Wines to Pair with Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving presents lots of opportunities for creativity at the dinner table, particularly when pairing wines with food. Remember to pair wine with the meal as a whole, not just the prime ingredient.

Looking at varietals, Chardonnay is an obvious and versatile choice that comes in many guises - from creamy Blanc de Blancs Champagne with starters, to a dry white Chablis from Burgundy with side dishes and white meat. Prosecco, an accessible, less expensive, white bubbly from Italy, is another winning sparkling wine alternative - its fruitiness makes it an excellent starter wine.

Serving turkey with all the trimmings? Consider Burgundy's easy drinking red varietal Pinot Noir (the one on our list is from Oregon’s famed Willamette Valley) with your dark meat, or an Italian Gewurztraminer (or the aforementioned Chablis) with white meat and sides. If a Pinot is too light-bodied for your taste, opt for a heartier red wine like Chianti Classico, one of the most popular medium-bodied red wines of Italy.
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