Whether you're hosting a Thanksgiving dinner or attending as a guest, a great wine is always a nice addition to the meal. But the diversity and volume of the dishes on the typical Thanksgiving table means that the simple pairing rules most people know and follow just don't hold up well for this meal (for example, steak and a Cabernet Sauvignon or fish and a bright white wine.) I have found over the years that some wines work better than others on Thanksgiving. Here is what I've learned.
Sharon Mollerus/Flickr
All we need is the family fighting to complete the scene.
There are many, many wines that will compliment the meal nicely. As a rule I avoid very heavy wines that can easily overwhelm your traditional Thanksgiving meal. Sill others won't offend but probably won't improve the meal. Below you will find a number of my suggestions which are in the sweet spot between too heavy and too bland. Most of these wines are widely available but I've provided links to Wine.com for easy purchase. I chose Wine.com only because they can ship to nearly every state that allows the sale of alcohol online and you can easily replace with your favorite online source. Or go to your favorite wine shop and simply say "I'm looking for something like this..." while showing them the picture of any one of these wines. A good wine shop employee will find that wine or an alternative pretty quickly.
What to look for:
Acidity - Food friendly wines typically have high acid levels. The acid wakes up your palate and helps produce more saliva which helps with any marathon Thanksgiving meal.
Lower alcohol levels - I look for wines with 14% alcohol or lower. Don't get me wrong, I love a BIG wine but the higher alcohol typically weighs you down. And there are enough things weighing you down at this meal. All wine sold in the US must detail the percentage of alcohol in the bottle, so with a little searching you will find it.
Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant
Alcohol by Volume (ABV) must be on any bottle sold in the US. I love this wine but I would look for something with a lower alcohol level for Thanksgiving.
Character - You are celebrating the things and people you are thankful for and one of those things should be a unique wine. I realize one person's character may be another's nightmare. I've pulled together the list below as a starting point. I hope you find something you love that adds to your meal.