Nothing says harvest season like giving thanks over a large gathering of friends and family. This Thanksgiving we at Quails’ Gate Winery are thankful for a rich harvest from our vineyard and for you! To celebrate the season, we’ve compiled a list of perfect harvest pairings. These pairings can be your guide as you begin to plan and enjoy gatherings, feasts and being together.
Below are 12 harvest-inspired meals and their corresponding wine pairings. Together these perfect food and wine experiences will have you satiated, satisfied and maybe even surprised! Pairing tip: delight the palate by seasoning your dish with the same wine you’re serving alongside it at the table. Another quick tip is to always pair the weight of your wine with the weight of your food. Look for the strongest flavour on the plate and pair your wine with that item.
If you’re looking for an easy solution to your thanksgiving wine and food pairings check out the Quails’ Gate Thanksgiving Wine Bundle now available just in time for your Thanksgiving dinner. Share your Thanksgiving pairings with us and let us know what you are thankful for this season using #quailsgatethanksgiving and tagging us @quailsgate.
Cheers, and enjoy!
- Oven-Roasted Turkey
When it comes to a quintessential thanksgiving dinner, an oven-roasted turkey is classically on the table. Juicy and tender, a full bird of any size is the perfect way to feed a larger crowd. Slow cooking your turkey is the best way to keep your meat juicy and ideally prepared. Whether it’s dark or white meat, this is a dish that will go well with a wide variety of wines – which makes it a great choice for personalized wine pairings. Oven-roasted turkey can satisfy both white and red wine lovers. From aromatic and lean white wines to rich, buttery Chardonnay, to Pinot Noir and Rosé, turkey is versatile and fun when it comes to pairing – so be adventurous and enjoy the experimentation.
Wine Recommendations:
2021 Lucy’s Block Rosé
2020 Dijon Clone Pinot Noir
- Oven-Baked Ham
The general profile of ham is sweet, salty, textured and rich. This sweet-and-salty richness pairs best with wines that have a touch of sweetness, plenty of acidity and fruit-forwardness on the palate. Great pairings for oven-baked ham with texture and complexity in taste include white wines like Riesling, Pinot Gris and Chenin Blanc as well as Rosé (sparkling or still) which help balance out the flavour profile and provide an ideal pairing companion.
Wine Recommendations:
2021 Clone 49 Riesling
2021 Three Wolves Vineyard Pinot Gris
- Prime Rib Roast
If you’re heading into the red meat category for your Thanksgiving dinner, it can open up the door for medium to full-bodied red wines to be served. “Prime” is the highest grade of beef available, making this food choice a premium one. All the meat’s delicious marbling and protein need a wine with both acid and tannin. A wine choice with fruit and savoury herbal notes will also highlight the flavours in the meat. Since the meat itself is hearty, consider the weight of your red wine for the best pairing. A full-bodied red may overpower the delicate and premium cut of meat, and a wine that’s too light won’t be hearty enough to complement it perfectly. A medium-weight, elegant and premium red is just the right balance to match the quality and taste of the elevated dish.
Wine Recommendations:
2020 Queue
- A Lobster Feast
Serving a seafood feast can surprise and delight your family and guests at the table. It also immediately elevates your gathering giving tradition a backseat. If you happen to be boiling fresh lobsters, the ideal companion is a fine Chardonnay. Malolactic fermentation, barrel fermentation and oak aging can give this fine white wine a distinctly creamy, almost buttery texture and taste that matches the lobster characteristics. Chardonnay can be oaky and buttery, but sometimes it is crisp and fruit-forward making it a perfect both complementary and contrasting pairing to explore!
Wine Recommendations:
New release 2020 Stewart Family Reserve Chardonnay
- Squash Soup
Soup is always a great harvest menu item to plan, prepare and serve on your dinner menu. Whether you are serving up a vegan soup recipe or adding in cream for a luxurious texture and palate, try to find a wine that will complement the flavour profile. For cream-based soups try to excite and cleanse the palate with sparkling wine, or pair the rustic flavours of your recipe with a Chardonnay, Pinot Gris or Viognier based on your ideal recipe.
Wine Recommendations:
2021 Three Wolves Vineyard Pinot Gris
New release 2020 Stewart Family Reserve Chardonnay
- Turkey Stuffing
When it comes to classic turkey stuffing, the ideal partner to pair with this recipe is Pinot Noir or Riesling. Based on your preferences you can complement the earthy characteristics of the stuffing with a rustic Pinot Noir or contrast the flavours with a Riesling.
Wine Recommendations:
2020 Dijon Clone Pinot Noir
New release 2020 Stewart Family Reserve Pinot Noir
2021 Clone 49 Riesling
- Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
With a mixture of butter, salt, milk and heavy cream, mashed potatoes are a simple yet wonderfully tasty side dish. If you’re leveling up your potatoes with herbs, chives, garlic, olive oil, or even a bit of pepper, and parmesan cheese pair the fluffy texture and buttery flavour with a lighter Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc.
Wine Recommendations:
2021 Clone 220 Chenin Blanc
New release 2020 Stewart Family Reserve Chardonnay
- Green Bean Medley
Green beans can be a tricky one to pair wine with. Ideally, green items crave light and aromatic white wines in their simplest forms. However, before you run to conclusions make sure you analyze the other items that are in the mixed medley. A fun addition to warm green beans is bacon bits to level up the taste and adds a savoury component to the final taste profile. This changes the dish’s taste weight from something more herbal and fresher to textured and fatty. Change up your wine pairings to something that matches the new flavour and texture.
Wine Recommendations:
2021 Three Wolves Vineyard Pinot Gris
2020 Dijon Clone Pinot Noir
- Cranberry Sauce
Nothing says a perfect pairing like cranberry sauce and a glass of Rosé wine. This complementary pairing matches each other’s aromatic and taste profiles with notes of strawberry, cranberry and fresh acidity on the palate. A quick trick for pairing food and wine is to pair the colour of the food with the colour of the wine! It’s an artistic way to work your way around the science of food pairings and not think too seriously about them!
Wine Recommendations:
2021 Lucy’s Block Rosé
- Hot Turkey Sandwiches
Expressive and flavourful white wines like Chardonnay, Pinot Gris or Riesling can bring a hot turkey sandwich up a notch to a delightful lunch pairing the days after your Thanksgiving feast. If you prefer to pair it with red, a lighter-bodied red wine like Pinot Noir will also fit the bill.
Wine Recommendations:
New release 2020 Stewart Family Reserve Chardonnay
New release 2020 Stewart Family Reserve Pinot Noir
2020 Dijon Clone Pinot Noir
2021 Three Wolves Vineyard Pinot Gris
- Pumpkin Pie
When matching wine with desserts, wine pairing has historically stated that the liquid in your glass must be at least as sweet as the food on your plate, otherwise, the wine will taste astringent and angular next to the sweetness on your palate. With a slice of pumpkin pie, I’d recommend a glass of late-harvest wine. While the pie has notes of honey spice, and caramel, mixed with a thicker texture on the palate, a wine with balanced acidity and sweetness will be the ideal companion. You could even try a red fortified wine like Quails’ Gate fortified Foch.
Wine Recommendations:
2017 Fortified Vintage Foch
2021 Late Harvest Optima
- Apple Pie
A classic apple pie is almost always served at thanksgiving gatherings. Apples are harvested at the same time as grapes, which is why you see many apple orchards around vineyards – all around the world. Both grapes and apples are known as tender fruits and together they make a great pairing at the table. A great and highly elevated pairing with this is Riesling Icewine. Both decadent and sublime, you’ll fall head over heels in love with this pairing, we also recommend using a bit of it in your baking!
Wine Recommendations:
2019 Riesling Icewine
Words by Angela Aiello.
An easy solution to your thanksgiving wine and food pairings
LIMITED EDITION THANKSGIVING WINES
At Quails’ Gate we have much to be thankful for – our talented team of winemakers and viticulturists, exceptional quality vintages and our award-winning culinary team who create dishes that perfectly complement our wines.
With the purchase of our Limited-Edition Thanksgiving Bundle, you’ll receive our perfectly paired Thanksgiving recipe; roast chicken and risotto with glazed root vegetables.
Our Distinction Collection offers enthusiasts experimental small-lot wines. With less than 5 cases of our 2020 Dijon Clone Pinot Noir available don’t miss your chance to add this exquisite wine to your cellar.
