Give Thanks for Wine

Ah, Thanksgiving. Such a cornucopia of culinary delights. Such a delightful melange of seasonal flavors. So utterly impossible to match with wine.

You can pair each individual Thanksgiving dish with a wine, of course. But finding a wine to complement the whole meal is a different story. You may have herbal notes in the stuffing, buttery mashed potatoes, marshmallow-y yams, white or dark meat. And let's face it, one tart mouthful of cranberry sauce and the whole wine pairing plan gets shot to heck.

So what can you do, besides pretend you forgot to buy cranberry sauce? Choose a crowd pleasing favorite that goes with the widest range of flavors.

We've got your list here.

Red

Pinot Noir is a good go-to wine for Thanksgiving. It's medium-bodied and aromatic, and goes particularly well with turkey. It's also known as the red wine for white wine drinkers, so if you've got one of those whiney "I don't drink red wine!" people at your table, a nice Pinot may change her tune. Pinot Noir is a finicky grape that is hard to work with, so it's tough to find a reasonably priced one that is really good. One under $15 Pinot I highly recommend is Castle Rock, currently on sale for almost 20% off at wine.com.

I used to recommend Zinfandel, the most American of grapes, as my red choice for Thanksgiving. But Zins are typically very high in alcohol content. That alcohol can overwhelm the food, and also the people eating the food. On the upside, no one's going to notice if the turkey's a bit dry. On the downside, you may have to collect car keys after dinner. If you're brave enough, and if you are a fan of this spicy grape like I am, Bogle Old Vine Zin is always good.

White

For whites, I like a nice oaky American Chardonnay for the Thanksgiving table. It tastes nice with the gravy and its bold flavors stand up to a wide variety of tastes. If you've got a true ABC wine snob on your invite list, you may get some complaints (ABC stands for "Anything But Chardonnay." I'm serious!). But do you really want to invite a true ABC wine snob to Thanksgiving? Maybe leave him off the list and you can all give thanks he's not there. Or, keep him on the list and serve a dry Riesling instead. Light, fruity, aromatic and low on the alcohol, so crazy Aunt Larue won't get up and dance on the table like she did last year. Columbia Winery in Washington makes a nice one for under $11.

Other Shades of Pale

One drink everyone seems to forget about at Thanksgiving is Champagne. Now, why is that? It's a celebration, after all. And a nice dry sparkling wine goes with just about everything. You can even keep it American for this most American of holidays. Roederer (those folks who make a little something called Cristal) has an estate in California that makes a delicious sparkler for under $20.

Per usual, my last bit of wine advice is to forget my wine advice and drink what you like. A few years ago, I was responsible for bringing the wine to a small Thanksgiving gathering. I combed through tasting notes and painstakingly picked out a Champagne, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for the meal and even a late harvest (sweet) Riesling to go with dessert. At the last minute I threw in a bottle of California Cab, just to make sure we didn't run out of wine. And you guessed it, the big tannic Cabernet that by all logic should have clashed completely with just about every flavor on the table was the hit of the party. Because people like California Cab.

So don't stress about pairing and concentrate on sharing this day with your loved ones. Weigh in with your favorite Thanksgiving wine below! And yes, I did just end this post with the cheesiest rhyme you've ever heard. So? Need more Thanksgiving wine ideas? Check out my Top 10 Thanksgiving Wines List. And for more great wine tips and deals, follow me on Twitter @SavingsHSimas.