8 Great Thanksgiving Wines to Suit Any Turkey Day Feast

Jennifer Ingellis, our partner in Williams-Sonoma Wine and one of Food & Wine’s 2012 Sommeliers of the Year, shares her top wine picks for any turkey day feast.

If you are anything like me and love to entertain, then you’ll understand my never-ending attempt to find wine and food that my guests will love. I come from a restaurant background, and my DNA is firmly rooted in making guests happy and finding that little something extra that makes everyone feel special. With that said, trying to make a holiday crowd happy is quite the challenge, especially when it comes to family. No matter the style of your upcoming gathering – classic, pennywise, adventurous, or crowd-pleasing — here are some wines to help make your upcoming Thanksgiving feast a smashing success.

For the budget-conscious: If you are trying to make it through the holidays with a few dollars left in your wallet, these wines will still delight all comers, without breaking the bank.

• 2014 Dancing Coyote Gruner Veltliner, Clarksburg $12
• 2013 Five Geese Merlot, Adelaide $15

For the traditionalist: If your family is about Thanksgiving classics, and you are afraid that you might be left out in the cold if you don’t serve the same corn-bread stuffing and cranberry sauce, these wines should add just the right amount of spice to your feast.

• 2013 Banshee Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast $25
• 2013 CrossBarn Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast $35

For the adventurous wine drinker: These wines are for those of you that are a bit more adventurous and like to mix it up on Thanksgiving. Feel like roasted pork loin with quince compote? Well, here is a wine that will have people talking about your pairing brilliance. Or is your fantasy a Thanksgiving dinner with duck and truffle stuffing? Go ahead, start stuffing!

• 2010 Bonny Doon Le Cigare Blanc Reserve, Arroyo Seco $54
• 2011 Lodali Rocche dei 7 Fratelli, Barbaresco $36

For the people-pleaser: Does your holiday table sometimes feel like a contentious gathering of the UN Security Council? Well, keep the peace with these two offerings: a California Chardonnay, which walks that fine line between richness and freshness, and an exuberant Zinfandel that is guaranteed to do the impossible (satisfy everyone)!

• 2014 Bench Chardonnay, Russian River Valley $20
• 2012 Woodenhead Guido Venturi Zinfandel, Mendocino County $34