After finishing all of our Halloween candy and resisting the urge to put up Christmas lights too early, we finally arrive at that special holiday in November – Thanksgiving. Perhaps the most essential element to this American-born holiday is its keen emphasis on deliciously prepared recipes, many of which we tend to save for this unique time of year. But to enjoy delicious food without its partner in crime is simply a missed opportunity that our team at iDealwine would not wish on anyone. For this reason, we’ve decided to continue our tradition of offering our readers wonderful wine pairings to go with our carefully selected recipes below! Keep reading and your tastebuds will surely thank you.

Here are some of our suggestions for pairing wine with the traditional elements of a Thanksgiving dinner, with some lovely recipes for any newcomers who are keen to have a go!

The Thanksgiving turkey

Typically stuffed with simple ingredients like salt, pepper, onion, lemon, and aromatic herbs before heading into the oven, the Thanksgiving turkey is almost certainly the most common invitee to a Thanksgiving dinner. The idea is to slide a few pieces of butter under the skin of the meat before basting the outside with herbed butter. Covered with tin foil, the turkey is cooked for 2 and a half to 3 hours, then the foil is removed so that cooking can continue for a further 30 minutes to an hour…until it’s golden brown. Those who are more experienced will know to leave the turkey to rest for 10-15 minutes once removed from the oven.

And what should you drink with it? If you’d like a white wine, Macôn-Solutré Clos des Bertillonnes Robert Denogent (Domaine) 2016 is a tempting choice. In terms of reds, we’re staying loyal to Burgundy: the delicate palate of Pinot Noir goes well with the texture of poultry. Think about Vougeot 1er Cru Clos de la Perrière Bertagna 2018, or if you happen to be on a tighter budget, perhaps Aloxe-Corton’s Aloxe-Corton Follin-Arbelet 2019, planted just on the border of premier cru land and thus offering great value. If Burgundy isn’t what you’re looking for, just look next-door for plenty of great options in neighbouring Beaujolais. You can’t possibly go wrong with the 94 point Brouilly Cuvee des Fous Jen-Claude 2019 by Jean-Claude Lapalu.

Stuffing

Worried you might get bored while the turkey cooks? Don’t worry, this will be the perfect time to prepare the other traditional dishes. First of all, to go with the turkey, nothing beats the famous ‘stuffing’, a dish made from bread. It’s a simple recipe that’s bound to please, and you’ll need:

• 2 baguettes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 whisked eggs
• 1 large onion
• 120g butter
• 480ml chicken or vegetable stock
• Fresh herbs: parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary

A day ahead of the festivities, cut the bread into cubes and leave it out to dry for 24 hours

When the day is here, preheat the oven to 180°c and butter a large oven sheet

In a pan, melt the butter, adding the onion, the garlic and the herbs

In a bowl, combine the butter mix and the bread. In a second bowl, beat together the eggs and the stock. Pour this mix onto the bread. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer this mixture onto the buttered sheet, cover with tin foil and cook in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and let the stuffing brown for 15-20 minutes.

Green Bean Casserole

Another speciality is the famous green bean casserole. A cheesy dish which warms the soul while sneaking in a much-needed dose of veggies, the green bean casserole can be made with items that are easy to find in our pantries. Simply gather green beans, cream of mushroom soup, shredded cheddar cheese, and fried onions to begin preparing this wonderful addition to a Thanksgiving spread. After this, you’ll need to mix together the beans and soup before heating them up and stirring in the shredded cheddar. Finally, place the mixture into a baking dish and top with fried onions. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for just 10 min!

Which wine might we pair with this delicious casserole you ask? For this, we find our hero in Sauvignon Blanc, which often pairs perfectly with green vegetables. Consider the carefully crafted, low intervention Pouilly-Fumé Les Poëte 2020 or the 93-point Pouilly-Fumé Utopia Jonathan Didier 2018.

Apple Pie

If you still have room for dessert, here’s a traditional recipe to finish the meal on a sweeter note.

You’ll need:

• Dough for double crust-pie
• 70 grams of sugar
• 70 grams of brown sugar
• 20 grams of all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp powdered ginger
• At least 6 cups of Granny-Smith or Honeycrisp apples
• 1 tbsp of butter
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 190°C.

Roll half of the dough to about 3 mm thick. Place this half onto a 23 cm pie plate and start working on the filling.

To put together the filling, toss the apples in a large bowl with lemon juice while mixing the flour and sugars in a smaller bowl. Then coat the newly tossed apples with the flour and sugar mixture and place it on top of the first half of the pie crust.

Now its time to roll the second half of the dough to the same thickness as the first. Place this half over the filling before sealing the edges tight. If you haven’t done so already, you will then need to beat the egg white and slowly lather the top of the crust.

Finally, place the pie in the oven for about one hour, or until the crust in a golden brown, making sure to check on it during the process. Voila! You’ve now made a fantastic apple pie for the family to enjoy. Time to pair it with the appropriate wine.

As one of the most important elements of Thanksgiving, and Autumn in general, this desert deserves some of the very best that sweet wine has to offer. Look no further than Altenberg de Bergheim Grand Cru Marcel Deiss 2016 for Riesling which is a wonderful expression of Alsatian terroir, having been awarded 96 points by James Suckling.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating, and to those who are simply curious, we hope you feel inspired to try a traditional recipe from across the Atlantic wherever you may be!