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Wine, Food, and Other Vital Things

Category: Thanksgiving

Joan Didion was an accomplished cook. (Henry Clarke/Condé Nast/Shutterstock)

Turkey and Wine: Here Are Your Pairings

November 18, 2025 / / 2 Comments

Thanksgiving is the food holiday, at least in my family’s culinary tradition. My maternal grandmother made the best stuffing I’ve ever tasted, and while her Christmas fruitcakes and mincemeat pies are the stuff of legend, we always privileged Thanksgiving when it came to family holiday feasts.

I was not drinking wine as a child at those gatherings at my grandparents’ house in Savannah, but now I can’t imagine sitting down at the table on the last Thursday of November unless a few bottles are in the mix, wines selected for an occasion that likely features turkey, cranberries made your way (I like mine a bit spicy), potatoes or squash, perhaps sautéed green beans … you fill in the blank, of course, depending on your traditions. I have made shrimp as an appetizer for Thanksgiving, and last year at a Friendsgiving meal my contribution was a green chile pork stew.

Choosing the right wines to serve with your Thanksgiving feast is not rocket science. (Circe Denyer)

So, based on general American habits concerning Thanksgiving foods, and with some flexibility added for regional or familial variations, which wines should be on your menu come November? 

Word to the wise: Champagne or other sparkling wines are a must, and I will accept no debate here. You cannot go wrong selecting several bottles from this diverse category. Offer guests a glass of cava as they cross your threshold, and consider serving gougères with that Spanish treasure (I like this recipe from David Lebovitz). For the table, and if you are serving turkey, feel free to indulge your Champagne obsession and knowledge. Pair the main course with a vintage brut, and with your desserts (pumpkin pie, pecan pie, a sweet casserole) serve a demi-sec. You can also opt for a Sauternes or a Trockenbeerenauslese with your sweet dishes.

Cava is a Spanish treasure, and it’s a great addition to the Thanksgiving table. (Marcelo Verfe)

Unless you are going extremely non-traditional and plan to serve steak, avoid Cabernet Sauvignon and anything blended with that grape (and anything with robust tannins). Turkey, mashed potatoes, and your squash casserole will hate sharing the stage with with those otherwise fine wines. I’m sure you drink a lot of big Napa reds on a regular basis, so missing one day won’t damage your psyche. If you must open a bottle of your favorite big red, it would be advisable to make it something with age; softer tannins are a better fit with the lower fat level of turkey.

Chardonnay is a common refrain around this time of year, and chablis definitely has a place on your menu. Fruity and crisp, plus graced with wonderful acidity, these wines will pair well with your turkey. If you want something with a bit more oak, feel free to go that way. Better yet, serve both types and provide your guests’ palates with a chance to compare and contrast.

Two Perennial Wines
I’ll now proffer two names that have featured at my Thanksgiving table for years and years. I’m referring to Pinot Noir and Beaujolais. The tannins generally found in a good Pinot are of the softer variety, and a medium body will suit your turkey well. Cherry and mushroom notes, plus vibrant acidity, are magic at Thanksgiving. You can’t go wrong with something from Burgundy, and Oregon is another stellar source. 

Beaujolais is an easy and popular choice for Thanksgiving, and gamay’s mid-level alcohol and superb fruit profile combine to great effect at the holiday table. I served a Morgon at my inaugural Thanksgiving gathering, a decision that began my love affair with this wine.

I’ll add here — and this applies to all of your wine selections for the holiday — that it’s a good idea to sample every wine you plan to serve before you make your final decisions. Consider your palate, and the palates of your guests, as well as your particular menu, especially if your food lineup wanders off from the traditional.

Riesling is a wine that gets along well with Thanksgiving.

And now to Riesling, my liebling grape. I love to make a savory gravy from the drippings of my turkey, and the high acidity of this grape makes my mouth water, literally when eating it and when I merely think of this combination. I am also a dark meat guy, and, again, that acidity cuts through the fat and richness of a turkey leg and stuffing made from the gizzards, heart, and liver. Buy a few dry and off-fry versions of Riesling and sample them, based on your menu.

The Guests are the Stars
No matter what you serve with your Thanksgiving feast, don’t stress. I’ve given you some tried-and-true options, but do not feel hemmed in by my guide, except for that Cabernet Sauvignon advice. In addition, there’s no need to be a wine snob on this special Thursday. Sure, you might want to impress your guests with your taste and knowledge, but the wines aren’t the star here, and neither are you. Your grandmother might prefer a Chardonnay rich with oak, or uncle Joe’s love could be White Zinfandel. What better way to show them you care than putting “their” bottles at their places at the table for their sole consumption, a gesture that need not interfere with the rest of your wines? 

A meal in Malibu: Joan Didion, her daughter, Quintana Roo, and husband, John Gregory Dunne. (Henry Clarke/Condé Nast/Shutterstock)

To close, I urge you to read this piece, which was published today in The New York Times; it is a beautiful story about Joan Didion’s love for Thanksgiving dinner. The author, who passed away in 2021, was a thoughtful cook, and she planned meticulous holiday dinners. From Patrick Farrell’s article: “It has always seemed like such an awful holiday,” a friend wrote her after one dinner, “but you made it something quite wonderful.”

Leave a comment and let me know what you’ll be pouring on Thanksgiving.

Pork on ice

March 24, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Most people I know love bacon, and most people I know have a strong affection for ice cream. Two years ago I was invited to a Thanksgiving dinner in Dubai – about 40 people were going to be attending. I was asked to bring something for dessert, because the turkeys and hams and gumbo were already taken care of. The hosts were from Texas, and I was happy to accept the invitation, because I had already been fortunate enough to taste D.B.’s slow-cooked pork and beef brisket.

I then got to thinking about what I would make; the year before, A.S. and I had put on a Thanksgiving dinner for about 15 friends and colleagues, and it was a great success. It would be good for a change to not have to brine and cook a turkey and make Scooter’s Southwestern Dressing and struggle to find room in the refrigerator for a 20-pound bird.

However, I knew I would miss working with poultry and pork and giblets and set out to come up with something both savory and sweet for my dessert. After a bit of thought I recalled a pine nut semifreddo recipe I had run across in The Silver Spoon; it is a great dish with which to end a meal – not too sweet, but sweet enough to satisfy, especially if served with a small chocolate cake. So, thinking of pork, and one of my favorite pork products, bacon, I decided to make Pine Nut and Bacon Semifreddo.

Goodness: Bacon and brown sugar

Goodness: Bacon and brown sugar

I do not want to mislead you into thinking that this dish sprung from my head with no precursor; by now, there is nothing original to do with bacon, and we have enjoyed it in brownies and cocktails and cheese and panna cotta, to name but a few. I also recall, with pleasure, a fine dish I had at a restaurant in Brooklyn that included avocado and bacon ice cream.

That said, my Bacon Semifreddo was a hit that Thanksgiving, so much so that the amount I made fell short of demand, the empty bowl in the middle of the dessert table looking bereft, yet satisfied, as the containers of strawberry and vanilla ice creams around it sat full and forlorn. More than several people asked me if there was more bacon “ice cream” and told me it was the best thing they had tasted that Thanksgiving evening. (I recall fondly, however, a giant pot of gumbo that included homemade andouille that had been brought over from Louisiana … it was as good as the semifreddo, and I am glad it was there.)

Have you ever pulverized bacon? You should.

Have you ever pulverized bacon? You should.

So, here’s how I make the semifreddo; I use the recipe found in The Silver Spoon (and if you don’t have this book, get it) as a foundation, and add the candied bacon:

Preheat oven to 400F; on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or a Silpat, arrange five slices of bacon. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of brown sugar evenly on the slices and cook for 15 minutes or so (until brown), turning the slices midway through the cooking time. Cool bacon on a wire rack. When cool, cut slices and put in food processor with blade inserted; pulse until the bacon is nearly pulverized. Set aside in a bowl.

Next, spread 1 1/4 cups of pine nuts on a baking sheet and roast at 350F for 8 minutes or so, until the nuts are golden; do not overcook. While the pine nuts are roasting, put 1 cup of sugar and 4 tablespoons of water in a heavy pan over medium-high heat. The mixture will bubble and then become a clear syrup. Stir, and wait until the syrup begins to turn a golden brown. Carefully add the roasted pine nuts to the syrup and stir carefully. Coat the nuts evenly, then spread on an oiled cookie sheet. Let cool, then break up the praline and put half in your food processor, reserving the other half. Pulse until very fine. Then, pulse the rest of the praline until crushed, but do not turn it to powder.

Dessert is served.

Dessert is served.

Now, you proceed to the semifreddo in earnest. You need 1 vanilla bean, 4 eggs, separated, 4 tablespoons of sugar, 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream, and a pinch of salt. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into a bowl. Add the egg yolks and sugar and whisk until pale. In another bowl (use glass or other nonreactive bowls for this recipe) whisk the cream until you form peaks. (Always use a clean whisk; grease or fats interfere with the process; if you have only one, wash and dry it for each step.) In a third bowl, whisk the egg whites and pinch of salt until thick – I always do the whites last so as to have stiffer peaks.

Now, fold the cream into the yolk mixture, then fold the whites into that. Finally – and if all of this seems laborious, it isn’t – fold in your delicious bacon and the crushed praline. Pour the mixture into an airtight container and freeze until firm. You can make this the day before.

I like to serve the semifreddo with a flourless chocolate cake, but have been known to take the container from the freezer and, using my favorite silver spoon, enjoy as is.

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