Which Wines Pair Best with Thanksgiving Turkey?

We all know that a great Thanksgiving meal is more than just a fantastic turkey. Equally as important are the sides, the pies, good company, and fantastic wine. But what wines pair well with Thanksgiving turkey? To make your shopping a little easier, we've compiled a list of wine suggestions specifically chosen for the type of turkey you're going to be prepare this holiday season. Read on for our recommendations.

Pair Classic Roasted Turkey with Beaujolais Nouveau

It's a holiday classic for good reason: A simple recipe like our Salt and Pepper Turkey is all about technique and embracing tradition, and we think your perfect wine pairing should follow suit. Choose a Beaujolais Nouveau for your table. These wines are a timely Thanksgiving libation as they're released on the third Thursday of each November, a day known as Beaujolais Nouveau Day in France. Made from the grape variety gamay, a cousin of pinot noir, Beaujolais Nouveau wines are fruity, floral, and have just the right amount of pizzaz to brighten your holiday meal. Try the 2019 Domaine de la Beche Morgon Vieilles Vignes ($19.99, wine.com). If you can't find a Beaujolais Nouveau, opt for a Cru or Villages Beaujolais, a wine from the same region that has been aged a bit longer.

Pair Maple-Glazed Turkey with Red Zinfandel

A turkey recipe like our Maple-Glazed Turkey is all about getting a sweet, crunchy crust on the exterior of the bird. By using maple syrup to coat it during the last hour, a crystallized exterior forms and gives the bird a sweet, earthy flavor. A maple-glazed turkey has enough flavor to stand up to a big red wine. Pair it with one of America's longest-standing grape varieties: Red Zinfandel like the 2018 Bogle Old Vines Zinfandel ($10.99, wine.com) or the 2019 Ridge Paso Robles Zinfandel ($33.99, wine.com). It's a juicy and serious red wine that will have all the fruity and baking spice flavors to match your succulent maple turkey and favorite stuffing.

Pair Deep-Fried Turkey with Sparkling Wine

Deep frying your turkey will result in scrumptious, decadent meat with a crispy, lightly fried exterior. Fried food can be heavy if you don't pair it correctly. For that reason, we recommend drinking a wine with high acid like sparkling wine. The acid of the wine cuts through the weight of the fried poultry just like pickles do on a fried chicken sandwich so pairing sparkling wines with fried foods i a refreshing way to balance your palate as you enjoy the meal. We recommend a blanc de noir (otherwise known as a sparkling wine made with red grapes) or a rosé. Red grapes add more body to the sparkling wines than white grapes do, which allows the wine to stand up to heavy fried foods. Try Chandon Blanc de Pinot Noir ($18.99, wine.com) or 2018 Gerard Bertrand Cremant de Limoux Brut Rose ($22.99, wine.com).

Pair Stuffed Turkey Breast with Pinot Noir

This is the perfect recipe for a smaller Thanksgiving feast. Forget the big bird and opt for Turkey Breast Stuffed with Sausage and Sour Cherry Stuffing. With the classic taste profile of cherries and sage coming through in the stuffing of this recipe, we recommend a light red wine like a pinot noir from California such as 2020 The Pinot Project Pinot Noir ($14.99, wine.com). California wines will have more fruit flavors than pinot noirs from other wine regions and will be the perfect pairing for your intimate thanksgiving feast.