Most wine experts agree that finding the perfect wine to serve at Thanksgiving dinner can be a challenging undertaking. The challenge is because that there are so many different tastes being served together. Almost everyone has their own Thanksgiving meal traditions. That being said, most of their meals are similar in many ways. The main course is usually turkey, although recipes may differ greatly. Dressing is usually served, or even cooked with the turkey. There are many different recipes for dressing. Along with turkey and dressing, there is mashed potatoes and gravy, and various types of side dishes, all different flavors. Then of course, you have the candied yams, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Even the top experts cannot agree on the best wine to serve.
Many experts think white wine works best with all the mixed up flavors of the Traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Of course, they disagree on which white wine is best. Riesling, dry or sweet, and Gewurztraminer, dry or sweet, seem to top the list. Pinot gris and Viognier were also mentioned quite frequently. Should you choose a Zinfandel, use caution. Some have a fairly high alcohol content. Strong alcohol and the tryptophan from the turkey is not a good combination.
The wines chosen as the next best wine for Thanksgiving dinner were red wines. Pinot Noir was by far the favorite of the reds. A few wine experts suggested Beaujolais or Zinfandel. A few experts suggested that people not familiar with wines might prefer rose or sparkling wines. They advised getting a dry rose and serving it chilled. Sparkling wines should be chilled and served in flute glasses.
There were several suggestions for wines to serve with desserts. Some were partial to Riesling or Gewurztraminer. Others fancied Muscat, Port, or Sauternes. You can get the Muscat in white or light and it will be slightly sweet. The dark Muscat is very sweet. It is best served chilled.
Port is a sweet wine. Aged port has a nutty flavor because it spends a long time aging in wood. Younger port has a fruitier flavor. It is recommended to be served chilled. If you choose Sauternes, be sure to check the label and make certain there is an 's' on the end. There is a generic wine called Sauterne, with no 's'. It is a cheap wine made from substandard grapes. The real thing comes from France.
There is also a debate over whether it is proper to serve imported wine for Thanksgiving. Some say you should serve only domestic wines for Thanksgiving because it is an American holiday. The other side of the debate is that the Pilgrims could be considered 'imports' themselves, so it's okay to buy imported wines. There is also a 'buy American' or 'buy local' movement in this country right now. To most people it doesn't matter. The most important consideration in buying wine for your Thanksgiving dinner is to get wine that you and your guests will like and enjoy. .
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