Best Wine for Thanksgiving: Top Picks

Thanksgiving is the most important wine holiday in America, and it presents one of the most challenging pairing puzzles in the culinary world. The Thanksgiving table is a riot of competing flavors: roasted turkey, savory gravy, sweet cranberry sauce, earthy stuffing, buttery mashed potatoes, tangy green bean casserole, and often a sweet potato dish that blurs the line between side and dessert. Finding wines that work across this entire spectrum requires a thoughtful approach.

The good news is that some of the world’s most food-friendly wines are perfectly suited to the Thanksgiving table. This guide will help you choose bottles that please a crowd, complement the feast, and keep the conversation flowing from the first course through dessert.

The Thanksgiving Pairing Challenge

The reason Thanksgiving wine selection trips people up is that no single wine pairs perfectly with every dish on the table. A big Cabernet Sauvignon might work with the turkey but will overpower the cranberry sauce. A delicate Sauvignon Blanc complements the green beans but gets lost next to the gravy. The solution is not to find one perfect wine but to offer a thoughtful selection of versatile, medium-weight wines that play well with the full range of flavors.

The most successful Thanksgiving wines share certain characteristics: moderate body, good acidity, some fruit sweetness to echo the sweeter side dishes, and enough structure to stand up to the rich, savory components. Think medium rather than extreme in every dimension.

Best Red Wines for Thanksgiving

Pinot Noir: The Consensus Pick

Year after year, Pinot Noir tops every Thanksgiving wine list, and for good reason. Its medium body, bright acidity, and red fruit character make it perhaps the single most versatile food wine in existence. Pinot Noir has enough weight to complement roasted turkey and gravy while maintaining the freshness to work alongside cranberry sauce and lighter sides.

Oregon’s Willamette Valley produces Pinot Noir with a balance of fruit and earthiness that is tailor-made for the Thanksgiving table. Burgundy, the grape’s ancestral home, offers everything from affordable Bourgogne Rouge to village-level wines from Savigny-les-Beaune or Chorey-les-Beaune that deliver remarkable elegance without demanding a second mortgage.

For a crowd-pleasing option that will not intimidate less experienced wine drinkers, a Sonoma Coast or Russian River Valley Pinot Noir offers approachable fruit with enough complexity to keep enthusiasts engaged.

Beaujolais: Fresh, Fruity, and Festive

Beaujolais, made from the Gamay grape, is one of Thanksgiving’s best-kept secrets. Beaujolais-Villages and the ten cru appellations (Morgon, Fleurie, Moulin-a-Vent, and others) produce wines with vibrant cherry and berry fruit, light tannins, and a refreshing quality that makes them incredibly food-friendly.

The tradition of Beaujolais Nouveau, released just days before Thanksgiving, makes these wines particularly festive for the occasion. While Nouveau is fun and light, the cru wines offer more depth and complexity. Serve them slightly chilled for maximum enjoyment.

Grenache Blends: Southern Rhone Charm

Cotes du Rhone and Chateauneuf-du-Pape represent exceptional Thanksgiving options. Grenache-based blends bring warmth, generosity, and a spicy, herbal character that echoes the sage and thyme in traditional stuffing. These wines are structured enough to handle dark meat and gravy while remaining friendly and approachable.

A Cotes du Rhone-Villages from a producer like Perrin, Guigal, or Delas offers tremendous value and genuine quality for a holiday table.

Sangiovese: Italian Grace

If your Thanksgiving table has Italian influences, or even if it does not, Sangiovese-based wines like Chianti Classico bring bright cherry fruit, firm acidity, and an earthy, savory quality that complements roasted meats beautifully. The herbal notes in many Tuscan wines mirror the herbs used in traditional stuffing and seasoning.

Best White Wines for Thanksgiving

Riesling: The Secret Weapon

Riesling, particularly from Germany’s Mosel region or from Alsace, may be the single best white wine for Thanksgiving. Its electric acidity cuts through rich, buttery dishes, while its floral aromatics and stone fruit flavors add a dimension of elegance to the table.

An off-dry Kabinett Riesling from the Mosel is especially effective at Thanksgiving. The touch of residual sugar mirrors the sweetness of cranberry sauce, candied yams, and glazed carrots, while the acidity prevents the wine from feeling heavy. At typically modest alcohol levels of eight to ten percent, Mosel Riesling also allows guests to enjoy multiple glasses throughout a long meal without fading before dessert.

Chenin Blanc: Honeyed Versatility

Vouvray from the Loire Valley, made from Chenin Blanc, is a Thanksgiving sleeper pick that deserves more attention. In its demi-sec style, Vouvray offers honeyed pear and quince flavors with balancing acidity that works across the entire Thanksgiving spread. The slight sweetness is particularly harmonious with sweet potato dishes and cranberry preparations.

Dry Chenin Blanc from South Africa’s Stellenbosch or Swartland regions offers a different but equally compelling take, with tropical fruit and a waxy texture that pairs well with butter-rich dishes.

Chardonnay: Crowd-Friendly Comfort

A moderately oaked Chardonnay from Burgundy or the Sonoma Coast brings a familiar, comfortable presence to the Thanksgiving table. The key is choosing a balanced example that does not rely too heavily on oak or butter. A Macon-Villages, Saint-Veran, or Pouilly-Fuisse from Burgundy offers the right mix of fruit, acidity, and texture.

Sparkling Wine for Thanksgiving

Start with Bubbles

Opening a bottle of sparkling wine as guests arrive sets a festive tone and bridges the gap between arrival and sitting down to eat. Champagne is always welcome, but Cremant de Loire or a quality domestic sparkling wine keeps things celebratory without straining the budget.

Some hosts even pour sparkling wine throughout the meal. The acidity and effervescence of Champagne or traditional-method sparkling wines make them surprisingly effective partners for the full Thanksgiving spread, cutting through richness and refreshing the palate between bites.

Planning Your Thanksgiving Wine

How Much to Buy

A reasonable estimate is one bottle for every two guests for the main meal, plus one bottle of sparkling wine for every four guests as an aperitif. For a gathering of twelve people, plan on approximately six to eight bottles for dinner and two to three bottles of sparkling wine.

Temperature Matters

Thanksgiving kitchens run hot, and dining rooms can be warm with a full house. Chill white wines and sparkling wines thoroughly, and give red wines a brief spell in the refrigerator before serving. Fifteen minutes of chill takes a red wine from uncomfortably warm to perfectly drinkable.

Set Out Multiple Options

Place both red and white wines on the table so guests can pour what they prefer. This is more relaxed than asking everyone their preference and encourages people to try both.

Offer a Non-Alcoholic Option

Having a quality non-alcoholic sparkling wine or cider available shows thoughtfulness and ensures everyone at the table feels included.

Pairing Wine with Specific Thanksgiving Dishes

Roasted Turkey

Medium-bodied reds (Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, Grenache) and fuller whites (Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc) both work beautifully. Dark meat with gravy pairs best with red wines, while white meat with lighter sides favors whites.

Stuffing and Dressing

The herbal, savory, bread-based character of stuffing finds natural partners in Sangiovese, Grenache blends, and earthy Pinot Noir.

Cranberry Sauce

The sweet-tart profile of cranberry sauce works best with wines that have some fruit sweetness: off-dry Riesling, Beaujolais, or fruit-forward Pinot Noir.

Sweet Potatoes and Yams

Whether mashed, roasted, or casserole-style, sweet potatoes pair well with Riesling, Chenin Blanc, and fruit-driven Grenache.

Pumpkin Pie

For dessert, consider a late-harvest Riesling, a Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, or a tawny Port. The spice notes in pumpkin pie echo the warm flavors in these dessert wines.

A Thanksgiving Wine Budget

Budget-Friendly ($10-15 per bottle)

• Beaujolais-Villages
• Cotes du Rhone
• Bourgogne Rouge
• Mosel Kabinett Riesling
• Macon-Villages Chardonnay
• Cremant de Loire

Mid-Range ($15-30 per bottle)

• Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
• Cru Beaujolais (Morgon, Fleurie)
• Chianti Classico
• Vouvray Demi-Sec
• Grower Champagne

Splurge ($30+ per bottle)

• Village-level Burgundy
• Chateauneuf-du-Pape
• Grand cru Alsace Riesling
• Vintage Champagne

Discover Your Thanksgiving Wines with Sommo

Planning Thanksgiving wine does not have to be stressful. The Sommo app helps you navigate the wine aisle with confidence by scanning any label and instantly revealing the wine’s flavor profile, food pairing potential, and value. Build a shortlist of wines in your Sommo journal before the holiday, and you will arrive at the store knowing exactly what to grab.

Sommo’s learning modules on food and wine pairing give you the foundational knowledge to make great choices not just at Thanksgiving but at every holiday gathering. Download Sommo and turn this year’s Thanksgiving table into your most delicious one yet.