What Wine Goes Best with a Traditional Thanksgiving Meal?

If you are serving the traditional turkey dinner this Thanksgiving, you might think that serving a white wine is the right thing to do. While most white wines do go well with turkey, there are plenty of other options. 

Traditional white wine choices include:

  • Gewürztraminer - One of the Thanksgiving favorites. This is a highly aromatic wine with floral touches and spice notes such as cloves and nutmeg.

  • Riesling - This has spicy, fruity flavors with touches of peaches or apricots and a floral fragrance that compliments the meal well.

  • Sauvignon Blanc - Light and crisp, with grassy or herbaceous flavors and higher acidity.  This wine goes well with all the rich foods on the table.

  • Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris) - Light and zesty with flavors of lemon, melon and peach.

  • Albariño - Light-bodied and high in acidity. It can have a rich, creamy texture from oak or lees aging. It will also sometimes have a slightly salty (saline) flavor.

  • Chardonnay - A common choice, but it's best to go with the lighter and fruiter un-oaked versions that work best with all the flavors on the Thanksgiving table.

Also, don't forget that sparkling wines go well with almost any meal and are a natural pairing with turkey. And, a dry rosé will work quite nicely with your turkey meal as well.

But turkey, by itself, is a pretty neutral meat.  And therefore, you should actually focus on pairing your wines with all the fixings that go along with the turkey. It may be a bit surprising, but a red wine will often work exceptionally well with your meal.  Just as cranberry sauce goes well with the turkey, a fruity red wine is also a great choice.

Some red wine options include:

  • Beaujolais - Light, dry and fresh with fruity flavors. And you can serve it chilled.

  • Pinot Noir - A light bodied red with flavors of cherry, raspberry and strawberry. In the French wine section at your store, this is called a red Burgundy. And this too can be served slightly chilled.

  • Carignan - This red wine is a bit higher in tannins and acid, and has flavors of dark and black fruits, pepper, licorice, and spicy, savory aromas.

  • Rhône Blends - Rhône wines focus on Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre grapes, producing medium-bodied blends.

  • Zinfandel - This medium bodied red wine can really work with a Thanksgiving meal. It has characteristics that include plummy, jammy flavors with spicy or peppery notes.

Avoid the dry and highly tannic red wines (e.g., Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah) which can get lost in the presence of all the fruit, sugar, and salt on the Thanksgiving table.

But, as always, ensure that you drink what you like. That's most important. Enjoy your Thanksgiving. Cheers!

What Does it Mean for a Wine to be Called Food Friendly?

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When a wine is described as "food friendly," it means that the wine has characteristics that make it well-suited to be enjoyed with a wide variety of foods.

Food friendly wines have flavor profiles that are harmonious with the food and aren’t too intense in any one aspect (e.g., acidity, tannin, residual sugar or alcohol level). So, you might say that a food friendly wine enhances the dining experience by adding to the enjoyment of the food without overpowering the foods being consumed.

One key factor for a wine to be considered “food friendly” is the level of the wine’s tannin. Wines with both big, bold tannin and wines with soft silky tannin can each be considered “food friendly.” In the case of a wine with big and bold tannin, it can work very well with rich and fatty foods such as a Ribeye steak, a hearty stew or a bold French cheese. Wines with soft tannin work well with a broad range of foods.

Here are some examples of “Food Friendly” red wines with big tannin that work with rich and fatty foods:

  • Cabernet Sauvignon

  • Bordeaux Blends (i.e., Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Petite Verdot)

  • Syrah/Siraz

  • Tannat

  • Touriga Nacional

  • Malbec

  • Nebbiolo

And, here are some examples of “Food Friendly” red wines with soft tannin that pair well with a variety of dishes without overwhelming their flavors:

  • Pinot Noir

  • Gamay/Beaujolais

  • Grenache/Syrah/Mouvèdre (GSM) Blends

  • Merlot

  • Barbera

So, that’s a quick overview of “Food Friendly” wine choices that can be enjoyed with many different meals and occasions. Cheers!

Some Italian Christmas Traditional Meals and Great Wine Pairings

Italians really feel the holiday atmosphere starting in late November, but the Christmas season officially starts on December 8th, the Day of Immaculate Conception. On this day many Italian families decorate their home and trees, bake cookies, wrap their presents, and schools and offices are formally closed.  Christmas day and Christmas Eve are observed in different ways all over the country, but here’s a sample of Christmas meal traditions and some great wine pairings to go with them:

Riva Leone Gavi

Christmas Eve - The meal for Christmas Eve, La Vigilia, doesn’t have any red meat; it’s all fish and vegetables. That’s in keeping with most meals served on the eve before a religious festival in Italy, you’re supposed to be eating lean to help purify your body for the holiday.  A wonderful pairing is one of the many classic Italian white wines, Gavi (aka Cortese). It is named for the town of its origin and has reached the prestigious DOCG ranking. It is a classic wine that is crisp, racy and immensely fresh. The mineral and citrus notes are often why Gavi is paired with seafood dishes, as these notes complement and accentuate the salty-mineral flavors of shellfish and seafood.

Riva Leone Barbera


Christmas Day Lunch - After you’ve refrained from indulging on Christmas Eve, you’re allowed to really eat-up on Christmas Day. Lunch is the main meal. Pasta is a common kickoff to the meal across Italy. In Bologna, it’s all about meat-filled tortellini.  A great wine to pair with this meal is Barbera. The medium tannins and bright acidity will match with the richness of fresh pasta. Barbera traditionally has bright red fruit flavors, including cherry and spice, which complements the flavor of the meat.


Acquesi Asti

Dessert - Italians aren’t generally big on desserts, but when it comes to sweets and the Christmas season, all bets are off. Of course, sweet breads, like panettone and pandoro, are popular across Italy. Other desserts include cavallucci, cookies with the image of a horse; dita degli apostoli (“fingers of the apostles”), chocolate- or coffee-flavored ricotta-filled omelets; and mostaccioli, spiced nut pastries.  Asti is an excellent dessert wine, and pairs particularly well with fruit-based desserts. Its sweetness and fruitiness complement the flavors of the dessert, while its effervescence cuts through the richness and provides a refreshing contrast.

So, if you’re planning an Italian meal, or any meal, this holiday season, give these wines a try! And, check out the next installment of Behind the Cork™ that will feature more details on each the three wines shown: Riva Leone Gavi, Riva Leone Barbera and Acquesi Asti. Happy Holidays and Cheers!

Tips on Pairing Wine with Your Thanksgiving Meal

The traditional turkey dinner for Thanksgiving is often served with a white wine. While most white wines do go well with turkey, there are plenty of other excellent options. 

Turkey, by itself, is a pretty neutral meat.  So, you should actually focus on pairing your wines with all the side dishes that go along with the turkey. It may be a bit surprising, but a red wine will often work exceptionally well with your meal. Just as cranberry sauce goes well with the turkey, a fruity red wine is also a great choice. But, you might want to avoid full-bodied, highly tannic, red wines (e.g., Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah) that can get lost in the presence of all the fruit, sugar, and salt on the Thanksgiving table.

Sparkling wines go well with almost any meal and are a natural pairing with turkey. And, any dry rosé will also work quite nicely.

Here are some traditional white wine choices:

  • Gewürztraminer - A Thanksgiving favorite. It is a highly aromatic wine with floral touches and spice notes such as cloves and nutmeg.

  • Riesling - A dry Riesling has spicy, fruity flavors with touches of peaches or apricots and a floral fragrance that compliments the meal well.

  • Sauvignon Blanc - Light and crisp, with grassy or herbaceous flavors and good acidity to cut through all the richness of the meal.

  • Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris) - Light and zesty with flavors of lemon, melon and peach.

  • Chardonnay - A very common choice. But, it's best to go with the lighter and fruiter un-oaked versions that work best with all the flavors on the Thanksgiving table.

Red wine options include:

  • Beaujolais - Light, dry and fresh with fruity flavors. And you can serve it chilled.

  • Pinot Noir - A light bodied red with flavors of cherry, raspberry and strawberry. In the French wine section at your store, this is called a red Burgundy. And this too can be served slightly chilled.

  • Carignan - This red wine is a bit higher in tannins and acid, and has flavors of dark and black fruits, pepper, licorice, and spicy, savory aromas.

  • Rhône Blends - Rhône wines focus on Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre (GSM) grapes, producing medium-bodied blends.

  • Zinfandel - This medium bodied red wine can really work with a Thanksgiving meal. It has characteristics that include jammy flavors with spicy or peppery notes.

But, as always, ensure that you drink what you like. That's what is most important.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving. Cheers!

How to Pair Wine with Hot and Spicy Foods

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I was recently faced with a dish that was unexpectedly very hot and spicy. I then had to make a quick decision on a wine that would work with the dish without being over-powered by the food.

When pairing wines with food, the general goal is to make sure that the flavors of the food don't overwhelm the wine and cover up all of the wine's wonderful flavors. And the basic rule of wine pairing says that you should have a red wine with beef and white wine with chicken or fish.

But, hot and spicy foods can easily overwhelm a wine. Pairing options with hot and spicy foods may surprise you because the big bold red wines don’t necessarily work best.

One food and wine pairing that works with almost any meal is a sparkling wine. And it works especially well with spicy foods. It can be anything from a sparkling rosé to Champagne. And even an off-dry (slightly sweet) sparkling wine work well with spicy dishes. Putting some sweetness against a spicy flavor is surprisingly good.

The most common pairing with a hot spicy meal is to go with a white wine - one that will cut through the heat.

Riesling is a good option. Additionally, you might consider a Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc or an Albariño. These wines all fit into the lighter side of white wines, having lower alcohol and higher acidity. Serving these wines well chilled can make them the perfect accompaniment for a spicy meal.

Red wine lovers have options too. But stick to a light bodied red wine, especially with a hot spicy food. A slightly chilled Beaujolais or a Pinot Noir would be a great pairing here. The problem with trying to pair a big, bold red wine with a hot and spicy dish is that these reds tend to have higher alcohol.  And what you'll find is that the higher alcohol level will add to the burn in your mouth, not reduce it.

So next time you are trying to figure out what to have with a spicy meal, try a little bubbly, a well-chilled light white wine or a slightly chilled light red wine. Cheers!