12 Best Boozy Pairings For Thanksgiving Dishes

Let's be honest, Thanksgiving is a dream holiday for all food lovers. If you have already decided on the menu, it's high time to plan out the drinks you will be serving with your Thanksgiving favorites. Although they typically don't take center stage and are generally less talked about, drinks are essential to every Thanksgiving. They are here to accompany dishes and are not merely supporting actors, but vital components that help to boost all those delicious flavors on the abundant Thanksgiving table.

You may think it is best to choose one all-rounder wine that could accompany the entire meal, but Thanksgiving dinners feature many dishes with lots of contrasting flavors, meaning that it's almost impossible to find one beverage that would be an ideal partner throughout the dinner. That's why you should think about all the elements separately and then decide on the ultimate Thanksgiving pairings. We have rounded up some classic options and several surprising pairing suggestions that can help you take your Thanksgiving to the next level.

Gin and tonic is a cocktail classic that requires no special bartending skills and does not call for exotic ingredients. Pour a splash of herbaceous gin and bitter tonic water into an ice-filled glass, and you've got yourself a perfectly balanced drink that can only be improved by adding a slice of lemon or lime. You may think that gin and tonic is a surprising addition to the Thanksgiving menu, but in practice, gin and tonics make perfect companions with appetizers. Along with their growing popularity, gins are now extensively used in mixology and come in a wide array of offerings, so you can adjust the flavors to match the meat and cheese selection on your charcuterie boards or with various savory snacks and bites that you plan to serve as an interlude to Thanksgiving dinner.

The herbaceous notes found in standard gins are a great partner with spice, herb, and fat-laden cold cuts that typically find a place on the extensive list of appetizers. Gin and tonics are also great with fresh berries and grapes, which are prominent appetizer options. Lastly, a glass of refreshing gin and tonic is fantastic with pungent cheese varieties and nuts (via Spirit of York).

Champagne often springs to mind as a great pairing with appetizers, but because of its complexity and elegant character, it can often be overpowered by strong flavors in savory bites and snacks that we typically serve as starters.

Macaroni and cheese is a comfort in a dish. This classic American combination of pasta and cheese is a great year-round dish, but it is also a traditional option for Thanksgiving. The standard version of mac and cheese is a great playing ground that can be boosted with the addition of bacon or veggies, but you can also play with some fancy toppings such as lobster or truffles. You can experiment with different cheese varieties to give the dish that special oomph. Though versatility is one of its outstanding characteristics, it can also cause problems with wine pairing. Chablis often tops the list as the best mac and cheese match, and though we can't argue against it, we went the less blatant route and chose Riesling as the superior pairing recommendation.

The Wine Daily conducted a taste test comparing Chablis and off-dry Riesling as a mac and cheese pairing, and Riesling proved to be the clear winner. The aromatic complexity of the wine and the intense floral and fruit notes made the dish even better, and as mac and cheese is not flavor dominant, all the elegant nuances in the wine were able to pierce through.

Off-dry Riesling would work best with the savory flavors of mac and cheese, and it can also work with some demanding combinations of spicy additions. The acidity in the wine will work wonderfully as a palate cleanser (via JJ Buckley).

Some veggies are difficult for wine pairings — Brussels sprouts and asparagus first come to mind — but green beans fall right into the same category. This green veggie can be a problematic partner because of its tartness, which is usually difficult to match, as it can be too sharp for most wines. Things get even more complicated when the green bean casserole is included in the story. The dish features green beans in a creamy mushroom sauce, topped with heaps (preferably) of crispy fried onions.

Despite its challenging character, Sauvignon Blanc is the clear winner in this pairing equation. This variety is known for its "green" profile that can balance out all those difficult flavors in a green bean casserole. Wine Folly explains that green herbs and sautéed green veggies, especially those incorporated into creamy, fat-laden sauces, make great partners with the bright and crisp Sauvignon Blanc. Plant and Vine suggests the same pairing and recommends Sauvignon Blanc from Loire and Alto Adige as the best options for green bean casserole.

Chenin Blanc is a French grape hailing from the Loire Valley, but it is now also known as a signature South African variety. It is a flexible grape that can be made into various styles, but most examples are known for bright acidity, medium body, and a fruity character often reminiscent of apples, pears, and tropical fruit. These characteristics make it an ideal pairing with cranberry sauce — the puckering side dish that delights with its tart flavor, chunky texture, and delightful color. As Vin Yang explains, Chenin is a great option that harmonizes with the entire Thanksgiving meal, including turkey and cranberry sauce.

In "The Food & Wine Pairing Guide," Katinka van Niekerk explains that cranberry sauce can be tricky to pair as it is usually too strong and can easily ruin some great red blends by completely dominating the flavor profile. She suggests fruity and acidic red wines as possible partners but stresses that Riesling and a medium-sweet Chenin Blanc can perfectly balance out its intensity.

Even if you choose only one wine with your Thanksgiving meal, you will most likely have to reexamine the pairing when it comes to desserts. Most Thanksgiving dinners will feature more than one sweet treat at the end of the meal, and the most traditional option is to take the classic pie route. Along with apple and pumpkin, the rich and caramelized pecan pie is one of the most common desserts that garnish the Thanksgiving table. Pecan pie will be challenging to pair with some standard white and red blends as it will, by default, be the overpowering element, probably making wines bland and flat. For such a richly flavored dessert, we recommend an equally flavorful wine with similar flavor notes, the fortified Madeira wine.

Madeira can come in various styles, but at Wine, they recommend Malmsey (Malvasia) — the sweetest version — as the ideal partner with pecan pie. The wine is strong and full-bodied, with distinctive nutty and caramel-like notes, while the bracing acidity helps to tone down the sweetness without compromising the flavor. Cards of Wine suggest that Madeira could also work with bourbon or chocolate-tweaked pecan pies.

According to Instacart, pumpkin pie takes second place on the list of favorite American pies and is most likely a firm favorite for every Thanksgiving dinner. It is the perfect ending to any Thanksgiving feast, and as a vital part of each dinner, it deserves to have a suitable drinking partner. The pie is often packed with spice, typically a blend of warming spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, and can be a tricky pairing partner that calls for equally decadent wine. Port comes as the clear winner in this pairing challenge.

Port is a Portuguese fortified wine produced in various styles, with Tawny being its boldest representative. Vino Critic suggests Tawny Port as a suitable paring as it holds a lot of sweetness and comes packed with nut and spice-like flavors similar to those in a classic pumpkin pie, while the silky texture flawlessly matches the creaminess of the pie filling. Wine Folly explains that the notes of dry citrus fruit, spices, caramel, and figs found in a well-aged Tawny perfectly complement pumpkin pie.