The Best Wines for Thanksgiving (2026), Picked by Our Sommeliers
Thanksgiving is a hard table to pour for. Turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, and stuffing all land at once, and a wine that's great with one of them can taste wrong with another. The best wines for Thanksgiving have enough acidity to cut the rich dishes, enough fruit for the sweet ones, and not so much tannin that cranberry turns them harsh.
Below are two sparkling wines to open with, three reds and three whites for the table, one wine to buy by the case, and a red and a white splurge. Everything here is in stock at Flask.
Quick Picks
- Sparkling to open: Arlaux Grande Cuvée Premier Cru Champagne
- Sparkling for the table: Cantina della Volta Brutrosso Lambrusco
- Red for everything: Guillot Gonin Morgon Côte du Py 2023
- Red Burgundy: Ravaut Bourgogne Côte d'Or 2022
- Fuller red: Le Mas des Flauzières Gigondas Four Danuga 2023
- Fresh white: Arnaud Lambert Les Parcelles Chenin Blanc 2023
- Aromatic white: Les Vins de Vienne Condrieu Amphore d'Argent 2021
- Richer white: Borgeot Bourgogne Blanc 2024
- By the case: Joey Tensley Fundamental Pinot Noir 2023
- Red splurge: Clos de l'Oratoire des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2023
- White splurge: Veyder-Malberg Riesling Bruck 2022
How to Choose Wine for Thanksgiving
Put one red and one white on the table and let people move between them; nobody needs a different wine for each dish. Choose acidity and moderate tannin over power, because a big, oaky Cabernet that's great with steak gets awkward next to cranberry sauce.
For quantity, we plan on about half a bottle per wine drinker over a long dinner. A 750ml bottle pours about five 5-ounce glasses, so that's two or three glasses each.
Thanksgiving Wine Pairing by Dish
| Dish | What works | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Before dinner | Arlaux Champagne, Roederer Estate Brut | Dry sparkling wine carries from appetizers into the meal |
| Turkey | Guillot Gonin Morgon, Ravaut Bourgogne | Bright acidity and moderate tannin |
| Dark meat and stuffing | Gigondas Four Danuga, Morgon | Depth without the grip that fights cranberry |
| Gravy and buttery sides | Borgeot Bourgogne Blanc, Arnaud Lambert Chenin, Brutrosso | Body or acidity (and bubbles) to cut richness |
| Cranberry sauce | Brutrosso, Morgon, Tensley Pinot Noir | Red fruit and low tannin |
| Sweet potatoes and squash | Condrieu, Arnaud Lambert Chenin | Viognier's aromatics; Chenin's acidity |
Best Sparkling Wines for Thanksgiving
Arlaux Grande Cuvée Premier Cru Champagne
Arlaux is a small family estate in Vrigny, on the Montagne de Reims, where every vineyard is classified Premier Cru and most of the under-10 hectares are planted to Meunier and Pinot Noir, the black grapes that give Champagne more body and red fruit. The family appears in local records from 1320, has sold Champagne since 1826, and hasn't used pesticides since 1997. At $49.97, it was one of Flask's best-selling Champagnes last November.
For a bigger crowd, Roederer Estate Brut at $24.99 is the value move: Louis Roederer's California house, 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir from its Anderson Valley estate, with 10 to 15% oak-aged reserve wine in the blend and only 8 grams per liter of dosage.
Cantina della Volta Brutrosso Lambrusco
Sparkling for the table
Cantina della Volta CDV Brutrosso Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC Metodo Classico
$29.99
Shop this wineThis is the bottle to surprise the table with. Cantina della Volta's Brutrosso is Lambrusco di Sorbara made the Champagne way, with at least 36 months on the lees and 5.5 grams per liter of dosage, so it drinks dry. Christian Bellei's father planted the estate's vineyards south of Modena with vine clones brought from Champagne.
The importer describes raspberry, wild berry, and citrus peel. That red fruit lines up with cranberry sauce, and the bubbles and acidity cut through gravy. $29.99.
Best Red Wines for Thanksgiving
Guillot Gonin Morgon Côte du Py
If you open one red, make it a Beaujolais cru. Guillot Gonin's Morgon Côte du Py comes from three parcels of very old, goblet-pruned Gamay on the south-east side of the Côte du Py in Morgon, on granite and broken-down schist. Jean-Marc Burgaud, another Morgon grower, says the Côte du Py's stones give its wines more tannin and richness than other Beaujolais, and this one spends 15 months in tank before release.
The domaine lists blackcurrant, blackberry, and red fruit, and suggests coq au vin, which is about as close to a Thanksgiving pairing as Beaujolais gets. At $27.99, it's bright enough for turkey and cranberry with enough body for stuffing and dark meat. Serve it at cellar temperature, around 59-63°F; Inter Beaujolais, the region's wine council, advises no more than an hour in the fridge.
Ravaut Bourgogne Côte d'Or
If your table expects Pinot Noir, pour one from a Burgundy grower. Domaine Gaston & Pierre Ravaut is a six-generation family estate in the hamlet of Buisson in Ladoix-Serrigny, with 12 hectares that include Corton and Corton-Charlemagne. It has farmed organically since 2021 and harvests by hand.
The Bourgogne Côte d'Or is fully destemmed, fermented in concrete, and aged 12 months in French oak. The domaine pairs it with roast chicken and its jus, about as close to turkey and gravy as a Burgundian menu gets, and serves it at 16°C (61°F). At $35.99 for the 2022, it's the Pinot for the guests who pay attention; the Tensley below is the one to buy by the case. To trade up within the family, Flask also carries Ravaut's Aloxe-Corton ($79.99).
Le Mas des Flauzières Gigondas Four Danuga
For guests who want a bigger red, go to the southern Rhône rather than Napa. Le Mas des Flauzières' Four Danuga is 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre from south-west-facing terraces in the foothills of the Dentelles de Montmirail, with Grenache vines up to 70 years old. It's hand-harvested and spends a year in barrel.
The importer describes pepper, licorice, and plum with silky tannins. That's why it works here: enough depth for dark meat and stuffing without the grip that fights cranberry. $29.99. If your family insists on Cabernet, pour it, but expect it to do better with the turkey than with the sides.
Best White Wines for Thanksgiving
Arnaud Lambert Les Parcelles Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc is the white we'd put next to sweet potatoes and cranberry. Arnaud Lambert's Les Parcelles comes from organically farmed parcels in Brézé, Montsoreau, and Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg in the Loire, over limestone bedrock. It's whole-cluster pressed, aged six to seven months in steel, and only partly goes through malolactic fermentation, so the acidity stays high.
That acidity keeps it lively against butter, gravy, and the sweetest dishes on the table. $26.99.
Les Vins de Vienne Condrieu
For sweet potatoes, squash, and anything with brown sugar or warm spice, we'd reach for Viognier. Condrieu, on steep granite slopes in the northern Rhône near Vienne, is the appellation where Viognier is the only grape allowed. Les Vins de Vienne's Condrieu Amphore d'Argent 2021 comes from the joint venture three well-known northern Rhône growers, Yves Cuilleron, Pierre Gaillard, and François Villard, started in 1996.
At $39.97, it's an affordable way into an appellation where every other bottle on our shelf costs $64.99 or more.
Borgeot Bourgogne Blanc
For the gravy-and-stuffing crowd, a white Burgundy with more body. Domaine Borgeot's Bourgogne Blanc is Chardonnay from three parcels, two in Chassagne-Montrachet and one in Puligny-Montrachet, fermented in steel and then aged in oak barrels.
That's Chassagne and Puligny fruit under a Bourgogne label for $31.99. The Borgeot brothers are the fourth generation to run the domaine in Rémigny.
Best Thanksgiving Wine to Buy by the Case
Joey Tensley Fundamental Pinot Noir
For a table of 20, buy this by the case. Joey Tensley's Fundamental Pinot Noir is $16.97, and Flask has it in case quantities. Tensley is a Central Coast winery focused on Syrah and Rhône varieties, and it describes this Pinot as medium-bodied with bright acidity, soft tannins, and notes of strawberry, black cherry, and cranberry.
Those are the right traits for a crowded, everything-at-once table. Add the Fundamental Chardonnay at $15.97 if you want a white by the case too.
Thanksgiving Splurge Wines
Clos de l'Oratoire des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape
If the Gigondas is your style, this is where it goes when the budget opens up. Clos de l'Oratoire des Papes' Châteauneuf-du-Pape blends Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Cinsault from soils of limestone, rolled pebbles, sand, and red sandstone. It ages 12 months in tapered French oak vats, then eight months in concrete.
The importer lists crushed raspberry, redcurrant, blueberry, and licorice, a redder-fruited profile than the Gigondas's pepper and plum. $81.99.
Veyder-Malberg Riesling Bruck
Peter Veyder-Malberg's Riesling from the Bruck vineyard is the white to open for a smaller table. Bruck is the warmest site in Viessling, and because it's also the highest vineyard in the Wachau, it's one of the coolest in the region. It's farmed entirely by hand, without a tractor, and the winery says the site gives its Rieslings fruit, spice, and a delicate minerality.
At $99.97 for the 2022, it's a very different step up from the Arnaud Lambert Chenin: Austrian Riesling from a steep, cool site rather than Loire Chenin from limestone.
Ordering Your Thanksgiving Wine From Flask
Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26. To have wine delivered in time, order by:
| Shipping to | Order by |
|---|---|
| California | Monday, November 23 |
| West of the Mississippi (outside California) | Friday, November 20 |
| East of the Mississippi | Tuesday, November 17 |
In Los Angeles, order online by noon on Wednesday, November 25, and pick it up on your way to dinner at Flask Studio City West (12194 Ventura Blvd), Flask Studio City East (11555 Ventura Blvd), or Flask Highland Park (5900 N Figueroa St). Everything on this list was in stock when we published it.
FAQ
When Do I Need to Order Wine for Thanksgiving?
For delivery before Thanksgiving on November 26, order from Flask by Monday, November 23 in California, Friday, November 20 west of the Mississippi, and Tuesday, November 17 east of the Mississippi. For in-store pickup in Los Angeles, order by noon on Wednesday, November 25, and collect it at our Studio City West, Studio City East, or Highland Park store.
What Is the Best Red Wine for Thanksgiving?
A red with bright acidity and moderate tannin. Our pick is the Guillot Gonin Morgon Côte du Py ($27.99), a Beaujolais cru of old-vine Gamay that handles turkey, stuffing, and cranberry; for Pinot Noir, the Ravaut Bourgogne Côte d'Or ($35.99).
What Is the Best White Wine for Thanksgiving?
A high-acid white. Our pick is Arnaud Lambert's Les Parcelles Chenin Blanc ($26.99), organically farmed in the Loire and aged in steel, which stays lively against butter, gravy, and sweet sides.
What Wine Goes Best With Turkey and Cranberry Sauce?
Reds with bright acidity and moderate tannin, like the Guillot Gonin Morgon or the Ravaut and Tensley Pinot Noirs, or a dry sparkling red like the Cantina della Volta Brutrosso. Heavy, tannic reds tend to taste harsh next to cranberry.
How Many Bottles of Wine Do I Need for Thanksgiving?
Plan on about half a bottle per wine drinker, so 12 wine drinkers need six bottles. A 750ml bottle pours about five 5-ounce glasses; buy one or two extra and split them between red and white.
What Is a Good Thanksgiving Wine to Buy by the Case?
Joey Tensley's Fundamental Pinot Noir ($16.97), which the winery describes as medium-bodied with bright acidity and soft tannins. Pair it with the Fundamental Chardonnay ($15.97) for a white.
Should Red Wine Be Chilled for Thanksgiving?
Lighter reds show better slightly cool. Inter Beaujolais, the Beaujolais wine council, recommends 15-17°C (59-63°F) for crus like Morgon and no more than an hour in the fridge.
Is Lambrusco Sweet?
Some Lambrusco is sweet, but Cantina della Volta's Brutrosso is dry: it's made the Champagne way with 5.5 grams per liter of dosage.
Buying Guidance
For eight people: Arlaux to open, then the Morgon and the Arnaud Lambert on the table, with the Condrieu for the sweet sides. For 20: Roederer Estate to start, a case of Tensley Pinot Noir, and a few bottles of the Fundamental Chardonnay. To splurge: the Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the Veyder-Malberg Riesling.
Last updated: September 24, 2026.
