Wines for Thanksgiving: From Cranberry Sauce to Turducken

As the regular wine expert for 20 CBC drive-home shows from coast to coast, I loved chatting with each of the hosts about great wines for Thanksgiving!

It’s a cross-country marathon, but lots of fun! You can see a list of the shows at the end of this post.

No other holiday celebrates the gift of wine like Thanksgiving. But which wines to pair with turkey and all the side dishes? Here with her tips is Natalie MacLean, author of the national bestseller Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much.

Welcome Natalie

Great to be here!

What’s your top tip when it comes to pairing wine with Thanksgiving dinner?

Wine is a taste of the harvest along with all the delicious dishes on the table. But actually choosing a bottle can feel like a thankless task, especially with so many flavors to match from sweet creamed corn to more bitter greens and veggies, plus the big bird itself.

So first: Relax. Have a drink.

Start with bubbly. It’s a great aperitif to sip while you wait for the turkey to finish cooking. It adds a celebratory note to the meal and goes well with starters like soup and salad.

I’d recommend Hester Creek’s Old Vine Brut from BC’s Okanagan Valley, which is made from historic 50-year vines on the Golden Mile Bench, and offers aromas of green apple and biscuit.

Hester Creek Estate Winery Old Vine Brut 2018
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia BC V.Q.A., Canada

Westcott Vineyards Violette Sparkling Brut 2014
Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario V.Q.A., Canada

In Quebec, Domaine Bergeville only produces sparkling wines and their “Gross White” is a blend of Frontenac and Gray Frontenac grapes.

Domaine Bergeville Blanc Brut
Cantons de L’Est, Quebec, Canada

From Nova Scotia, I have Benjamin Bridge Brut, with notes of fresh white peach and ocean spray.

Benjamin Bridge Brut 2012
Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada

These bubblies are made using the traditional French method and all of the wineries ship to your door.

Great! Where should we go next?

Consider the turkey: Turkey differs from most poultry and game birds in that it’s very dry in texture. Therefore, you need a juicy wine with lots of ripe fruit to complement it.

I’d suggest the Quails’ Gate Riesling. It has mouth-watering notes of lemon zest that would moisten the bird.

Quails’ Gate Estate Winery Dry Riesling 2020
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia BC V.Q.A., Canada

Rosé is also a wonderful match, like the Emiliana Organic Rosé from Chile. It’s juicy with notes of field strawberries, it’ll also moisten the bird.

Emiliana Adobe Reserva Syrah Rosé 2012
Rapel Valley, Chile

What about a red wine?

If you’re a red wine lover, you’ll also want a juicy wine for the bird, like pinot noir, a classic match. Those from the New World, such as Canada, California, Oregon and New Zealand, tend to be fruitier than those from the Old World, such as Burgundy and Germany, which tend to be earthier.

I have the Sea Sun Pinot Noir from the Wagner Family in California which is bursting with aromas of ripe strawberries, raspberries and cherries. The bonus is that it’ll also pair well with your cranberry sauce, and let’s face it, that’s why many of us eat turkey – to double down on the cranberry sauce.

Sea Sun Pinot Noir 2021
California, United States

How about something more full-bodied?

If you want something a bit more full-bodied, with a bit of spice, try the Velvet Devil Merlot from Washington. It’s juicy and smooth yet has more heft than the Pinot. It would also pair well with turducken, that weird concoction of a deboned chicken stuffed into a deboned duck, stuffed into a deboned turkey as well as brussels sprouts with bacon bits.

The Velvet Devil Merlot 2021
Washington, United States

You’d want to avoid reds with big tannins, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, as they’ll taste too dry with turkey. The nuances of complex and well-aged wines, such as bordeaux, which is a cabernet blend, tend to get lost under the welter of flavours.

How about those who don’t drink alcohol?

For children and guests who won’t be drinking, offer non-alcoholic beverages such as plain and flavoured sparkling waters, fruit punch and apple cider. There are also a wide variety of non-alcoholic wines such as Feel Free Rosé Sparkling from Cox Cellars in Niagara.

Cox Creek Cellars Feel Free Dealcoholized Sparkling Rosé 2021
Ontario, Canada

What about dessert?

End on a sweet note. If anyone still has room left when it’s time for pumpkin or pecan pie, offer a wine with a wine that has a lovely peach apricot note like the Reif Riesling Icewine. It would also be perfect for a fruit flan dessert.