Can She Pair a Pumpkin Pie?

It is that time of year once again and everyone is talking about wine and Thanksgiving. For those of you who follow along, you know that the wine world has gone a bit crazy lately on the subject of food and wine. Some folks say there is just no such thing as food and wine pairing, and you should just serve what people like. Who can argue with that?

And then there is the crowd that insists that certain wines pair with certain foods and other pairings are just a disaster. Well, there’s something to be said for that as well.

So here is my latest take on the matter. I recently had the pleasure of presenting this information to several classes full of bright-eyed and interested wine students. As such, what follows is basically my outline for my 2024 Thanksgiving Wine and Food Pairing Class, that I call “Can She Pair a Pumpkin Pie”?

For starters, here are some basic concepts concerning food and wine pairing, and how they relate to our very American, very complex Thanksgiving Day feast.

#1: Never forget: Turkey is like Switzerland! What I mean by this is that turkey is about as neutral in taste and flavor as it gets, so in theory…. turkey should pair well with just about any wine.

#2: If you have bubbles, you’ll have no troubles. In other words, if you’d rather just not deal with any of these concepts or (what we used to call) rules, just serve bubbly and you’ll be fine. Bubbles just do not hit the palate as hard as other wines and simplify the entire match-up/meet-up between food and wine.

#3: You don’t pair to protein—you pair to preparation. This is where we start to get serious. Remember how we said turkey is neutral? Well, most proteins are…. before you cook them. So, the turkey (or chicken or cod) is not so important in the food and wine dance, but the way you cook them might make a huge difference. Think of the difference between grilled chicken, poached chicken, barbequed chicken, chicken piccata, and chicken with apricot sauce. In all of these instances, it is the preparation (particularly the sauce) that matters more than the protein.

#4: Consider weight, intensity, and complexity. I am going to be a bit contradictory here and say that the overall weight of the meal (basically based on the protein) should be taken into account when pairing your wine. Fish is typically light, so it pairs well with lighter wines. Red meat is typically heavy, so it pairs well with full-bodied wines. Turkey is typically considered medium weight, so most meals wrapped around turkey will pair well with medium-bodied wines (but can do just fine with lighter wines as well). And then there’s complexity…Thanksgiving meals with sauces and gravies and cranberries and marshmallows and green bean casseroles have a lot going on. They are the very definition of complex. This will be explained soon. Just hold on.

 #5: You don’t pair to flavor—you pair to taste. Here’s the deal. Taste components in food (salt, sweet, bitter, acid, etc.) will change the way you perceive the wine. This is consistent and predictable. Whether or not it is “good” (if you like it or not) is up to you. Flavors—such as cherry, berry, veggie, cocoa, and herbal—are pretty forgiving. You can mix and match flavors to your heart’s content. Tastes are where it’s at, so let’s dive into the taste components that are likely to show up at our table on Thanksgiving and see just how they will impact our perception of the wine we serve.

What tastes do we have here?

• Salty foods at Thanksgiving:
  • Gravy, Stuffing, Green Bean Casserole
  • Potatoes au Gratin, Mashed Potatoes
  • Why this matters?
    • Saltiness is food is very forgiving…it will change wine, but it is almost always for the best.
    • The Food and Wine Truth: Salty food goes with just about any type of wine. Yeah! No worries.
•  Sweet foods at Thanksgiving:
  • Cranberry Sauce, Sweet Potatoes, Glazed Carrots
  • Creamed Corn, Roasted Butternut Squash with Maple Syrup
  • Dessert! Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie
  • Why this matters?
    • Sweetness in food makes wine taste less sweet.
    • The Food and Wine Truth: Sweet food requires sweetness or fruitiness in wine; it will make the wine taste less sweet, less fruity, and more acidic. This is why earthy, dry, and tannic wines are (shall we say) challenging in the Thanksgiving line-up.
• Acidic foods at Thanksgiving:
  • Cranberry Sauce, Salad/Salad Dressing
  • Relish tray (pickles, olives, tomatoes)
  • Why this matters?
    • Acidity in food makes wine taste less acidic.
    • The Food and Wine Truth: Acidic food requires acidic wine; acidity in food will make the wine taste less acidic. This can make the wine seem “flat” or “dull” if the wine is not super-zingy to begin with.

My ideal Thanksgiving wines? What does all this mean? Well….what we are looking for is a wine that is high in acid with lots of fruity flavors, dry (if red), dry-to-off-dry if white or pink, moderate in tannin (if red), with little or no oak influence. Or just serve bubbles. Need some examples? Of course you do! As such, here is my no-nonsense guide to Thanksgiving Day wine.

• Bubbles or Rosé:
  • Just about anything goes!
• White Wine:
  • Off-dry or fruit forward
  • Lively acidity, little or no oak
  • Any weight will work—from light-to medium- and full-bodied
  • Examples:
    • Riesling (dry to off-dry; Washington State, Germany, Austria)
    • Chenin Blanc (dry to off-dry; Vouvray is great!)
    • Gewurztraminer (dry to off-dry)
    • Unoaked Chardonnay
    • Viognier
    • White Rhône-style blends
    • Muscat (dry to off-dry or even sweet!)
•  Red Wine:
  • (Light to) medium or medium-plus in body
  • Fruit forward, good acidity
  • (Light to) moderate in tannin and bitterness
  • Restrained oak
  • Examples:
    • Beaujolais (or other Gamay-based wine)
    • New World Pinot Noir (Oregon, Sonoma)
    • Old World Pinot Noir (Burgundy, Loire Valley, Germany)
    • Fruit-forward Zinfandel, Malbec, or Merlot
    • Grenache-based Rhône (or Rhône-style) blends
    • Barbera (unoaked)
    • Bonarda (from Argentina)
• For dessert: something sweet!
  • Port, Madeira, Sauternes, Moscato d’Asti, Brachetto
  • Click here for more detailed advice about wines to pair with Thanksgiving dessert.

 Whatever you choose, make sure it is something you enjoy and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

The Bubbly Professor is “Miss Jane” Nickles of San Marcos, Texas… missjane@prodigy.net