Pairing Wine with Thanksgiving Sides
By Madeline Blasberg
Traditional Thanksgiving tables are laden with a wide variety of side dishes, stretching as far as the eye can see and spanning the culinary gamut: casseroles, salads, veggies and starches, salty and sweet. So much culinary diversity can make it nearly impossible to find one wine that works with every flavor.
So rather than breaking down in the wine aisle of your local supermarket, simply focus on a singular favorite fixing, and find the perfect wine pairing to make your menu sing. Chances are the wine will complement other menu items as well, and you’ll have saved yourself from breaking your budget at the wine shop.
Here is a brief guide to wine pairings for some of the most popular Thanksgiving side dishes:
Roasted garlic mashed potatoes
If your family enjoys garlicky potato mash, then you’ll need a wine with enough acidity to cut through the richness of the butter and cream, and with hearty flavors that can go toe-to-toe with roasted garlic. Oaked Chardonnay from Chablis, or a medium-bodied Old World Sauvignon Blanc can make for interesting wine pairings.
Cranberry sauce
Cranberry sauce is a love-it-or-hate-it adornment on the Thanksgiving table. Its sweet and sour qualities can tantalize the taste buds or throw the palate into acidic shock. Choose a medium-bodied red wine with balanced acidity and jammy fruit flavors such as cassis marmalade, blueberry, raspberry, or plum. New Word Syrah or Australian Shiraz make excellent wine pairings.
Turkey stuffing
Stuffing recipes can range from spicy andouille sausage stuffing, to southern-style cornbread concoctions. Generously spiced stuffings will need fuller-bodied wines, but for most recipes Chardonnay makes for an amiable match. Its ripe, crisp tropical fruit and creamy finish will refresh the palate, without ever nudging your stuffing out of the limelight.
Sweet potatoes
Oaked Chardonnay does something magical when it’s placed alongside sweet potatoes. Look for a New World Chardonnay that has been aged in oak for a minimum of 6 months. If you’re leaning towards red wine, French Beaujolais has notes of cranberry, cinnamon, and pepper that can bring out the inherent sweetness of the sweet potato.
Green beans
Perfectly prepared green beans will maintain their crispy crunch while at the same time delighting the palate with fresh vegetal flavors. California Zinfandel or New World Rieslings are promising wine pairings for green beans. They can stand up to the richness of oil and butter, while lending a sweet fruit component to the mix.
Turkey gravy
Turkey gravy is often incredibly creamy, with high fat content, and savory flavors of poultry seasoning and roasted turkey. Spanish Grenache, a full-bodied red wine high in acidity and rich with spicy, savory notes, is a match made in heaven for traditional turkey gravy.
Use these Thanksgiving wine pairings to highlight your favorite side dish and dazzle your dinner guests with a new range of taste sensations. When done right, a turkey day food and wine pairing that hits the mark will give everyone one more thing to be thankful for.
About the Author: Madeline Blasberg is a Certified Wine Consultant currently working for Etching Expressions as Official Wine Commentator & Reviewer. She has spent time living in Mendoza, Argentina where she was surrounded by wine, both personally and professionally.
