Best Wine Goes With Turkey- Updated 2024

A lot of wine brands are there, some of which are pinot noir, and chardonnay which goes absolutely well with turkey meat.

Turkey and wine both are favorites of many people when they party. But they are not sure what wine they should have with the turkey. And that is why they keep googling this.

Wine Pairing With Fried Turkey

If you are throwing a party and you are not sure what should be the menu, just order some wine and turkey. Trust me, this is one of the best combinations served at parties in the whole world.

But do you know what are the best pairings when it comes to the combination of turkey and wine?

Let me allow to give you some popular pairing of turkey and wine in the world. Here you will know about the ideal pairing of wine and turkey depending on the type of wine and turkey.

Red Wine With Turkey

Let me tell you about the pairing of some famous brands of red wine with turkey.

1. Pinot Noir

There are a few good Pinot Noir red wines from the house of Burgundy crus like Pommard or Gevrey-Chambertin that goes very well with turkey meat.

If you are looking for a great combination of turkey and red wine, then you should go for Grand cru of Chambertin and turkey. And if you are looking for a bottle of less expensive wine, then Santenay or Fixin is ideal for you.

There are a few other red wines like Willamette Valley from Oregon, Santa Barbara County from California, or Sonoma County’s Schug Pinot that go very well with turkey meat.

Pinot Noir is a very good option to have with cold roast turkey meats too. If there are chutneys and pickles on your plate along with cold roast turkey, then Pinot Noir should be your choice of yours.

2. Beaujolais Cru

People often think that Gamay is a lightweight wine and that is why it remains an underrated wine.

But the reality is, wines like Beaujolais Crus are famous for being more powerful wines with more depth. One of the brands of this is Moulin-a-Vent or Morgan. It makes a very good combination with turkey meat.

3. Aged Bordeaux

Cabernet Sauvignon is totally different from the wines that I mentioned above. All those wines are high in acidity and tannins. It also contains a lot of luscious dark fruits.

Though, a wine with well-balanced acidity, fruits, and integrated tannins can be the perfect combo with your turkey meal.

White Wine With Turkey

If you think that only red wines make a good pair with turkey meat, then let me tell you that not only red wines, but white wines also make a very good pair with your turkey dinner.

1. Chardonnay

The lactic acid with the creamy flavor present in the Chardonnay white wine really helps you to digest the turkey meat. And that is why Chardonnay is a very good choice of white wine if you want to have it with turkey.

Some of the best Chardonnay white wines to have with turkey meat are Cote de Beaune’s White Burgundy, Batard-MontrachetGrand Cru, or Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru.

The minerals, antioxidants, and acidity that is present in white wines really help in cleansing the palate.

Oregon’s Dundee Hills’ Domaine Serene ‘Recolte’ 2016 from the USA is probably the best choice for bolder style Chardonnay.

Other great examples of white wines that you can have with turkey are Victoria in Australia, Napa valley’s California, and Russian River Valley from Sonoma.

Some great white wines that you can take with turkey in South Africa are New Zealand and Hamilton Russell Vineyards. Auckland-made Kumeu River Chardonnays are also great white wines to have with turkey meat.

Pinot Noir & Turkey Pairing

If you are asking for the best Pinot Noir and turkey pairing, let me tell you that the best combination of turkey and red wine is a medium-range Pinot Noir with fried turkey.

Generally, Pinot Noir red wines are lightweight red wines that have tingly flavors of raspberries, strawberries, and cherries. 

The only problem that you can face with Pinot Noir red wines is these bottles are a bit expensive. So if you are looking for red wines to combine with turkey that would be reasonable for your pocket also, try looking for a bottle of Pinot Noir for under $25.

But let me warn you that these bottles can taste like the wine is watered down with Kool-Aids of strawberries.

You will get the best taste of red wine if you buy a $40 bottle. But do not forget that a bottle of red wine usually contains 25 ounces of red wine, and the usual drink size of red wine is 5 ounces per drink. So if you have more than 15 or 20 guests on the list, red wine can be expensive if you plan to serve red wine to all guests.

But if there are people on the guest list who are true red wine lovers, then it is sure that the taste of Pinot Noir along with turkey meat will take them to the seventh heaven. But if there are people who will be tasting Pinot Noir for the first time and they have not tasted any red wine before, then it could be a waste of money as they cannot get the charm of the taste of Pinot Noir.

And if there are people who prefer other alcohols like whisky or vodka, then there is no point to serve Pinot Noir, because they will be looking for their favorite beverage, which is definitely not red wine. And for these people, combining Pinot Noir with red wine is not a good idea, as they will not understand the richness of this pair.

Red wine with turkey is a great combination for marriage ceremonies. And this also works great on Thanksgiving if there are people at your party who understand the value of the Pinot Noir and turkey combination.

Some Basic Rules Of Wine With Turkey

Now is the time to share some basic rules that you should follow when you have turkey with wine.

These rules are not rocket science though. On the contrary, these are very basic ones and very easy to remember.

Let us get into the rules.

Rule #1

Always remember that turkey is not very powerful meat. It comes under the white meat category that contains very low fat. So if you are taking a turkey with white wine, the best combination would be a full-bodied white wine.

And if it is a red wine, then it should be a medium-bodied wine. Remember that the wine that you are going to take with turkey should contain medium or low tannin and higher acidity.

Rule #2

If you are taking roast turkey, then it will be prepared and served with a lot of flavors and sides like bacon, cranberry, parsnips, stuffing, and brussels sprouts because these are the common things in roast turkey.

So you have to choose a wine that contains at least a medium level of acidity, and the preferred wine would be that one with higher acidity levels.

Rule #3

You must keep an eye on the tannin level of any wine if you are taking it with turkey. You know, it is good to have fine tannin in those balanced wines, but if there is a higher level of mouth-coating tannin, then it can ruin the taste as well as the party and the beautiful evening of yours.

Rule #4

It is important to choose your wine depending on its tanning level and the preparation of the turkey because the tannin level must have to match the meat, otherwise, both the drink and the meat will taste different in your mouth than their actual taste.

FAQs

1. What is a good wine for Thanksgiving turkey?

If you are searching for the best wine to combine it with Thanksgiving Turkey, I would like to recommend Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc.

2. What kind of red wine goes with turkey?

The ideal red wines that you can have with turkey are medium-bodied ones. The best types of red wines are Pinot Noir, Rioja, Bordeaux red, etc.

3. Do you drink red or white wine with turkey?

You can have both red and white wine with turkey.

Also Read:

• What Wine Goes With Steak
• What Wine Goes With Pork Chops