People have been enjoying wine with their meals for hundreds of years, but the concept of pairing the perfect wine with your food is a fairly new idea. Every style of wine has its own unique flavor profile and acidity level. The goal is to get a wine with a sweeter and more acidic taste than your meal. You also want the wine to match the flavor intensity of the food.
We often associate wine pairing with fine dining, but it can be done to enhance every meal. Since Thanksgiving is one of the biggest food days of the year, there is no better time to pull out the wine. You will be amazed at how much the dining experience improves with the right wine. These are the perfect wine pairings for every course of your Thanksgiving meal.
Appetizers
You will find a different assortment of appetizers at every Thanksgiving celebration. The one thing most of these small dishes have in common is the use of cheese. There is a good chance there will be several dishes using different types of cheese. Luckily, there are a few wines that pair perfectly with just about every type of cheese. Get the most out of your appetizers by drinking a chardonnay or white burgundy.
Main Course
While your main course will include several side dishes, the main star of the meal is the turkey. A pinot noir works perfectly with the mild roasted flavor of a Thanksgiving turkey. If you prefer to forgo the turkey in favor of ham during the holidays, you will need to make a different wine choice. Ham has a much sweeter flavor than turkey, especially if you add a glaze to the meat. A bottle of rosé will create a perfect match with a sweet ham because of the wine’s sweet berry flavors.
Dessert
The two most traditional desserts at a Thanksgiving meal are pumpkin and pecan pie. You will need a very sweet dessert wine to match up with the flavors of these popular pies. The only wine that can fill this role is Moscato d’Asti. The low alcohol content of this wine also makes it a great way to cap off your holiday.
Jason Sheasby 