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Thanksgiving is this weekend, and many of us are planning our menus and the wines. But rather than focus on the turkey, we’re going to pair wines with all those delicious side dishes.
Joining us today is Natalie MacLean who offers Canada’s most popular online wine classes at nataliemaclean.com. Welcome, Natalie.
Great to be back with you! I’m ready to dish with you on some great pairings to make your Thanksgiving absolutely wine-derful!
Let’s start with a classic Thanksgiving side dish – green beans. Which wine would you recommend?
Ah, green beans – the vegetable that makes us feel virtuous while we’re really just after that crispy onion topping or cream sauce. For this, I’d suggest a sparkling wine to cut through the richness like this lovely Santa Margherita Rosé Prosecco.
Santa Margherita Rosé Prosecco
Venezie, Italy
Santa Margherita, Italy
Feel free to take a sniff or sip.
This Italian sparkling wine has a beautiful pale pink colour. On the nose, it’s like walking through a strawberry patch that’s next to a rose garden. There’s something about sparkling wine that just says, “We’re here to have a good time, no matter what Aunt Carol says about your life choices.”
Bubbles are also perfect to make a toast and give thanks to the family and friends who gathered around the table, or to have a silent moment of gratitude that Thanksgiving only happens once a year.
That sounds like a perfect start to the meal. Now, what about sage and herbed stuffing?
For stuffing, we want a wine that can stand up to the herbal flavours without overpowering the delicate turkey, like the uncle who doesn’t talk over your cousin but really adds to the conversation. I have just the wine.
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand
Feel free to take a sniff or sip.
The Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc really put New Zealand on the wine map forty years ago and brought worldwide attention to the country’s wines – it’s that good and remains the gold standard for fresh Sauvignon Blanc.
It’s bursting with aromas of ripe honeydew melon, passionfruit, and lemongrass which is a perfect match for an aromatic herbed stuffing, with sage and thyme. The wine’s zesty acidity also makes even the driest turkey made by the worst home cooks (!) taste juicy.
Moving on to some starchier sides, what would you recommend for mashed potatoes and creamed corn?
Comfort foods like creamed corn and cloud-whipped mashed potatoes feel like a warm hug for your tummy, so we need a wine that says don’t fall asleep at the table just yet like this Pelee Island Pinot Grigio from southwestern Ontario.
Pelee Island Pinot Grigio
Ontario V.Q.A., Canada
Feel free to take a sniff or sip.
This wine is crisper than the autumn leaves you should have raked last weekend. Its vibrant notes of grapefruit and lime cut through the richness of these creamy dishes like a silver knife.
Plus, it’s a great palate cleaner to wash down any awkward conversations about your personal life. So refreshing!
Now, let’s talk about some of the bolder flavors on the Thanksgiving table – cranberry sauce and gravy. What wine would you suggest?
Now we’re getting to the real reason most of us enjoy Thanksgiving: we’re here to double down on cranberry sauce and gravy. Turkey is really the side dish. For these bold flavours, we need a wine that says ‘I’m here and you’re not done yet” like this gorgeous Terrazas Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina.
Terrazas de los Andes Reserva Malbec
Mendoza, Argentina
Feel free to take a sniff or sip.
This wine is bursting with aromas plum, cherry and mountain spices. The vines are planted in the high altitudes of the stunning Andes Mountain Range.
It’s so satisfying without making you feel like you need to unbutton your pants. Yet. Personally, I prefer an elastic waistband at this time of year.
Natalie, these suggestions are fantastic! Any final words of wisdom for our viewers?
As we gather around the Thanksgiving table, remember: Wine is like a family – some are sweet, others are smooth, a little bit slippery, and then some are just downright nutty, but that’s okay because ultimately they all come together to make life taste better!
Cheers to a delicious Thanksgiving!
Thank you, Natalie! Where can we find you and these wines online?
On Instagram, I’m at @NatalieMacLeanWine – where I post more wine content than your ex posts gym selfies. And online, my website is nataliemaclean.com – it’s easier to navigate than family dynamics at Thanksgiving dinner.
