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Thanksgiving Wines: Five Pairings to Try
FIVE THANKSGIVING PAIRINGS
Turkey
There are few holiday pairings more tried and true than turkey and Pinot Noir. The light tannin and almost ethereal weight of Pinot beautifully matches with poultry, while the wine’s elevated acidity leaves your mouth watering and ready for seconds. Pinot’s fresh berry flavors expertly complement turkey, just as a cranberry sauce does. Some things just work, and Pinot and turkey is one duo that does.
Our Pick: Vinalia x Poiron-Dabin Berligou 2019
Macaroni and Cheese
A staple side at many Thanksgiving tables, the key to pairing well with macaroni and cheese is finding a wine that can counterbalance its ooey gooey richness. You don’t want to overwhelm your palate with too much buttery flavor, so look for a wine that’s the exact opposite: precise, focused, and lifted by an electrifying jolt of acidity. Riesling, whether off- or bone dry, is the classic and obvious choice, while Chenin Blanc makes for another outstanding option.
Our Pick: Vinalia x Cave Spring Riesling 2020
Green Beans
Vegetables can be surprisingly tricky foods to pair—the grassy, green flavors clashing with many fruitier wines. Here, you might consider pairing like-with-like and going for a wine that leans into those more herbaceous notes. Sauvignon Blanc is the textbook example of such a wine, with its capsicum zestiness. The variety also gets bonus points for its acidic lift, which, like Riesling with mac and cheese, will help keep green beans fresh and light, even if slathered in butter.
Our Pick: Vinalia x Château Tiregand Bergerac Blanc 2023
Mashed Potatoes
Silky and smooth, great mashed potatoes are a textural delight. A wine pairing should play off that sensation—and a white wine with some skin contact (whether lightly or fully orange) is an excellent choice. The waxy tannins of a skin contact white wine melds wonderfully with the starchy, but creamy mashed potatoes, adding some needed grip and variation. Skin contact whites often also come with some savory, autumnal flavor—always welcome at the Thanksgiving table.
Our Pick: Vinalia x Marof Belo 2018
Pumpkin Pie
There’s a general rule that your wine should always be sweeter than your food. Break it, and your wine will often taste unnecessarily bitter. The most classic of Thanksgiving desserts, pumpkin pie, comes in a range of sweetness—from sugary and marshmallowed to more spiced and savory. While the former merits a sweet wine pairing (such as Sauternes, Tokaji, or Tawny Port), if on the latter end of the spectrum, you might be able to get away with a drier wine. A fuller-bodied, spicy rosé is a creative option that should do the trick.
Our Pick: Vinalia x ArmAs Karmrahyut Rosé 2021
