Best Of

Best Wines for Thanksgiving

4 bottles that work from aperitif hour to the last slice of pie

Thanksgiving is the most demanding wine occasion of the year — not because the table expects great wine, but because the table expects the wine to work with everything on it. Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, roasted vegetables, and three kinds of pie: no single variety was designed for all of this simultaneously. The solution is to choose wines that are versatile, approachable, and generously made. These four bottles cover the whole day, from the first pour before the turkey comes out of the oven to the last glass after the dishes are done.

1Best Aperitif92 pts • Champagne, France

Veuve Clicquot Champagne Yellow Label

Champagne • $65

Start Thanksgiving with Champagne and the whole day feels like a celebration from the first moment. Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label is the aperitif choice because it bridges the gap between the guests who are serious about wine and the ones who just want something festive. The consistent quality, the recognisable bottle, and the universal appeal make it impossible to pour wrong. At $65 it's the single most-agreed-upon pour before a big meal.

Buy — $65 Full Review

2Best with Turkey93 pts • Sonoma Coast, California

Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir • $55

Pinot Noir is the universal answer to Thanksgiving and Flowers Sonoma Coast is the version that earns that recommendation. Its cool-climate brightness and soft tannins work beautifully with white and dark turkey meat alike — and the savoury, earthy notes mirror the herbs and aromatics in a good stuffing. At $55 and 93 points, it's the smartest pour on the Thanksgiving table.

Buy — $55 Full Review

3Best with Sides96 pts • Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma, California

Ridge Lytton Springs

Zinfandel Blend • $55

Stuffing, cranberry sauce, roasted squash, gravy — these are the sides that break most wine pairings. Zinfandel handles all of them because it's spiced, rich, and generous enough to stand up to competing flavours. Ridge Lytton Springs at 96 points is the Zinfandel that makes this pairing obvious: black cherry, crushed pepper, and old-vine depth that echoes every spiced and herb-forward dish on the table. Buy two bottles.

Buy — $55 Full Review

4Top Pick95 pts • Willamette Valley, Oregon

Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve

Pinot Noir • $85

When the meal is done, the candles are still lit, and the conversation has settled into the good kind — that's when you open the Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve. Oregon's benchmark Pinot Noir at 94 points is the wine that signals this Thanksgiving was worth doing properly. Silky tannins, forest floor, dried rose, and a finish that keeps the evening going long after the pie is finished.

Buy — $85 Full Review

The Verdict

Buy the Veuve Clicquot for the aperitif, the Flowers Pinot Noir for the turkey course, and the Ridge Lytton Springs for the table full of sides. The Domaine Serene is the one you open last — when the food is cleared, the family is still at the table, and the best part of Thanksgiving has finally arrived.

Get our top pick — Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve · $85

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Before You Buy

The background on what is in these bottles.

Pinot Noir→Light-Bodied Red→Sparkling→

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