3 Tips for Choosing Your Thanksgiving Wine, According to a Sommelier

You've spent weeks planning your turkey day feast: carefully choosing your menu, table settings, and centerpiece. What about the wine? 

There seem to be two types of Thanksgiving hosts: those that find all the dishes on the table daunting to pair with wine but spend weeks researching options to get it absolutely perfect, OR those that give up and treat the wine as a total afterthought.

The good news is: it doesn't have to be complicated! Just follow these 3 simple guidelines for choosing your Thanksgiving wines. And if you're not hosting this year, this info will help you bring the best bottles to the feast.

Let the food be the star of the show  

For home cooks and food lovers everywhere, Thanksgiving is like the Oscars, and the Superbowl combined: it's the biggest food holiday of the year. The traditional spread includes turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans ... and plenty of pie. With such a wide array of flavors and textures on the table, feel free to let your cooking take center stage -- choose simple, easy-drinking wines that complement the food rather than compete with it. 

This is not the time to bring out a robust, rich Bordeaux or a complex, aged Barolo. Young, fresh, simple wines will be the perfect accompaniment to balance out the rich dishes on your menu!

Another major Thanksgiving wine debate is red vs. white: I recommend having both on hand, open, and ready to drink. Set them out on the table and let the guests pour for themselves while you're carving the turkey or mastering the famous oven shuffle. Skip the decanters and fancy chillers; this is a day when your wine service should be simple.

Choose low-alcohol wines

For most of us, Thanksgiving is a very long day. We're up early getting the turkey in the oven and busy until the meal is served. We may treat ourselves to a splash of wine while putting some in the gravy, then, of course, we'll be sipping throughout the meal, and many Thanksgiving festivities last throughout the afternoon into the evening. It's truly a marathon, and you want to be energized throughout the day. So, for yourself and your guests, choose wines lower in alcohol. Every bottle of wine lists the ABV (Alcohol By Volume) on the label, so seek out reds and whites that fall in the 10-12% range-- some wines can get up to 15-16%, and you want to steer clear of those. Choosing low-alcohol wines will keep everyone from feeling sluggish (or getting a bit tipsy and introducing controversial topics at the table-- I'm looking at you, Aunt Marsha!).

Consider serving sparkling wines: they tend to be low in alcohol, with Moscato as low as 6-7% and Prosecco around 11%, and are a perfect palate cleanser throughout the meal. Other excellent options are spritzers and ciders. 

Think of wine as a condiment 

Wine can be intimidating, with a lot to remember about different grape varieties and appellations, but a simple trick for pairing wine with food is to think of the wine as one more condiment on your table! 

Are you someone that consistently puts out a bowl of fresh greens with lemon vinaigrette as a bit of relief from all the buttery side dishes and rich gravy? Look for a zesty white wine with fresh herbal aromas and crisp citrus flavors like a sauvignon blanc. If you love the tangy zing of cranberry relish with your turkey and stuffing, lovely red wines with lively tart red fruit character, like Gamay or cool-climate pinot noir, will play the same role in your feast. For dessert, an oloroso-style sherry with its nutty, spicy caramel flavors is perfect alongside apple pie in place of a drizzle of caramel sauce.