The Ultimate Guide To Wine And Turkey Pairing

Aside from luncheon meat, turkey tends to come around just a couple of times a year, served at holiday feasts and gatherings when there's a crowd of people present to consume the large bird. These festive occasions call for great food, great company, and of course, great wine. There are plenty of shortcuts to make holiday dinners less stressful, and you can place yourself in expert hands to simplify the wine selection, too. As a Certified Specialist of Wine, curating balanced and exciting food and wine pairings is part of the joy of mealtimes.

Picking a wine for your turkey dinner can be pretty straightforward if you stick to choosing it based on the color, but when you start considering the nuances it can quickly become overwhelming. I've put together some guidelines to assist you with your holiday meal prep. My advice spans a wide range of wine styles, so you can hone in and find what most appeals to you and your turkey dish. With this foundation, you can walk into a wine shop and ask for what you want, without being restricted to a specific bottle. If you're serving turkey over the holidays or happen to roast a bird over the weekend, here's what you should know when purchasing the wine to pair with it.

Forget the antiquated rules stating it's necessary to drink red wine with red meat and white wine with white meat. There's a lot more happening in the background than the color of the wine or meat. Grape varieties, wine styles, seasonings, and the way you cook meat all create distinct flavor profiles. Not to mention that turkey, with its white and brown meat, doesn't really fit neatly into either category.

As it turns out, you can pair turkey meat with any color of wine: white, rosé, red, orange, and even sparkling. This broadens the spectrum of bottles available to serve with turkey, making it incredibly versatile when you're hosting a group of people with different tastes. It also allows the chef to play around with the seasoning profile.

Richer, more aromatic white wines like viognier, oaked chardonnay, and white Rioja make a great match for turkey, adding a luscious layer to the texture and a bright character. Fruity red wines like Beaujolais, pinot noir, and grenache are well suited to the poultry, too, bringing to mind typical accompaniments like cranberry sauce. Meanwhile, a full-bodied rosé offers bold notes while keeping the palate vibrant and fresh. On the other hand, orange wines (white wine made like red wine) infuses savory notes with subtle tannins and a lively nature. And you can't go wrong with sparkling wine as a bubbly palate cleanser between decadent bites; Champagne is the top option but Cava or Prosecco work, too.

No one wants to eat dry turkey, but as much as you might try to master roasting the bird, it's naturally lean. White it can be improved on, turkey has a drier mouthfeel than fattier poultry like chicken. This also varies depending on whether you're eating the white or dark meat, as the latter has a higher fat content, adding moisture and giving it a richer, more savory flavor profile. After all, fat absorbs flavors, adding another dimension to food.

If you're roasting a dozen turkey thighs, your choice of wine will be different than if the white breast meat is the main feature. In the former case, look for a white wine with a higher acidity and more of a citrus zing, like riesling or sauvignon blanc. Similarly, a red wine with a bit more tannic structure will mingle just right with the fattiness from the dark meat. On the flip side, a dryer, leaner cut of turkey can benefit from a richer, more aromatic white wine like Rhône blends or oaked chardonnay, or a fruity red such as Gamay or pinot noir.

Are you serving mashed potatoes, gravy, and green bean casserole, or root vegetables and roasted Brussels sprouts with a tangy dressing? If you choose sides with a richer and fattier profile, balance it out by serving a higher acid wine like riesling and Chenin blanc, or one with medium tannins such as zinfandel or a Rioja red blend.

Chances are you aren't just serving turkey for dinner. Side dishes are an important component of any meal, especially if you're making a turkey dinner with all the fixings. If you're opting for the classics, you're looking at a range of flavors, from creamy green beans, a sugary sweet potato casserole, rich mashed potatoes, and savory stuffing. These sides are heavy to say the least, loaded with sweet, fatty, and starchy ingredients. Bring a bit of levity to the meal with a high acid white wine like riesling or Chenin blanc, or a fruit-forward rosé or red wine made with pinot noir or grenache.

On the other hand, if you're mixing it up and roasting a sheet pan loaded with assorted root vegetables, lighter sides like mixed bitter greens, grain salads, and cauliflower gratin, your wine pairing can take a different approach. If there is a lot of variety on the table, without much cohesion from dish to dish, consider rosé or orange wine — both are extremely versatile matches. Choose rosés from Southern France made with grenache, syrah, and Mourvèdre for a fruity and structured match. Meanwhile, there are delicious orange wines from around the world; look for bottles from Central and Eastern Europe or Northern Italy for a classic take on this savory style.

There are plenty of ways to serve turkey, whether you're going for a traditional or creative meal. Your choice will help dictate what wine you serve. Consider classic sides like mashed potatoes with gravy, which are weighty and typically made with lots of butter and cream. Those fatty dairy-based ingredients add plenty of richness and mouthfeel to these dishes, guiding your wine selection. If you want to play up the flavor profile, look for a lightly oaked Napa chardonnay. Alternatively, contrast the weightiness with a glass of zesty sauvignon blanc.

Cranberry sauce is a must with any traditional rendition of a roast turkey dinner, and it brings with it plenty of acidity and tangy fruitiness. Match the energy with a fruit-forward light red wine like Gamay Beaujolais, Austrian Zweigelt, or even a New World pinot noir from New Zealand or Chile. Meanwhile, add a layer of richness with a slightly fuller-bodied red wine such as zinfandel or Chianti, or take it down a notch with a glass of Spanish rosado.

Vegetable sides are another source of condiments and sauces. Are you serving a creamy green bean casserole or sautéing vegetables and serving them with a lemon juice-based vinaigrette? Break it down to the main components (for example, lemon vs. butter) and choose your wine from there.

If you're roasting turkey, seasoning it right is the key to ending up with a flavorful and tender result, rather than a dry, bland one. Additionally, you can easily switch up the flavor profile of your turkey dinner by brining or seasoning the bird with a dry rub. Classic poultry seasoning typically consists of herbs like rosemary, oregano, sage, marjoram, thyme, and pepper. If you're going the traditional route, this herbaceous blend pairs well with equally herbaceous and savory wines like sauvignon blanc, grüner veltliner, cabernet franc, or Chianti.

Meanwhile, if you're aiming for a bolder dry rub, spices like smoked paprika, chili powder, and garlic powder might be on the table. Here, a wine like syrah could pair well with the smoky notes, or you could serve an off-dry riesling or gewürztraminer to counter the spice. Seasoning turkey with Jamaican jerk spices is an easy swap from standard chicken, infusing the poultry with notes of five spice, allspice, nutmeg, and black pepper. Pair the peppery profile with a refreshing glass of rosé from Southern France, Spain, or even Portugal. Alternatively, a rich maple glaze takes your turkey into decidedly luscious territory. Pair it with a juicy Gamay or fruity pinot noir to bring in a punch of acidity.

Turkey is a lean meat that benefits from rich accompaniments like gravy and tangy cranberry sauce to boost the moisture content. Unless you're only serving fatty drumsticks, you'll want to skip very tannic wines to accompany your meal. Tannins are compounds in red or orange wines that add structure and a subtle to notable astringent mouthfeel. If you're eating fatty steaks or pork chops, the tannins help cleanse your palate by cutting through the fat. As well, the fat coats your mouth and prevents the wine from being too astringent.

Since turkey is naturally lean, very tannic wines can overpower the palate, leaving a drying sensation rather than a balanced taste. That said, dark turkey meat or turkey slathered in gravy has a weightier profile that can tolerate a bit more tannin. For optimal balance, stick to wines with low to medium tannins, like sangiovese, barbera, malbec, and pinot noir. If you want to pair your turkey dinner with bolder tannic wines like cabernet sauvignon or nebbiolo, look for bottles with a bit of age, as they will have tamed over time.

Similarly, when it comes to a lean protein like turkey, which doesn't boast particularly bold flavors, it's best to avoid wines that will completely take over. Full-bodied red wines aged in new oak pair well with barbecued meat with its smoky charcoal taste, steak, and other robustly-flavored foods. If your spirit wine is big and oaky, then by all means drink what you like. But if you're looking for a wine pairing that will bring balance to your turkey dinner, it may be best to skip it — unless you're grilling a spatchcocked turkey with a smoky dry rub.

Instead, look for a lighter version of this style of wine. For example, zinfandel offers ripe bold fruit flavors and a smoky touch, but it's often made in a juicier rather than weightier style. A merlot dominant Bordeaux blend or malbec from Argentina would make a pleasant accompaniment, too. Wines aged partly in new and neutral oak also provide a bit more balance compared with those only matured in new oak. This type of information is often indicated on the bottle label. On the flip side, white wines aged in oak add texture and roundness, bringing fullness to the palate which complements the lean poultry.

If your go-to restaurant wine order includes the word "dry," you might breeze over this recommendation, but give it a chance. Off-dry and dessert wines offer a distinct tasting experience that makes for a unique pairing with your main course. The best kinds bring an element of acidity, balancing out the sweetness and making for a well-rounded sip. Paired with smoky, spicy, and savory foods, sweet wines can be a hit.

Port wine shows up in various gravy recipes to serve with turkey and cranberries, so it follows that serving a splash alongside your food will make a good match. Ruby styles boast rich layers of ripe and dried fruit and chocolate, adding a lusciousness to your meal. Meanwhile, Sauternes is a dessert wine with notes of honey, tropical fruit, and butterscotch, highlighted with a streak of acidity. It shines when served with lean turkey meat, rich gravy, and sides like sweet potato casserole and mashed potatoes.

If you're just dipping your toes into sweet wine territory, look for off-dry riesling or gewürztraminer. The former features hints of citrus, stone fruit, white flowers, and plenty of acidity to balance the sweetness and hearty foods. Meanwhile, gewürztraminer displays notes of flowers, citrus, and tropical fruit.

Sure there are some food and wine pairings that are so intrinsically interconnected and meant to be that they always show up together. However, there's always room to play around with different options, switching up the elements that are highlighted. That's the difference between complementary and congruent wine pairings; the former looks for contrasting features whereas the latter pairs similar characteristics.

A complementary pairing for your turkey dinner could be chardonnay, viognier, Gamay, or pinot noir. The former two highlight the poultry flavor, adding fullness to the palate (especially with oaked styles). Meanwhile, the latter two act much like cranberry sauce, bringing a deep fruity element and acidity to add dimension to the plate. On the other hand, if you're looking for a congruent pairing, find a wine that matches the seasonings you used. If you went heavy on the herbs, wines like sauvignon blanc, grüner veltliner, and syrah are a good choice.

If you're already putting in the effort to roast a turkey and host people for dinner, you might not want to deliberate over the wine selection for longer than necessary. Thankfully, there are a handful of classics that will always work with your turkey dinner. Full-bodied chardonnay or viognier are up there on the list, as are Gamay and pinot noir wines. You can find all of the above from France, or switch it up and try a chardonnay from California, viognier from Australia, pinot noir from Chile, and Gamay from Oregon or Canada.

Meanwhile, Chenin blanc brings a boost of aromatic flavors and acidity to the table; try a bottle from South Africa. Zinfandel is a great choice for bold wine lovers, and there's plenty of it in the U.S. When in doubt, Champagne and other sparkling wines like Prosecco and Cava are a classic match for turkey that add a festive spirit to your meal. Serve the bubbles from the start to the end of your evening to highlight the occasion.

If you're indecisive and have a decent wine budget for the event, just pick up a variety of bottles to ensure there's something to please everyone. This is especially convenient if you're serving the meal buffet style; just set up a table or section with the bottles — be sure to chill them as needed. You can opt for two whites, two reds, one rosé and/or orange, and a sparkling wine. Then just modify the number of bottles depending on the crowd.

You'll want to be sure to infuse variety into your selection as well. For the whites, consider something more full-bodied like an oaked chardonnay or viognier, as well as something with higher acidity, such as riesling or Chenin blanc. Then for the reds, a classic pinot noir or Gamay will work on the lighter end, alongside zinfandel or a Rhône blend. Bolder rosés from Spain, Portugal, or Italy make a good match for the meal, and orange wines from California or Europe work well too. Finally, the bubbles in question will depend on your budget. If you're splashing out, go for Champagne or Franciacorta from Italy. For something more moderately priced, Cava or Prosecco are a reliable choice.