your uncle who only drinks Cabernet to a cousin who just turned 21. The good news: you don't need a perfect match for every dish. You need a few flexible bottles and a plan for the hours before and after dinner.
In This Guide
The Pairing Logic for a Thanksgiving Table
Three things make Thanksgiving tricky. The turkey itself is lean and mild, so big tannic reds can overpower it. The sides pull in every direction: cranberry sauce is tart and sweet, stuffing is savory and herby, sweet potatoes can be close to dessert. And plates get passed around for an hour, so whatever is in the glass has to work with all of it.
That points to wines with bright acidity, moderate alcohol, soft tannins and plenty of fruit. Acidity cuts through gravy and butter. Fruit stands up to cranberry and sweet potatoes. Lower alcohol keeps a long meal from getting heavy. Here is how that plays out:
| Moment | What to pour | Why it works | Bottle we'd pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appetizers | Dry sparkling wine | High acid, low alcohol, wakes up the palate | Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava |
| Turkey and sides | Off-dry Riesling | Acid for gravy, a touch of sweetness for cranberry and yams | Dr. Loosen Dr. L Riesling |
| Turkey and sides | Chardonnay | Rounder texture for buttery dishes | La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay |
| Dark meat, stuffing | Gamay (Beaujolais) | Juicy, light tannin, serves slightly cool | Georges Duboeuf Morgon Jean Descombes |
| Dark meat, stuffing | Pinot Noir | Red fruit and earth, soft tannins | A to Z Pinot Noir |
| Pie and after | Tawny Port or bourbon | Nutty, caramel notes that match pecan and pumpkin | Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Tawny |
Before Dinner: A Sparkler
Guests arrive in waves, the kitchen is hot, and the bird always takes longer than planned. A dry sparkling wine gives people something festive to hold while you carve, and it goes with nearly every appetizer, from cheese boards to shrimp cocktail to anything fried.
Traditional-method Cava (the same second fermentation in the bottle used in Champagne) built on Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo. Crisp, citrusy and dry, at a price that lets you open several bottles without thinking twice.
A step up for the host who wants to impress. Roederer Estate was founded in Mendocino County by the Champagne house Louis Roederer, and the Brut has the fine bubbles and toasty depth to carry from the cheese board right into the first course.
Want a little color on the table? Gruet Brut Rosé from New Mexico is a 100% Pinot Noir sparkler that looks great next to cranberry sauce. Browse more in sparkling wines.
The White Wine
The most versatile Thanksgiving wine we know. It is lightly sweet, so it doesn't get flattened by cranberry sauce or sweet potatoes, and its Mosel acidity keeps it tasting fresh next to gravy. At 8.5% ABV it is also easy on a long afternoon.
For the guests who say "just give me a Chardonnay." Cool-climate fruit keeps it from being heavy, and the round texture plays nicely with mashed potatoes, buttery rolls and creamy casseroles.
The Red Wine
Skip the biggest, most tannic reds for the main course and save them for another night. You want red fruit, lively acidity and soft tannins. Gamay and Pinot Noir are the two classic answers.
A note on timing: Beaujolais Nouveau, the just-made Gamay from Beaujolais, is released on the third Thursday of November under French rules, exactly one week before Thanksgiving. It is fun and fruity, but we'd steer you to a cru Beaujolais or Beaujolais-Villages for the main table. They have more depth for the same easy, food-friendly style.
100% Gamay from Morgon, one of the sturdier Beaujolais crus. Dark cherry, a little spice and enough structure for dark meat and sausage stuffing, but still light enough to serve with a slight chill.
The value Gamay. Bright, juicy and simple in the best way, which is exactly what you want when the plate has eight different things on it. Buy a few for a big table.
A multi-vineyard Oregon Pinot Noir with red berry fruit, a little earth and soft tannins. It is a crowd-pleaser for people who want something they recognize, and it sits right between the Riesling drinkers and the Cabernet drinkers.
See every bottle in our Pinot Noir and wine collections.
One Big-Batch Cocktail
A pitcher drink saves you from playing bartender all day. This one is built for fall flavors and can be mixed the morning of. It makes about 12 servings of roughly 4 ounces each.
Bourbon Cider Punch (serves about 12)
- 12 oz bourbon (we use Buffalo Trace, 90 proof)
- 24 oz fresh apple cider (unfiltered, non-alcoholic, from the grocery store)
- 4 oz fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
- 2 oz demerara syrup
- 12 dashes Angostura bitters
- 6 oz cold water
- To serve: thin apple slices, cinnamon sticks, and a cold dry sparkling wine to top if you like
Method: Stir everything except the sparkling wine in a pitcher and refrigerate for at least two hours. The 6 ounces of water stands in for part of the dilution you would get from shaking, and the few cubes in each glass add the rest, so the punch tastes balanced without turning watery. Serve over a few ice cubes in rocks glasses, garnish with an apple slice, and if you want it festive, top each glass with an ounce of Cava.
Each serving has about 1 ounce of bourbon, so it drinks like a single cocktail, not a double. Put a pitcher of plain cider with the same garnish next to it for guests who aren't drinking. For more seasonal recipes, see our fall cocktails.
After Dinner: Bourbon, Port or Calvados
Pie comes out, the game is on, and someone asks if there is "something brown." This is where bourbon earns its spot. Pour small, one to one and a half ounces, neat or with a single ice cube.
Four Roses blends four of its ten bourbon recipes for this bottle, so you get ripe fruit, caramel and a little rye spice. It is soft enough for casual sippers and interesting enough for the bourbon fan at the table. Lovely with pecan pie.
A rich, rounded bourbon with dried fruit, vanilla and toasted oak. It is a widely known name, so it is also a safe bottle to bring if you are a guest rather than the host.
If bourbon feels like too much after a big meal, a small glass of tawny Port is the classic answer. Long aging in wood gives it toffee, walnut and dried fig, which is basically pumpkin and pecan pie in a glass. Serve it slightly cool.
Apple and pear brandy from Normandy. Bright orchard fruit and a clean finish make it the digestif pick for apple pie, and a nice surprise for guests who think brandy is only Cognac.
Looking for more whiskey ideas? Our guide to the best bourbon under $50 has plenty of bottles that work after dinner. Or browse all bourbon and Port.
How Much to Buy
A 750ml bottle of wine pours about five 5-ounce glasses. A reasonable planning number is about half a bottle of wine per adult who drinks wine over a long dinner, split between white and red, plus a glass of sparkling per person before dinner. For a table of 12 adults, that works out to roughly six bottles of still wine and two or three bottles of sparkling, plus the punch above. Keep water, cider and something alcohol-free on the table, and remember that unopened wine keeps, so an extra bottle is cheap insurance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What wine goes best with turkey?
Light, fruity wines with good acidity: off-dry Riesling, Chardonnay that isn't too oaky, Pinot Noir and Gamay (Beaujolais). They handle the mild meat and the sweet and tart sides better than big, tannic reds.
Is red or white wine better for Thanksgiving?
Both work. White is better for buttery and sweet sides, and red is better for dark meat and savory stuffing. Put one of each on the table.
What should I drink after Thanksgiving dinner?
A small pour of bourbon, tawny Port or Calvados. All three have the caramel, nut and fruit notes that match pie.
Stock the Thanksgiving Table
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