What Wine Goes With Turkey Dinner? The Best Red and White Wines for Turkey

Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the two best wines for a turkey dinner. Turkey is lean and mild, so it needs fresh acidity and gentle tannin: Pinot Noir suits dark meat, stuffing and cranberry, and a balanced Chardonnay suits white meat and gravy. Domaine de la Rivière, a Russian River Valley family estate, pours its 2022 Two Forces Pinot Noir (98 points, The Tasting Panel) and 2021 Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay, one of Robb Report's Top 50 California Chardonnays of the Century.

Below: the four bottles we'd put next to a turkey, the rule of thumb behind every good match, which wine suits white meat, dark meat and gravy, how roasting, brining, smoking and frying change the choice, the best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for turkey, what to pour at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Friendsgiving, what to avoid, and how much to buy.

Which wines do we pour with turkey?

For a turkey dinner, Domaine de la Rivière opens two Pinot Noirs and two Chardonnays from the Russian River Valley: a fuller Pinot for dark meat and smoked birds, a savory one for the whole table, an old-vine Chardonnay for the breast and gravy, and a brighter Chardonnay for guests who want white all evening.

For dark meat, stuffing and cranberryTwo Forces Pinot Noir2022: 98 points, The Tasting Panel; Double Gold, San Francisco Chronicle International Wine Competition.2022 · $95

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For the breast meat and gravyRitchie Vineyard Chardonnay2021: one of Robb Report's Top 50 California Chardonnays of the Century. 1972 Old Wente vines.2021 · $85

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For the whole tableMiddle Reach Vineyards Pinot Noir2021: 94 points and a Cellar Selection, Wine Enthusiast; Double Gold, San Francisco Chronicle.2021 · $75

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For white-wine drinkers, all eveningFlora Marie Vineyard Chardonnay2021: 94 points, Wine Enthusiast and the Cristaldi Report; Double Gold, American Fine Wine Competition.2021 · $75

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In magnum, for a bigger table

A magnum holds two bottles, about ten glasses, and looks the part on a long table. The wine also ages more slowly in the larger bottle. We make very few.

The Robb Report Chardonnay, doubledRitchie Vineyard Chardonnay MagnumThe 2021 Ritchie, one of Robb Report's Top 50 California Chardonnays of the Century.2021 · 1.5 L magnum · $195

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The 98-point Pinot, doubledTwo Forces Pinot Noir Magnum2022: 98 points, The Tasting Panel; Double Gold, San Francisco Chronicle.2022 · 1.5 L magnum · $215

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What wine goes with turkey dinner?

Choose a wine with bright acidity, moderate alcohol and soft tannin. Pinot Noir is the best red for turkey and Chardonnay with moderate oak is the best white. Turkey breast is lean and mild, and heavy tannin or high alcohol makes it taste dry. A turkey dinner also brings sweet, tart and creamy sides, and acidity is what keeps a wine fresh next to all of them.

Turkey itself is rarely the hard part. A roast bird has little fat and a delicate flavor, so almost any dry wine that isn't too heavy will work with a slice of breast meat on its own. The trouble comes from everything around it: cranberry sauce is tart and sweet, stuffing is salty and herbal, gravy is rich, and sweet potatoes can be sugary. A wine that suits turkey dinner has to get along with the whole plate.

• Acidity first. Tart cranberry and rich gravy both flatten a wine with low acidity. Cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay keep their acidity because the grapes ripen slowly.
• Soft tannin. Tannin is the drying grip in red wine. It makes lean white meat taste chalky and turns bitter against cranberry. Pinot Noir has some of the softest tannin of any red grape.
• Moderate alcohol, roughly 13 to 14.5 percent. A long meal and a warm room make high-alcohol wines feel hot and heavy by the second glass.
• Fruit, not sweetness. Ripe red fruit flatters cranberry and roasted vegetables; sugar in a table wine fights the savory dishes.
• Restrained oak. A little new oak gives Chardonnay body for gravy; a lot makes it taste buttery and flat beside butter-rich sides.

Those rules point to the Russian River Valley, where Pacific fog cools the vineyards most mornings and evenings. Domaine de la Rivière's wines come from the Middle Reach of the valley, between Healdsburg and Forestville, and are fermented with native yeast and about 35 percent new French oak, which keeps them fresh enough for a plate of turkey and everything on it.

Which wine goes with white meat, dark meat and gravy?

White breast meat suits Chardonnay or a lighter Pinot Noir, because it is lean and dries out next to tannin. Dark thigh and leg meat has more fat and flavor, so it suits a fuller Pinot Noir. Gravy adds richness that a Chardonnay with some body or a Pinot with good acidity handles well. Crisp, salty skin suits either.

At our own table the split is simple: the Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay goes with the breast and gravy, and the Two Forces Pinot Noir follows the dark meat, the stuffing and the cranberry. The Ritchie comes from a block of Old Wente vines Kent Ritchie planted in 1972; Robb Report named the 2021 one of the Top 50 California Chardonnays of the Century, and it has the weight to stand up to gravy without tasting buttery.

Does the way you cook the turkey change the wine?

Yes. A plain roast suits the widest range of wines. Smoking adds intensity, so it needs a fuller, spicier Pinot Noir. Deep-frying adds salt and fat, which a crisp Chardonnay or dry Rosé cuts through. Brining and herb butter make the meat juicier and more savory, which suits Pinot Noir. Heavy spice or a sweet glaze calls for more fruit.

Smoked turkey is where a light, delicate red falls short. The smoke reads as bitterness, and the wine needs enough fruit and concentration to meet it. Two Forces is the estate's fullest Pinot Noir, blended from estate Vineyard eleven and El Diablo Vineyard fruit, with black cherry and baking spice over fine-grained tannin; the 2022 scored 98 points from The Tasting Panel. Fried turkey is the opposite case: there the job is to cut through fat, so the brighter Flora Marie Chardonnay or a cold Rosé does better than any red.

Is red or white wine better with turkey?

Neither wins outright, which is why most hosts open one of each. Pinot Noir is the better single choice for a whole turkey dinner because it handles dark meat, stuffing and cranberry. Chardonnay is the better choice for white meat, gravy and creamy sides. If you can only open one bottle and the meal is traditional, open the Pinot Noir.

The red-or-white question is a real debate at most tables, and both sides have a case: white wine matches the meat, red wine matches the trimmings. We wrote a separate guide that sets out each side, dish by dish, from the turkey to the stuffing to the pie.

What is the best Pinot Noir for turkey?

The best Pinot Noir for turkey comes from a cool region, shows red and dark cherry fruit with fresh acidity, and stays at moderate alcohol. The Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, Willamette Valley and Burgundy all make this style. Russian River Valley Pinot usually has a little more ripe fruit, which suits cranberry and roasted vegetables.

Within that style, match weight to the bird. A classic roast with a long list of sides suits a savory, mid-weight Pinot that can be poured all evening. Smoked or dark-meat-heavy plates suit a fuller one. Domaine de la Rivière makes both from the Middle Reach: the Middle Reach Vineyards Pinot Noir is ripe raspberry, cola and dried herb over a savory frame, and the 2021 earned 94 points and a Cellar Selection from Wine Enthusiast and a Double Gold at the San Francisco Chronicle. The 2022 Two Forces is fuller and darker, with 98 points from The Tasting Panel and a Double Gold at the San Francisco Chronicle International Wine Competition.

Serve either one slightly cool, about 55 to 60°F, which means 15 to 20 minutes in the refrigerator before dinner. A warm kitchen makes Pinot Noir taste flabby and alcoholic. The guide on whether Pinot Noir should be chilled has the details.

What is the best Chardonnay for turkey?

Choose a balanced Chardonnay with real acidity and moderate oak, not a heavily buttery one. It needs enough body for gravy and mashed potatoes and enough freshness for a long meal. Cool-climate California Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley or Sonoma Coast, or a white Burgundy, fits. Old-vine fruit adds concentration without extra oak.

The buttery, heavily oaked style that made California Chardonnay famous in the 1990s is the hardest white to pair with turkey dinner: next to butter-rich sides it tastes heavy, and next to cranberry it tastes flat. A Chardonnay fermented with native yeast and a modest share of new oak keeps the citrus and mineral notes that refresh the palate between bites.

Domaine de la Rivière makes two Chardonnays we'd pour with turkey. The 2021 Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay, from 1972 Old Wente vines and one of Robb Report's Top 50 California Chardonnays of the Century, is dense and mineral with bright acidity: the bottle for the breast meat and gravy. The 2021 Flora Marie Vineyard Chardonnay, from the Montrachet clone on a steep ridgeline above the river, is brighter, with white peach and a saline finish, and earned 94 points from Wine Enthusiast and the Cristaldi Report. The California Chardonnay guide explains the styles in more depth.

What wine goes with turkey at Thanksgiving, Christmas or Friendsgiving?

At Thanksgiving, pour Pinot Noir and Chardonnay side by side, with a dry Rosé for appetizers. At Christmas, turkey often shares the table with ham or beef, so a fuller Pinot Noir covers both. At Friendsgiving, where guests bring dishes, choose easy, versatile bottles: Pinot Noir, Rosé and a Chardonnay that suit whatever arrives.

For Thanksgiving we put the pairing in one box: The Thanksgiving Table holds the 2025 Shoshana Rosé of Pinot Noir for the cheese board and the first toast, the 2021 Flora Marie Chardonnay for the turkey, and the 2022 Two Forces Pinot Noir for the dark meat and cranberry. The full holiday-meal plan, course by course, is in the Thanksgiving wine guide, and the Christmas dinner guide covers turkey alongside ham and prime rib.

Which wines should you avoid with turkey?

Avoid very tannic reds such as young Cabernet Sauvignon, high-alcohol Zinfandel and heavily oaked, buttery Chardonnay. Tannin makes lean turkey taste dry and turns bitter against cranberry. High alcohol tires the palate over a long meal. Heavy oak tastes flat next to butter-rich sides. Sweet wines clash with the savory dishes.

None of these is a disaster, and if a guest loves Cabernet it belongs on the table. It just works better with dark meat and gravy than with a slice of breast and cranberry sauce.

How much wine do you need for a turkey dinner?

Plan on about half a bottle per adult wine drinker over a three- to five-hour dinner, plus one spare. A 750 ml bottle pours five glasses, so eight adults need four bottles; buy five. A magnum counts as two bottles. Roughly half red, a third white and the rest Rosé suits most tables.

Shipped wine needs a few business days in transit and an adult 21 or older to sign at delivery, so order a week or two before the dinner. We ship through Vinoshipper to most U.S. states, not all, and the checkout confirms the address before you pay. For other headcounts, the party wine guide has charts by guests and hours.