Friends ask me regularly if it makes a difference to pair certain wines with the myriad of Thanksgiving dishes. I often share my answer as a question: Do you enjoy orange juice over cereal? The wine you pair with your Thanksgiving table can create an unsurpassed wine and food pairing experience.
Here are the types that I think pair best with some of the most-enjoyed Thanksgiving cuisine. All of the wines are less than $30, except one luxury option (Barolo) for those who want to splurge. Depending on the size of your group, I suggest at least one white, red and rosé wine together on the table.
Lighter reds: Pinot noir, gamay noir, grignolino: Pinot noir or gamay noir, the latter another wine similar in style to pinot noir and mostly from France, are styles of wines that are tried-and-true for Thanksgiving cuisine. Pairing wine with the main protein is not crucial. It is more important to pair the wine with the sauces on the protein.
Whether from Oregon’s Willamette Valley, France or California, pinot noir and gamay pair wonderfully with roasted turkey with gravy. Their acidities match nicely with gravy’s protein content. Grignolino, one of my favorite light-bodied hidden gems from Italy, does too. All three marry well with sautéed or oven-baked Brussels sprouts, alone or with pancetta, and traditional stuffing incorporating the usual suspects – onions, celery, sage and sausage.
My picks: Pike Road pinot noir, Carlin de Paolo grignolino, Lulu gamay noir.
Off-dry, fruit-forward or sweet whites: Vouvray, riesling, fiano: The style of whites that also marry well with the traditional fare of turkey, stuffing, Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes are those that have a touch of sweetness or are fairly fruit forward, not ones that are exceedingly dry. Reach for a sweet or off-dry riesling, an off-dry Vouvray or fiano, an Italian white that shows mouth-filling notes of tropical and citrus fruits. M
y picks: Whispering Tree riesling, Viking Vouvray and Il Bianco dei Vespa fiano.
Rosé wines: Rosés are right in the middle between whites and reds and are sometimes my top choice for matching with Thanksgiving dishes. They have the best of all worlds – tannins like reds, acid like whites and fruit like both. Not too dry or too sweet.
My pick: La Spinetta Rosato.
Richer, tannic reds: Barolo, Valpolicella or Rhône wines: Meats such as filet mignon and lamb also sit on many Thanksgiving tables. With these, you will want a wine that can stand up to their richness. Wines with higher tannin levels, such as those from Barolo (made from nebbiolo), Valpolicella or the Rhône Valley, are the ones you should grab for beef. These wines will not overpower stuffing or vegetables such as Brussel sprouts or butternut squash laden with olive oil or butter.
My picks: Trediberri Barolo, Corte Rugolin Valpolicella or Alain Voge Cotes du Rhône.
After-dinner vermouth: Dessert wines are, of course, naturally a good partner for desserts or after-dinner cheese, nut and chocolate boards. However, I reach for vermouth, a mild spirit made from grapes. It has just a hint of sweetness without being cloyingly sweet, with red and white options.
My pick: the local Greenvale Vineyard’s dry vermouth.
If your menu includes specific dishes for which you need pairing help, send me an email, jessica@jessicagranatiero.com. Happy Thanksgiving!
Jessica Granatiero is the founder of The Savory Grape, a wine, beer and spirits shop in East Greenwich. She can be reached through her website, www.jessicagranatiero.com.
