Wines for Thanksgiving: Serving and Gifting

Wines are a tradition with many meals and Thanksgiving dinner is no exception. Many people like to serve wines for these special occasions but which of the thousands are appropriate. How about taking a bottle of wine if you are a guest at Thanksgiving dinner? Luckily we have some suggestions for you.

Although there are traditions for serving different wines with different types of foods, these are not hard and fast rules. Choosing wines is more about choosing what you enjoy. First, let's look at those traditions as a guideline.

Wine enhances food and vice versa. So some wines go very well with some types of food. With a Thanksgiving dinner wine, you will look at what foods you are serving. If turkey is your main course, the tradition would dictate a lighter red wine or a drier white wine. But, if you like to serve a roast or other red meat, then a drier red will complement your meat better.

Red meats, red wine, lighter foods, lighter wine and sweet foods, sweet wines. That's the tradition. But, if you like the driest red wines and you are serving turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, enjoy your red wine with it.

These same guidelines go for bringing a bottle of wine to your hostess. If you don't know what kind of food will be served, then pick a wine you like. You may just introduce the other Thanksgiving dinner guests and your hostess to a new variety. And that's a great idea for any wine drinkers.