A complex white Burgundy, majestic Rioja Gran Reserva or silky, bright Pinot Noir wine from one of several key growing regions can all be fantastic choices to drink with turkey.
Classic styles when pairing wine with turkey include:
- Full-bodied Chardonnay, such as those from Burgundy or California
- Pinot Noir
- Mature Bordeaux, Rioja or Barolo
- Beaujolais (Gamay)
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Basics: what kind of wine goes with turkey?
Turkey is not a very powerful meat and its relatively low fat content means it can dry out quickly during cooking.
Great wine matches with turkey include relatively full-bodied white wines or medium-bodied reds with low-to-medium tannin levels and high acidity.
Turkey’s lack of fat means there is little to dampen down prominent, mouth-coating tannins associated with some younger, bolder red wines.
Bold tannins could eclipse all that hard work in the kitchen. Yet tannins generally soften over time, which is why a few years of bottle age can change the picture.
That said, ‘classic’ styles can vary in the glass according to winemaking decisions and vintage conditions.
Food and wine pairing is also highly subjective. Personal taste is always important, as expert Fiona Beckett noted in this 2021 article.
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Pairing wine with turkey: a visual guide
Click on the turkey and wine pairing graphic below to see a full-size version.
Tips on matching turkey with wine. Credit: Annabelle Sing / Decanter
Pairing wine with turkey at Christmas
Roast turkey for Christmas or Thanksgiving tends to arrive with an entourage that demands attention.
‘As turkey has quite a subtle taste and a soft texture, the style of the wine will depend essentially on what accompanies the fowl at Christmas,’ said master sommelier Matthieu Longuère MS, wine development manager at Le Cordon Bleu London culinary school.
‘The classic trimmings that tend to be eaten alongside turkey for Christmas lunch are: a mountain of roasted potatoes, stuffing, carrots, parsnips, pigs in blankets, red cabbage, Brussel sprouts, cranberry sauce, and an ocean of gravy,’ said Longuère.
‘This variety means that your choice of wine needs to be a good all-rounder. It should not be too tannic or it will clash with the sweetness of the cranberry sauce and root vegetables, and the sweet and sourness of the cabbage.
‘Also, it cannot not be too heavy or too full-bodied, as it will overwhelm the soft turkey meat,’ he said.
Acidity can help to refresh your palate as you wade through the array of dishes on the table.
Is red or white wine better for a turkey dinner?
An expert Decanter panel named white Burgundy as the best pairing with turkey in 2011.
This beat Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Bordeaux blends, Pinot Noir and Californian Zinfandel in a tasting.
Longuère said it should be possible to find a wine in every colour that fits the bill, however. That’s good news if one of your fellow diners only drinks rosé, or white, red or orange.
Red wine with turkey
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir often delivers wines of bright red fruit and refreshing acidity, albeit with varying levels of structure, and can be a great red wine choice for turkey.
It’s still possible to find ‘value’ options in Pinot Noir’s Burgundy heartland. Premier or grand cru tiers could also deliver a memorable experience for anyone with access to them.
Longuère recommended a good, five-year-old Pinot from Burgundy, Germany or also the UK, as well as from regions outside Europe.
Delicious Pinot Noir wines can be found across the world, from Mornington Peninsula in Australia and Central Otago in New Zealand to Oregon’s Willamette Valley in the US and Walker Bay in South Africa.
Some styles may be too lightweight. Decanter’s panel found that a Volnay wine from Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune was ‘overwhelmed by the food.’
For cold roast turkey leftovers, food and wine expert Fiona Beckett wrote in a previous Decanter article that she’d opt for ‘a riper, more robustly fruity Pinot Noir from, say, California, Oregon or New Zealand’.
Younger reds can work, too. Longuère said ‘New World’ styles tend to be more approachable in youth, but also that decanting can help to ‘soften up’ younger wines in general.
Cru Beaujolais, produced from Gamay, is another fitting option, said Longuère. He advised looking towards lighter crus like Fleurie or Brouilly.
Mature red wines with turkey
Many wines built for long-term ageing have prominent tannins when young, although the character of these tannins can vary.
Nebbiolo (Barolo) and Cabernet Sauvignon are two grape varieties able to produce highly prized, long-lived wines that are generally high in tannin and acidity.
Tannins soften over time in the best bottlings, integrating into layer-upon-layer of delicious primary fruit and ‘tertiary’ flavours to offer a real treat at the table.
Longuère said: ‘If one is going for it, [I’d suggest] a 20-year-old Haut-Médoc or Barolo when they become really complex, with aromas of tobacco, autumn leaf and sweet oak, and feel like pure silk on the palate.’
Bordeaux’s brilliant 2005 vintage is within touching distance of this 20-year milestone.
Some vintages and wines evolve quicker than others.
Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent, Georgie Hindle, recently said many Bordeaux 2014 wines offer ‘delicious drinking pleasure’, as well as further ageing potential.
Rioja with roast turkey
Longuère also suggested Rioja Gran Reserva wines at least 10 years old.
These wines are released with some bottle age and are often relatively good value in the fine wine world, he noted.
Wine writer Olly Smith is also a fan. ‘Turkey with all the trimmings and a high-end Rioja Gran Reserva is a slam-dunk wine match for Christmas day,’ he wrote last year.
Read our Rioja wine buying guide
White wine with turkey
‘Barrel-fermented or barrel-matured white wine more than five years old would be ideal,’ said Longuère.
He said examples include: ‘New World Chardonnay or Burgundy from Meursault or Chassagne-Montrachet, White Rioja Reserva or Gran Reserva, Sémillon-based white Pessac-Léognan in Bordeaux, [or] Chenin Blanc-based blends from South Africa.’
Chardonnay
A relatively full-bodied Chardonnay can be an enchanting accompaniment to your turkey, especially with traditional sides like bread sauce.
Well-judged oak can bring some sweet spice notes, while creamy lactic acid may add depth alongside fruit flavours ranging from lemon and honey to ripe pear and quince.
A backbone of acidity brings balance to the richness and should carve a path through all of those trimmings.
Good Chardonnays are often found in similar geographical areas to good Pinot Noir.
Rosé and orange wines with turkey
Longuère also said that fuller-bodied, more complex styles of rosé wines can be a hit with turkey at Christmas.
Decanter’s Champagne correspondent, Tom Hewson, also wrote last year: ‘The [Christmas] main meal is tailor-made for Champagne’s deep and dark rosé de saignée.’
Many orange wines can be a great dining partner, wrote Decanter’s Ines Salpico, regional editor for Spain, Portugal and South America.
‘They usually have a herbal, savoury edge that brings a meal’s flavours to life, supported by gentle tannins and firm acidity,’ said Salpico in a recent piece on orange wines for autumn 2024.
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Tasting notes: Wine with turkey inspiration
Examples of wines reviewed by Decanter experts at a range of different prices.
