“Every year it’s the same question: “What wines work well with Thanksgiving dinner?” Let’s start with what doesn’t work. Big, alcoholic wines with pronounced tannins—Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux or high-octane Italian reds like Barolo—clash with turkey and are too sleep-inducing for this long meal. What pairs are medium-bodied, lighter-alcohol reds without strong tannins. The most versatile “bridge” wine—one that can bridge with the flavors of many dishes—is Pinot Noir.

“On the other hand, fuller-bodied whites also stand up to the richness of a traditional dinner. And rosés, being lower in alcohol and easy drinking, pair nicely and deliver a colorful touch to the table. Sparkling wines are ideal because they too are lighter in alcohol, cut through the fat in mashed potatoes, gravy and buttery yams and leave the palate refreshed. A bubbly makes for a festive start to uncork with appetizers.
The rule for any successful pairing is to think of the whole plate with its many elements, its protein, vegetables, starches and sweet ingredients. Because this meal offers such a cacophony of flavors, complex wines are thrown off. Sweetness, especially, kills the nuance in wine. At Thanksgiving, wine should take a supporting role to the food. So select a simple, fruity wine without much complexity, and save that expensive Grand Cru Burgundy for Christmas dinner.

Baroness Recommends:
“A Pinot Noir-dominant blend with grapes from cool-climate vineyards in northern California, Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rosé is aged two years in the winery’s historic caves. With fresh berry flavors and gentle effervescence, it’s perfect as an aperitif wine as well as a great bubbly to serve with dinner.”