Seems a cliché because answer is always consistent, like the meal. May be why we eat it so few times each year.

I understand the historical myth surrounding a traditional Thanksgiving meal. And I like the food. What I don’t like is the imperative that everything needs to appear on the dining table at once. That concept alone drives many hostesses more than a little bit around the bend. Why not have five or six courses, each 45-minutes apart? And in San Francisco, where Dungeness crab season starts right about the same time as Thanksgiving, why not make a crab appetizer part of the ceremony. Few things make me as thankful as the start of Dungeness crab season.

Thanksgiving Food-Wine Pairing?

Turkey may be the centerpiece of the meal, but it is not a strong flavor around which to base any wine selections. Stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy. These are the traditional flavors that should dictate the best wines to serve. But let’s see if we even get to that bridge before we discuss how to cross it.
     At several of the places I’ve gone over the years for family Thanksgivings, the issue has often been: “How many people will even drink a glass of wine?” My situation can’t be that unusual. One-third of Americans don’t drink any alcohol at all, and another third of Americans don’t drink wine. So, if I want to take three different bottles of wine to Thanksgiving at my stepmother’s relatives’ house, I’d better be prepared to drink them all by myself. Which may or may not be a problem. Good social choice = White Zin, because all the younger generations will at least try a glass with the meal (after many beers). White Zin is also bland enough for my elderly maiden aunt. She doesn’t drink, but she’ll try a glass at Thanksgiving just to be co-operative. White Zin also goes pretty well with turkey white meat. Better wine choice = current vintage Beaujolais Nouveaux, because it has an entertaining story which gets the attention of hardcore shoppers, and the strong fruit nose goes fine with cranberry sauce. A serviceable alternative would be fruit-driven Grenache Rosé. Phelps has a good one.
     Another concept which deserves a long look is sparkling anything. Champagne goes with so many dishes because of its palate cleansing ability. The implied sense of celebration certainly works, and a Rosé version is even a good flavor match. If a large number of non-drinkers are skewing your calculations, consider sparkling apple cider (Martinelli’s is a good brand) or sparkling pomegranate (the one carried at Trader Joe’s would make a fine flavor compliment to the meal).

Wine with turkey and gravy?

Dark meat turkey does have a fair amount of flavor. Pinot Noir is a good match, and more fruity versions (i.e. those from California and Oregon) do the job best of all. As luck would have it, turkey gravy also goes very well with Pinot Noir. Gravy is usually made by browning flour in the turkey drippings, maybe utilizing the giblets to impart more flavor. Pinot Noir is especially applicable to rich, fat-infused dishes like duck, paté, salmon, and puff pastry. So, you see the connection. If it has to be Burgundy, use Pommard. If California is your beat, try one from the Central Coast. If Oregon is the cry, look for something from the best drained soils, perhaps in the southern end of the Willamette Valley near Eugene.

Wine with stuffing?

There are hundreds of ways to make stuffing: with oysters; with sausage; with chestnuts; inside the bird, or not. So the range of applicable wines can be broad. But typically stuffing has a considerable sage influence. As such, Gewürztraminer is an excellent wine choice. For infrequent wine drinkers, an inexpensive example with a little residual sugar (such as Fetzer) fills the bill perfectly well. So would a May Wine (infused with a spicy flower), if you could find one. More sophisticated consumers would probably prefer a dry Gewurz such as the Trimbach from Alsace, or the Claiborne & Churchill from coastal San Luis Obispo.
     Side dishes can add complexity to wine pairs. Yams, for instance, cry out for a fragrant Chenin Blanc with just a touch of residual sugar. Kanu from South Africa is a really good one at a modest price. String beans or Brussel sprouts both do well with an inland valley Sauvignon Blanc from California. Should any of these items appear with little marshmallows in them, you have my heartfelt sympathy.

Wine with Dungeness crab?

Riesling is by far the best choice. If you tart the crab up with garlic butter or lemon mayonnaise, then a case can be made for Chardonnay. But Riesling is still the better choice. Strong acid with a little bit of residual sugar can make the Riesling a memorable match for the crab, so I recommend looking at Spätlesen-quality wines from Germany’s Mosel Valley. My strongest recommendation, however, is to buy live crabs. Investigate an Asian market. The flesh of crabs gets mushy when they have been cooked then frozen. Buy them live, and cook them yourself. They are very easy to clean. You’ll notice the textural difference when you need a toothpick after dining on a crab procured live.

Wine with turkey sandwiches?

Leftovers are one of the great aspects of Thanksgiving. I always cook a turkey, whether I’m hosting or not. It is usually a few weeks early for new crop avocados to put on your turkey sandwiches, but a wonderfully different direction to go is Hoisin sauce. Works with or without mayonnaise. Strong flavor too. Makes a turkey sandwich eligible for a glass of Rioja Reserva.