Finding affordable Thanksgiving wine pairings might seem easy on the surface, but is much more difficult in practice. The varietals that most people enjoy on a regular basis can be lost in the smorgasbord of flavors found on the same Thanksgiving table. Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc are commonly found in the regular wine drinker’s glass. Unfortunately, these grapes are often overpowered by the vastly different flavors associated with Thanksgiving, or they can overwhelm most of your traditional holiday fare.  Since Thanksgiving in particular sees an abundance of varied foods, finding one wine to pair with “The Meal “as a whole is like finding a needle in a haystack. Pairing a wine with each dish individually is easily done; the problem is that a wonderful wine pairing with sweet potatoes or cranberry sauce typically does not provide the same oomph with your turkey and dressing. Well never fear – Mixed and Mashed took this problem head-on and sampled many of the most popular Thanksgiving wine varietals (and those most recognized as versatile wine pairings with food) to narrow down the field on your behalf.

First off, unless your family is comprised of sommeliers and wine connoisseurs, I recommend saving the uber-expensive bottles for another occasion.   Most of your guests will never fully appreciate that rare bottle of vintage French Bordeaux that you squirreled away for a special occasion. Keep that bottle saved for when you can fully appreciate the beauty of an amazing wine. Instead, I believe you should keep your bottles under $20. This is primarily because the food at your Thanksgiving meal is what needs to shine at this gathering. The wine should accent and support all of the work you put into creating this incredible meal and not be the star of the show. Plus, your average person has a difficult time telling the difference between a $20 bottle wine and a $50 bottle wine anyway, so why spend the extra dough?

 Also, I’m sorry to say Chardonnay lovers, but this varietal is a terrible paring with the Thanksgiving meal as a whole. Feel free to serve this grape prior to the meal as guests arrive, but keep it corked during dinner. For you white wine lovers, I recommend something less oaky then a Chardonnay, but not nearly as grassy as a Sauvignon Blanc. Of the various whites we tried, the shining star of the group was The Chenin Blanc + Viognier blend by Pine Ridge. This blend is a very pleasant wine on its own, but not typically one that I would seek out specifically; however, when paired with Thanksgiving dinner, it was a stand out!  I was quite pleasantly surprised.  With a soft mouth feel and tons of juicy, fruit flavors, this wine played the perfect supporting character to the turkey, dressing, cranberries, and sweet potatoes equally.  We also shared our early Thanksgiving wine pairing with 2 guests who don’t typically drink wine and they really enjoyed this bottle.  The best part is that the current vintage of the Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier blend can be found for around $12 a bottle!

 

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Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier image courtesy of the Pine Ridge website.
For you red wine drinkers, Cabernet Sauvignon is sadly lost in the meal as well. I typically tend to gravitate toward this varietal more so than most other reds, so I was very disappointed that it fell totally flat on the palate. The best red pairing in my opinion, and honestly the hands down best pairing out of all the varietals we tried, was Pinot Noir. This wine sung in perfect harmony with both the main event (turkey) and each of the supporting characters.  This softer, light to medium body red typically has abundant berry and stone fruit notes. Lower in tannin than most other reds, it doesn’t usually produce that astringent feeling in your mouth found in the heavier varietals.  I thought the Meiomi Pinot Noir was absolutely beautiful with our meal and it can be found for less than $20 a bottle at your local Safeway or BevMo. (Yippee!).  The Meiomi’s jammy fruit flavors really complemented all of the dishes and has just the right amount of oak to provide great structure and mouth feel.  The Kali Hart Pinot by Talbott Vineyards is also a lovely pairing and averages around $15 a bottle.

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Meiomi Pinot Noir image courtesy of the Meiomi website.

If you like a red wine with a bit more heft than Pinot, try a Zinfandel instead.  Zins are full of dark stone fruit flavor and partnered with a black pepper pop.  On the mid-to-low end of the tannin spectrum for red wines, this varietal still packs that red wine punch most Cabernet enthusiasts crave, but is a better pairing bet for your Thanksgiving table.  I enjoyed the Klinker Brick Old Vine Zin out of Lodi, which can be found for approximately $17 a bottle.  With a rich jamminess and a long finish, it was a nice complement to the turkey and gravy.  Be careful though – typical of most zins, the Klinker Brick is a bit hot, clocking in at a whopping 15.8% alcohol!
 Klinker Brick
 Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel image courtesy of the Klinker Brick website.
I need to also state that sparkling wine deserves a prominent place on your family holiday table.  Sparkling wine options and Champagne are some of the most food friendly wines out there and should definitely not be overlooked for Thanksgiving.  Pairing best with salty and savory foods, look for the drier bottles of bubbly labeled “Brut” and stay away from those labeled “Extra-Dry” unless you plan to serve it with dessert.  Ironically, “Extra-Dry” actually means that it has more residual sugar and produces a much sweeter wine than your standard Brut.  Also, definitely keep anything labeled Demi-sec, Sec, or Doux for dessert only, as these have even higher levels of residual sugar.  We tried the La Marca Prosecco (an Italian sparkling wine) and were blown away at how well it partnered with our meal.  An affordable option at $12 a bottle, the honey notes and slight minerality were perfect complements to the sweet and savory flavors in our food.  Another great sparkling option is the Chandon Blanc de Noir.  Made from Pinot Noir grapes, this sparkling wine from the Napa area is crisp on the palate with fruity notes and a yeasty undertone.
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La Marca Prosecco and Chandon Blanc de Noir images courtesy of their respective websites.
There were a few other wines we tried that were absolutely delicious on their own, but changed comepletely when paired with our Turkey Day dishes. One of my favorite everyday wines, Ferrari Carano’s Fumé Blanc, was converted into a green bell pepper bomb (NOTHING like the wine on its own – this is one of my go-to favorites typically!).  Needless to say, I was a bit crestfallen that this pairing didn’t work. Merryvale’s Starmont Rosé of Pinot Noir was a better fit, but the beautiful berry flavors I love and appreciate were muted by the creamy sides on the table. While it wasn’t the worst pairing we tried, it didn’t do anything to highlight either the food or the wine itself. The surprised me because Dry Rosé is typically a very food friendly wine.  The  other wine sampled in the photo is the Qupé Syrah. Sadly, all of the spicy, dark fruit flavors I was hoping for were completely lost in the food pairing and it just tasted flat and astringent.
Well folks – there you have it!  In summary, my picks for the best affordable Thanksgiving wine pairings are: Pinot Noirs such as the Meiomi and Kali Hart, The Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier blend, sparkling wines like the La Marca Prosecco or Chandon’s Blanc de Noir, and Zinfandels like Klinker Brick.  Everyone’s palate is different though, so please let me know what wines you enjoy with your holiday fare – I love trying new things!
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