What Wine Goes with Turkey?

Alas, it is time to have that lovely dinner you have been planning and you now face the difficult question all hosts must answer at some point, “What wine goes with turkey?”

This can be a tricky question! 

The thing about turkey dinners is that there are usually so many different side dishes that each offer a unique taste, pairing a single wine that matches most of them is extremely difficult.  When it comes to turkey, you want to make sure you have the right balance of salt and spice to keep your taste buds happy.

White Wines

The great thing about white wines is that they go with such a large array of foods it’s hard to get it wrong when you pair one with a meal.  A good bottle of Pinot Gris will deliver a great blend of flavours with your turkey and side dishes.

If you aren’t looking for anything fancy but don’t want to ruin or mask the taste of the food, you can choose a simple Chardonnay.  This will bring out the dry, salty essences of the turkey but retain the juicy array of flavours from the rest of the food.

A Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling are also pleasant choices to accompany your meal.  They are not too intrusive and resemble an odd pairing of soft and crisp flavours that will compliment each part of your meal.

Red Wines

Got an affinity for red wine?  You can soothe your tastes and complete your meal ensemble by matching your heavy turkey and gravy flavours with the low tannin Pinot Noir.  This is a wine with a robust flavour, strong aromas, and a smooth feel.  Serve it slightly chilled and your guests rave about how good of a cook you are!

White Zinfandel

White Zinfandels are notoriously sweet and saturated with a large bouquet of flavour.  I find that the light texture and strong tannins work well with roasted turkey and sweet gravy.  Though, I would not recommend mixing white Zinfandel wine with a heavy peppered turkey as the fruitiness will not be tasted and you might end up with a tasteless meal altogether.

Sparkling Wine

You have other options as well!  If you want to spring for a more formal drink, you can try a sparkling wine.  Sparkling wines are available in whites, rosés, and reds and because they are more of a dessert drink, they can be served throughout the meal and well into the evening.

It doesn’t take much to figure out what wine goes with turkey, even for a novice host.  The most important thing to remember is that your nose and your taste will be the biggest deciding factors in what wine you choose to serve at your dinner.  If you like it, chances are your guests will too!