10 Remarkable Wines to Elevate Your Thanksgiving Feast

Nov 8, 2024by Andrew Lowry

At Harvest, we're all about organic, sustainable, and small-batch wines from amazing producers around the world - and Thanksgiving is hands down the best holiday for drinking amazing wines with amazing food!

The Joy of Pairing Wines with Thanksgiving

As a wine lover, Thanksgiving is the perfect occasion to get creative with pairings. The diverse flavors on the table - from savory roasted meats to sweet potatoes and tart cranberry sauce - present an exciting challenge. But the right wines can make each dish shine even brighter, elevating the entire experience.

I've carefully selected 10 fantastic wines from our shop that I know will complement classic Thanksgiving flavors. These producers are true masters of their craft. All of these wines are made for the dinner table.

Our Top 10 Thanksgiving Wine Picks

1. 2023 Matthiasson Cressida Vineyard Vermentino, Los Carneros AVA, Napa Valley, California - $32.99

Pairs with roasted turkey, butternut squash, or mashed potatoes

This bright and refreshing Vermentino from Napa's Matthiasson Winery has the perfect balance of crispness, minerality, and texture to cut through the richness of many dishes. Matthiasson is a pioneer of sustainable, low-intervention winemaking, and their Cressida Vineyard Vermentino really showcases the cool Carneros region. With ripe orchard fruit, mandarin orange, juicy lemon, along with lifting herbal notes such as tarragon or chervil, it provides a clean, palate-cleansing contrast to the savory holiday flavors.

2. 2022 Weingut Wohlmuth Sauvignon Blanc "Ried Steinriegl", Sudsteiermark, Austria - $29.99

Pairs with roasted veggies, pork, or ham

Austria is famous for making some of the world's best Sauvignon Blanc, and this one from Wohlmuth is a real standout. Wohlmuth has been family owned in the South Tyrol region of Austria for over 200 years. They have figured out how to make kick-ass wine from these steep hillsides. This wine bursts with bright citrus notes like lime and grapefruit, has a touch of tropical fruit in there like guava (like most SB has), and is encapsulated with captivating floral aromatics, and a touch of flintiness. The vibrant acidity and medium body make it a perfect match for the rich, savory Thanksgiving table. Sauvignon blanc is also one of the only wines that goes well with green veggies like asparagus. The quintessential pairing with SB is goat cheese, so be sure to scope that out on the dinner table.

3. 2022 Ravines Cabernet Franc, Finger Lakes AVA, New York - $27.99

Pairs with turkey, sweet potatoes, and stuffing

The Finger Lakes region in New York is becoming renowned for incredible Cabernet Franc (and Riesling of course), and this bottle from Ravines is a prime example of killer Cab Franc. It has this lovely bright acidity, juicy red fruit flavors, and subtle herbal notes that provide a really nice counterpoint to the rich, savory elements of Thanksgiving. The medium-bodied, medium tannic structure also makes it super food-friendly.

4. 2021 Erggelet Brothers Old Vine Carignane, Contra Costa County, California - $37.99

Pairs with roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing

Contra Costa County is home to some of California's oldest Carignane vines, and the Erggelet Brothers are experts at getting amazing quality from this underappreciated grape. (This wine comes from 100 year old vines!) This bottling has this great balance of dark fruit, spice, and bright acidity that complements Thanksgiving flavors so well. And the moderate tannins and alcohol make it easy to enjoy throughout the whole meal. This is really a beginning to end kind of wine. If you like Cabernet Sauvignon, but see it as to heavy to take you through a meal like Thanksgiving, pick up this bottle!

5. 2022 Vino Volta Pét-Nat Chenin Blanc, Swan Valley, Western Australia - $27.99

Pairs with roasted veggies, salmon, or baked brie

This fun, sparkling Chenin Blanc from Vino Volta in Western Australia is made using the pét-nat method. AKA this wine is bottled while it's still fermenting and the CO2 is captured as it ferments to dryness. Okay, enough nerdy talk. This wine really highlights how delicious Chenin Blanc can be. The grape's naturally high acidity provides a refreshing counterpoint to the richness of Thanksgiving fare. The subtle citrus, stone fruit, and mineral notes in this wine will keep your palate refreshed after each bite, especially if grandma has the heat turned up a bit to much!

6. 2023 Unico Zelo 'Jade & Jasper' Fiano, Riverland, Australia - $24.99

Pairs with roasted veggies, pork, or ham

This vibrant, aromatic Fiano from one of our favorite wineries in South Australia, Unico Zelo is a really unique and food-friendly option. Fiano is this great Italian grape that the Aussies have really championed over the past decade. Just like in Italy, it thrives in dry, hot climates like the Riverland region (and most of AU really). It has this crisp acidity and lovely citrus, pear, and floral flavors that make it a great match for the bold Thanksgiving flavors. This is a prime example of a textural white wine, meaning it has this subtle tannic grip that just ushers more food into your mouth. It's actually crazy, when you drink this wine with food it's like bite of food, sip, bit of food, sip and you just can't stop! This wine can stand up to a lot on the table.

7. 2021 & 2022 Social Creatures "Hannah" Chenin Blanc, San Benito County, California - $29.99

Pairs with turkey, sweet potatoes, or stuffing

Social Creatures is a super small California winery led by Katrina Laemmerhirt. Sonoma Mag recognized her as one of the top 15 winemakers to watch in Sonoma this year (2024). She only makes Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc as her wines pay homage to wines of the Loire Valley. Her "Hannah" Chenin Blanc is from the cool San Benito County climate from Vista Verde Vineyard and it has this amazing minerality, and expressive fruit flavors of apple, pear, and lemon citrus. Chenin Blanc is such a great pairing for turkey, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce. Hello, Thanksgiving!

8. 2022 Pax Wines Syrah, North Coast, California - $39.99

Pairs with roasted lamb, short ribs, or cheese

Pax Mahle is renowned for his incredible Syrah, and this organic North Coast bottling is a prime example. It is a blend of Syrah from all of the best vineyards that he works with in the Northern California, so this is a great general representation of great Syrah from that area. It has these deep, bold flavors damp earth (yeah), crushed cherries, white pepper, spice laden black fruits with a taunt finish of black licorice, tar and pomegranate liqueur that add serious depth to heartier Thanksgiving dishes like roasted meats or braised short ribs. The full-bodied structure also makes it great with robust cheeses.

9. 2023 Outward Wines Shell Creek Vineyard Valdiguié, Paso Robles Highlands District, California - $31.99

Pairs with turkey, cornbread stuffing, or pumpkin pie

Outward Wines is a small, quality focused producer out of California's Central Coast that puts out stellar single vineyard wines. Really, all their wines would be killer with your Thanksgiving meal, but we chose this one specifically for it's lighter body, mellow tannin profile, and crisp acid that make it wonderful with almost anything you can think of serving. That and the fact that this wine grape is colloquially known as "Napa Gamay" and Gamay is traditionally the wine of Thanksgiving. Again, its bright, juicy red fruit, vibrant acidity, and lighter, refreshing style, provides a really nice counterpoint to the richness of Thanksgiving. It'll cleanse your palate and get you ready for the next bite.

10. 2022 Vincent Wengier Chablis 1er Cru "Vaillons", Burgundy, France - $37.99

Pairs with turkey, pork, or mashed potatoes

No Thanksgiving is complete without an amazing Chardonnay, and this Chablis 1er Cru from Vincent Wengier is a real showstopper. Grown in the iconic "Vaillons" vineyard, it has this elegant, mineral-driven character that's so quintessentially Chablis. The crisp acidity, subtle citrus, and flinty notes provide a refreshing foil to the holiday spread, while the medium body means it can hold its own with a wide range of dishes. This isn't an oaky California style chardonnay, and you wouldn't want that with your Thanksgiving meal. Give this one a try and you won't be upset.