Best White Wines For Thanksgiving Dinner

During Thanksgiving, everyone prepares a rich menu from appetizers to turkey to delectable pies. This rich spread requires a wine to match. You can choose from sparkling wine and champagne to get wondrous tastes. The best white wines for thanksgiving dinner bring elegance and versatility to any meal. They can be your superstar at the Thanksgiving dinner table because of their delectable acidity and festive flair. They can hold their own when matched with assorted appetizers. They are lovely when paired with fried or salty meals and make a great match for turkey and salads. Their crisp quality manages to bring out the rich layers found in many desserts as well.

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Thanksgiving Wine Pairings– best white wines for Thanksgiving dinner

Best White Wines For Thanksgiving Dinner

Pairing wine with food is an art, and although there are rules, everything boils down to personal preference. When it comes to white wines, the priority should be to choose a wine that has a well-balanced acidity. Reds will have tannins that will support the flavors of any meal. When it comes to Thanksgiving white wines, there are many types that you can bring to the table to enhance your meal, such as the following:

Riesling

This type of white wine can either be dry or just a little bit sweet. It is excellent with any dish that has spicy flavors. It is also a great match for salty or sweet dishes. Regardless where you source your Riesling from Germany, Washington, or Alsace, this is your top wine to pick for Thanksgiving dinner time. The flavors of Riesling have apple, apricot, and honey and it has a clarifying acidity which gives it a significant edge when paired with dishes such as sweet potatoes, turkey, and spice herb-filled stuffing.

Gewurztraminer

This wine is simply delicious, and it tends to have an aromatic flavor and spicy appeal. This type of wine makes a solid standing when paired with turkey and gravy. It brings out the best flavors in these dishes.

Sauvignon Blanc

This wine is known for its citrus-based flavor. It has mineral undertones. It is a crisp white wine that is perfectly matched for turkey and mashed potatoes of Thanksgiving dinners.

Pinot Grigio

This type of wine is capable of supporting garlic, onions, herbs, and rich flavor high-fat dishes. This white wine is a natural when it comes to enhancing the flavors of Thanksgiving dishes.

Albarino and Viognier

Although these wines may not be on the same level as Chardonnay, these white wines are a perfect match to give a boost to the flavors of your Thanksgiving meals. You will be taking your guest on a little wine adventure while maintaining excellent pairings.

Alternative Choices

Rosé and Sherry are worth considering for your Thanksgiving table. Along with sparkling wines, these drinks give a capable middle choice for those who are not on either the red or white spectrum. When you consider a sparkling wine choose one that is extra dry. This type will offer a more enhanced fruity flavor than a brut. When it comes to rose wines, opt for a dry one since it is more versatile when paired with most Thanksgiving dishes.

Pie Pairings

When it comes to wine and pie pairings, an excellent choice are fortified wines and late-harvested wine. These two choices offer the right level of sweetness and viscosity to enhance the rich flavors and full flavors of pumpkin pie and caramelized flavors of a pecan pie.

It is easy to find fortified wines on your grocery. When you choose Port with a pie, it is pretty straightforward and enhances the pumpkin and pecan pies flavors. If you want to go for Sherry, opt for a cream sherry to support the distinctive nutty, sweet, and spice-filled flavors of the pumpkin or pecan pie. You can also opt for a late harvest Riesling to bring out the concentrated flavors of honey in a variety of Thanksgiving desserts.

5 wine pairing strategies for Thanksgiving

Best White Wines For Thanksgiving Dinner

Toast with champagne

Choose either champagne or sparkling wines for your Thanksgiving dishes. It is a perfect match for cranberry sauce to turkey stuffing, and it can be enjoyed throughout the meal. Brut is the driest type of sparkling wine with no hint of sweetness. Rose sparkling wine is a bit sweeter and also a good option. However, the best sparkling wine to choose would be a dry Shiraz. There are many Shiraz that are affordable and can be a budget choice if you want something sweeter than sparkling wines. 

Whatever you choose, you can serve sparkling wine throughout Thanksgiving dinner. It will change your entire menu and turn it into something spectacular. Ensure that you have plenty of wine on hand and serve it thoroughly chilled.

Choose a unique wine for each dish

If you are planning a Thanksgiving dinner for a small group of up to eight guests, you can have the luxury to open a different wine for each course. You can begin with a toast with a celebratory glass of sparkling wine and then moved to other wines. Overall, the progression of wines with each course will be from white to red, from lighter-bodied to full-bodied, and from dry to sweet. 

When it comes to serving wines with each course, there are really no strict rules. You want to ensure that the wine and the dish don’t compete with each other. Neither should overpower the other. The following are a few and tried pairing ideas:

Wine Pairings with Turkey and Dressing

Go for a Cabernet, Burgundy, Chardonnay, Merlots or Pinot noir, or even better, a fruity Zinfandel. 

Wine Pairings with Lighter Side Dishes 

Go for something delicious and out of the ordinary such as an Albariño.

Wine with Cranberry Sauce

For dishes with cranberry sauce, go for a fresh-tasting dry rose which can enhance the tart and tangy flavors. 

Red & White

An effective and straightforward strategy for Thanksgiving wine is to choose a top-notch white wine and a very good red and then offer your guests their choice.

For red wines go for something with softer tannins that will yield and blend well with your dishes like Zinfandel and Merlots. These wines will delight most red wine lovers and will not overpower the lighter flavors of turkey.

When it comes to white wines, go for a wine with a well-balanced acidity. Go for Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. These are good choices for those who want a classic white wine. You can also opt for nontraditional white wines that can give a stand out taste such as Albariño. 

Know what your guests want 

It is always good to serve a wine just because you know your guests will love it. Drinkers who are new to wine, for instance, may often choose sweeter flavored wines. Although these may not be your first choice, it is always fine to simply consider the taste of your guests and what they will enjoy and stick with that. However, if it really clashes with your meal, you should consider other choices. If this is the case, opt for wines with a similar style that works with your dish. Use this as an opportunity to initiate your guest to something new but comparable to what they have always enjoyed.

End everything on the sweet note

Best White Wines For Thanksgiving Dinner

What is the ultimate match for traditional Thanksgiving dessert such as pumpkin pie? For this type of dish, it is recommended that a glass of sweet Port or Sherry or any late harvest wine should be served on the table. More expensive options include wines such as Sauternes. The fundamental idea is to select a wine that is sweet or slightly sweeter than the dessert itself. If you choose something less sweet, it will come off as bitter or sour in comparison to the sweet dessert. Exemptions to this rule are sparkling wines or champagne, which can be perfect matches for chocolates and many other sweet desserts.

Top three best white wines for Thanksgiving dinner

OUR TOP PICK!

OUR TOP PICK!

Product Name: Riesling (Vintner's Reserve)

Product Description: Riesling is the best white wines for Thanksgiving dinner. It is a wine grape variety which came from the Rhine region. Riesling best white wines for Thanksgiving dinner is a great aromatic variety which has flowery and almost perfume-like aroma. It has high levels of acidity. These grapes are used to make dry semisweet sweet and sparkling white wines. In cooler climates, Riesling wines will show an apple and tree fruit flavor with undertones of acidity that are balanced with a sugary taste. The late-ripening variety can develop into more citrusy and peachy notes. In Australian soil, Riesling best white wines for thanksgiving dinner is often noted for its citrusy lime flavors. The naturally high acidity levels of Riesling and its pronounced fruit flavors give wines made from the grape's exceptional aging ability. The well-made examples from good vintages often develop smoky honey notes. German Rieslings best white wines for Thanksgiving dinner, in particular, will have a petrol character.

Availability: InStock

Summary

It is ideal to consume Riesling wines while they are young and have a fruity and aromatic flavor. Riesling best white wines for thanksgiving dinner will have a crisp taste due to its high acidity. This white wine is perfect for long-term aging because of its naturally high acidity and robust flavors.

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Pros

  • Makes 6 gallons
  • Great tasting wine
  • Comes with easy to use directions

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Classic Chilean Sauvignon Blanc Wine Ingredient Kit

Best White Wines For Thanksgiving Dinner

Sauvignon blanc best white wines for Thanksgiving dinner is a green skin grape variety that originally came from France. The origin of this white wines name comes from the French word “sauvage” meaning wild and blanc, which means white. Its early origins can be traced to indigenous grape varieties in the southwest of France. 

Depending on the climate, the flavor of this best white wines for Thanksgiving dinner can be aggressively grassy to sweetly tropical. When nurtured in cooler climates, the grape will have a tendency to give wines that are noticeably acidic and have green flavors of grass, green peppers, and nettles. It will also have some hint of tropical fruit such as passionfruit and floral notes such as elderflower. When planted in warmer climates, the grapes of these best white wines for thanksgiving dinner can give off tropical fruit flavors but can risk losing a lot of the aroma from over-ripeness leaving only a negligible grapefruit and tree fruit notes.

Wine lovers have hailed this wine as crisp, elegant, and fresh. Sauvignon blanc when chilled slightly can be paired well with fish and cheese dishes. It is one of the few wines that can be a perfect match for sushi.

Italian Pinot Grigio (World Vineyard)

pinot

Pinot grigio best white wines for Thanksgiving dinner is a white wine grape variety. The grape is thought to be a mutation of the Pinot Noir variety. The appearance of the grape is greyish-blue which accounts for its name, but the grapes itself will have a brownish pink to black and even white color.

Pinot grigio best white wines for thanksgiving dinner is grown around the world for its spicy and full-blooded acidic flavor. The flavors can range from ripe tropical fruit notes of melon to hints of mango. In Italian soil, Pinot grigio best white wines for thanksgiving dinner are often harvested early so the refreshing acidity can be retained. The early harvest also minimizes some of the over fruitiness of this grape and creates a more natural flavor profile. This best white wines for thanksgiving dinner are often mimicked in other old worldwide regions such as Germany where the grape has its own local name.

The Italians have their way of developing the Pinot Gris grape. Their process creates a special magic that cannot be matched elsewhere in the wine world. Although this best white wines for thanksgiving dinner is dry in character and gives off a pleasant acidic tingle, it does deliver a pleasant floral fragrance and immense fruit flavors which makes it perfect for any picnic or dinner table.

Final thoughts

Thanksgiving is a special occasion that deserves the best wines to match all the flavorful dishes on the table. Choose the best white wines for Thanksgiving dinner as a subtle accompaniment to the light flavors of turkey and other classical Thanksgiving dishes. There is a wide array of white wines that can be matched to your dishes so let your imagination run wild and make powerful matches that go beyond what is already known.

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