Thanksgiving Wine Pairings

So, you got your turkey all ready to go and you have studied my post on how to enjoy a stress free Thanksgiving and now you want to create a magical night with plenty of wine for your guests.  Below, I give my best bets for wine pairings with turkey with the aim of providing Ontario VQA choices and reasonable prices.  Of course, if you are feeling like Mr or Mrs Gotlots, you can choose to spend more, but there really is no need.  The best pairings for turkey tend to be simpler wines with fruit forward, off dry and unoaked which tend to be cheaper.  That plate of food you have there has a lot going on so for best results think easy drinking. There are 2 choices below that are not Ontario wines, the first because the grape variety is not grown here and the second because it is just one of those neat pairings that demonstrates that there is a wine for every occasion and an occasion for every wine.

Chardonnay:
Pick an unoaked chardonnay such as Vinelands Estate VQA $11.95 or Naked Grape Chardonnay $9.95

Riesling:
Choose an off dry riesling such as 20 Bees VQA Riesling $10.95 or Chateau Des Charmes VQA Riesling $12.55

Zinfandel:
This wine is pretty much exclusively American and goes so well with turkey, I have decided to include one among these all Canadian offerings.  Ravenswood Vintners Blend $17.95 (yeah I know)

Pinot Noir:
Henry of Pelham VQA Pinot Noir $14.95 or Wayne Gretzky No. 99 Estate Series Pinot Noir $18.95 (yes, again, I know)

Sparkling Rose:
Legends Sparkling Rose VQA $15.95 or Mateus Rose $8.95.  Have faith! When I first heard about this pairing I was skeptical, but when you think about it, everything that should go with turkey is covered by this wine: light, fruity, balanced with a little sparkling element.  This should go very well and is a bargain at $8.95.

What ever your choices enjoy your meal, your company and your wines.  Make the day about you, your family and friends.  Focus on the people, not the food, and you will have a wonderful meal that you will remember for years to come.