Creative pairings for Thanksgiving dinner

Turkey, a meat so abhorrent that here in the US, it’s only eaten under two conditions: celebrating one of our most important holidays or when you’re trying to lose weight (and yes, okay, by traditionalists at Christmas).

The only reason that so much wine is enjoyed during Thanksgiving dinner is to mask the consumption of turkey. I’ve tried every way I can think of to make it edible: fried, smoked, spatchcocked and even Peking duck style (which was the winner). But while the turkey sits at the centre of a Thanksgiving meal, the truth is, everything around it matters more. Ask your friends what their favourite dish is and it won’t be turkey.

‘I just want the sticky rice we ate next to the turkey,’ says Jon Yao, James Beard’s 2025 Best Chef in California and proprietor of Michelin one-star Kato in Los Angeles, referring to a very popular Chinese American combo.

That’s why traditional Thanksgiving wine pairings have never made sense to me. Every pairing you see is centred around turkey, but your plate is mostly filled with sides piled on top of each other. As Ki Kim of Restaurant Ki in Los Angeles, Michelin’s 2025 Best New Chef in California, put it: ‘The best bite is with a mix of everything on the plate; nothing stands on its own well.’ Even though we know this, we still cling to the same tired bottles: Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon. No one has ever said, ‘What these candied yams* really need is a 16% abv Zinfandel.’

We need new recommendations for Thanksgiving drinking, ones that aren’t recycled like your grandmother’s green bean casserole* recipe. As someone whose family isn’t big on wine, I usually leave my Burgundy in the cellar, and over the years I’ve narrowed down my favourite things to reach for come Thanksgiving.

Cutting through

When your plate is drowning in starch, sugar and cream, you need something that can cut through – drinks that are fresh, bright and filled with energy. Riesling is perfect, with bright acidity and a touch of sweetness that flatters proteins, sweet potatoes and even gravy.

Master Sommelier Christopher Ramelb, previously the wine director at Senia in downtown Honolulu, told me that he pours Riesling alongside all of the Thanksgiving fixings at his Hawaiian dinner table because it stands up to the weight of the meal, whether it be Kalua pork* or turkey.

For those who want a red, Pinot Noir is your best bet. Its gentle tannins, bright acidity and red fruit make it easy to drink across the table. With more whole-cluster fermentation adding spice and lower alcohol, keeping it lively, it’s the red that can handle anything on your Thanksgiving plate.

If wine fatigue sets in, sake offers a graceful palate shift. A Junmai Daiginjo sake (generally considered the pinnacle of sake production, known for its fruitiness) has clarity and lift, with enough acidity to keep the palate refreshed without overwhelming the food – providing a calm and familiar way to approach a Thanksgiving dinner.

Not everyone at the table will be a wine drinker, so when you need something easy for the non-wine crowd, this is where canned cocktails shine. Balanced recipes poured over ice give refreshment without the burn of your uncle’s whiskey. With most below 10% alcohol, they keep the mood easy while helping you sidestep the political debates that can erupt around the stuffing.

In the end, the goal of Thanksgiving pairings isn’t to find the perfect partner for the turkey, but to complement the mash of sweet, salty and creamy that fills your plate. And try to keep in mind the wisdom of David Osenbach, wine director at three-star Michelin restaurant Providence on Melrose Ave in Hollywood: ‘The best pairing is whatever helps the dried turkey go down.’

*Food glossary for UK readers

Candied yams

A Thanksgiving staple, this classic Southern side dish features par-cooked sweet potatoes that are topped with a combination of butter, sugar and spices before being baked and then coated in a sweet sauce.

Green bean casserole

Another Thanksgiving staple, green bean casserole is a baked dish that typically consists primarily of green beans, cream of mushroom soup and French fried onions. It was popularised in the US from a recipe printed on a soup can starting in the 1950s.

Kalua pork

A dish in which a pork shoulder is slow-cooked in the oven with salt and liquid smoke, designed to mimic the traditional Hawaiian lū’au dish in which a whole pig is cooked in an imu – a type of underground oven.

Four pairings that aren’t turkeys

Riesling

Sabelli-Frisch, New Gold Dream Zabala Vineyard Riesling, Arroyo Seco, Central Coast, California, USA 2022

US$27 Sabelli-Frisch

Not your grandma’s sweet Riesling. Sharp, bone-dry, acidity to cut through the fat on the table, and the sweet richness of white peach on the palate – this will pair beautifully with all of the sides. Alcohol 13.5%

Oregon Pinot Noir

Goodfellow, Durant Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA 2022

US46-$58 Sec Wines, Vinopolis, Wine Solutions, Yiannis

Think blood orange, wild cherry and a touch of spice in a Pinot Noir that’s light on alcohol, high on energy and strikes a balance between New World fruit and Old World polish. Alc 12.9%

Sake

Kamoshibito Kuheiji Junmai Daiginjo Eau du Desir 2024

US$48/72cl Flatiron Wines & Spirits

A lively melon- and orchard fruit-driven sake with a clean, juicy finish that’s round and balanced. It has the body and structure of wine, which is no surprise since the producer also makes wine in Burgundy. Alc 16%

Cocktails

Livewire Cocktails Pomelo Rum Punch

US$7.50/35.5cl Livewire Cocktails

Punching in at 7.5% alcohol, this citrus-driven rum punch in a can has some cinnamon spice to run with your sweet potatoes but also plenty of zip and zest from its tropical fruit notes to keep your palate going as you tuck into your third plate of dinner. Alc 7.5%

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