In most houses, the meal served on Thanksgiving does not change much from year to year, and yet there is always a fair amount of handwringing over what wine to pair with the turkey and trimmings. The answer is simple: Champagne.
I’m no sommelier, but I’m pretty confident in this (correct) opinion of mine. Champagne—or another good, dry sparkling wine from a non-Champagne region—is the best possible choice on Turkey Day for many reasons. For one, it’s festive AF and—especially if you did the turkey’s share of the cooking—you should be celebrating. Secondly (and more to the point), its acidic, bright, effervescent nature makes it the perfect foil for salty, fatty food, which is exactly what a good Thanksgiving menu is comprised of. If you doubt this, eat a potato chip dipped in sour cream, and chase it with swig of bubbly. Your life will be forever changed. But even outside of fat and salt, Champagne isn’t bad with anything. Though dessert wines are technically supposed to be sweeter than the dessert they’re served with, I have had Champagne with a custardy pie and found it quite pleasing.
If, for some very strange reason, you get bored with plain bubbles, you can always make a cocktail. French 75s are my favorite, but I also like this cranberry spritz, and have been known to eff with an Elizabeth Taylor from time to time.
Finally, not every bottle of sparkling you serve has to be capital-c Champagne. As this video explains, there are a lot of wines that are made in the Champagne style, but are made from grapes outside the Champagne region. If you’re unsure what to get, just head to a wine shop or Trader Joe’s or anywhere with a wine nerd, and tell them you want a Champagne-style wine that fits within whatever budget you have. (Wine nerds love to be helpful.) My plan is to enjoy one really nice bottle of Champagne, then supplement with cheaper bubbly once I’m a little inebriated and my palate is dulled. Feel free to borrow this brilliant strategy; it works every time.