Thanksgiving Wine Suggestions by Sotheby’s Wine Experts

Wine Team New York | November 14, 2023

From cooking the perfect bird to juggling a crowded stovetop, there’s enough to worry about on Thanksgiving. Allow the experts at Sotheby’s Wine to take one weighty item off your holiday to-do list: choosing the wine pairings.

Nothing adds conviviality to dinner like sparkling wine, and the lean, stony elegance of Emmanuel Brochet’s Le Mont Benoit is the perfect note on which to begin the evening.

Pinot Noir is always a classic Thanksgiving red, with tart fruit notes, fine acidity, and earthy depth to elevate hearty, autumnal fare. The Eyrie Vineyards’ 2017 South Block Reserve Pinot Noir, crafted from a single block of just 10 rows of vines, offers tertiary, briary beauty in every sip. For Old World fans, the satiny richness of Domaine des Comtes Lafon’s Volnay offers fine tannins and a wonderful, long finish.

Just one style of red for a grand meal won’t do, so consider the smoky splendor of a touchstone Côte-Rotie from Domaine Jamet or Château Margaux’s full-bodied second wine, the Pavillon Rouge from the exceptional 2018 vintage.

White wine drinkers at the table will thrill at the sight of Joseph Drouhin’s 2021 Puligny Montrachet – crisp, loaded with orchard fruit, and a fine bead of acidity. A rarity known for quickly selling out, the Bianco Secco Cà del Merlo is the only white wine from Veronese master Giuseppe Quintarelli, and what a marvel it is: bright, tightly wound, floral, and quite capable of stealing the show no matter the company it’s in.

Whether you’re cooking for a crowd or joining an intimate party, this selection curated especially for Thanksgiving promises to keep all the guests in high spirits.