Millions of Thanksgiving tables across America this year will all have one thing in common: A LOT OF FOOD. Dozens of delicious dishes lined up on the buffet: roasted turkey, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato casserole, chestnut stuffing, cornbread, and that ubiquitous cranberry sauce with ridges. Not to mention winding up with four pumpkin pies, three apple pies, and a fruitcake, because nobody ever brings what they say they will.
Pleasing a house full of family and friends isn’t easy. Fortunately, finding wines that please most people is very easy. The only two things to remember when selecting wines for your Thanksgiving Day table, is that you want wines that are universal and versatile. You’re not looking for the Swiss Army knife of wines, but wines that will easily pair with the varied savory, sweet, and rich dishes served at your celebration.
A Palate-Cleansing White Wine
Handfuls of gorgeous, rich, bountiful dishes will soon parade across your Thanksgiving table; a palate-cleansing white wine with high acidity is the perfect wine to partake in this holiday procession. A light, crisp white wine sets up your taste buds to prepare for the entry of endless layers of buttery, decadent deliciousness, such as mac and cheese or scalloped potatoes – required fare for many a Southern dining table. Bonterra Sauvignon Blanc ($14) is a great organic white wine that serves up notes of citrus, pineapple, and mango – the perfect counterparts for an herb-roasted turkey. Whether your guests like white meat or dark meat, sweet potatoes or yams, stuffing inside the bird or outside the bird, everyone will agree this mouthwatering wine is too good to pass up.
A Full-Bodied White Wine
So. The man of the house saw a deep-fried turkey on TikTok and decided to try that out this year, huh? Never fear, there’s a wine to fix whatever flaws he cooks up. We’re talking about a rich, full-bodied white wine that is so good no one will even care the turkey is one half-burned and one half-raw. Save the day this Thanksgiving by investing in a classic Rombauer Vineyards Chardonnay ($40), the blueprint for most full-bodied and rich Chardonnays follow. Thank goodness, this wine goes great with plenty of creamed corn, because you may need it. This rich, ripe wine is like a long, warm hug from an old friend – and unlike a certain person’s deep-fried turkey, it never disappoints.
A Light and Easy Red Wine
You can never go wrong with a light and easy red wine for a Thanksgiving dinner; it is always a crowd pleaser. Unlike Uncle Bob’s taste in holiday sweaters, a wine of this style works with just about every dish at the table and offends no one. A Beaujolais wine from France is more than welcome this time of year. Manoir de Carra Beaujolais-Villages ($19) is a beautiful example of how versatile Beaujolais is on your Thanksgiving Day table. Just like Uncle Bob, this wine is rooty-tooty, fresh and fruity, busting through the seams with fruit and acidity. Pro tip: for a refreshing modern take on this old-world Beaujolais, chill it down for an hour before serving. (That goes for Uncle Bob, too, chill out man.)
A Toast
This Thanksgiving let’s all raise a glass and toast to how lucky we are to live in America. How fortunate we are that food abundance is just a click or a walk a few blocks away. That we are lucky to have homes, family, and friends that love and appreciate us, and keep us safe. Let’s toast to the many, many things that unite and bring us all together in a united state of abundance. We are grateful and we thank you for being a part of our world.