What Wine Goes with Turkey (and Ham)? A Simple Guide for Holiday Dinners

Every December the same question comes up at our counter: what wine goes with turkey? The short answer is that turkey is easier to match than its reputation suggests. It's a mild meat served with a lot of very different sides, so the best wines are versatile, fruity and not too heavy. Ham is a different story, because salt and sweet glazes call for something a little softer. Here's a simple guide to holiday wine styles, with no wine vocabulary required.

Why turkey is easy to match

Turkey itself is lean and gentle. What makes the plate complicated is everything around it: savoury stuffing, tart cranberry, buttery potatoes, rich gravy, sweet squash. A wine that's too big and tannic will make the turkey taste dry, and one that's too delicate can disappear behind the gravy. You're aiming for the middle: plenty of fruit, refreshing acidity, and moderate weight.

What wine goes with turkey: the best red styles

If your table prefers red, go light to medium-bodied with soft tannins.

• Pinot Noir. The classic answer. Red-berry fruit, bright acidity and silky texture complement turkey without overwhelming it. Cooler-climate regions, including British Columbia and Ontario, make great examples.
• Gamay. The grape of Beaujolais. Juicy, low in tannin, and lovely served slightly cool. A great value-for-flavour choice for a crowd.
• Grenache blends and Côtes du Rhône–style reds. A little warmer and spicier, good when the stuffing has sausage or herbs.
• Zinfandel. Ripe and jammy. Works if your family likes bolder flavours and lots of cranberry sauce.

What to avoid: very oaky, very tannic reds. They're wonderful with a steak, but they can make lean turkey taste dry.

The best white styles with turkey

Whites are often the better match, especially for white meat and creamy sides.

• Chardonnay with some oak. Round, buttery whites echo the gravy and roasted flavours.
• Riesling, dry to off-dry. High acidity keeps things fresh, and a touch of sweetness handles cranberry and sweet potato beautifully.
• Chenin Blanc. Another high-acid white that can be dry or slightly off-dry. Very food-friendly.
• Pinot Gris. Medium-bodied, fruity and easy-going.

If you want one bottle that suits almost everybody, an off-dry Riesling or an unoaked-to-lightly-oaked Chardonnay is hard to beat.

What wine goes with ham?

Ham is salty, smoky and often glazed with something sweet. Sweetness in food makes dry wines taste thinner and more sour, so with ham you want wines that bring a little fruit or sweetness of their own.

• Off-dry Riesling. Probably the best all-round match for glazed ham.
• Gewürztraminer. Aromatic and lightly spicy, great with clove and brown-sugar glazes.
• Rosé. A fruity, dry rosé is a wonderful bridge between red and white drinkers.
• Juicy, low-tannin reds like Zinfandel, Grenache or Gamay.

Avoid big, tannic reds with ham, too. Salt makes tannins taste harsher.

Turkey and ham on the same table

Many St. Albert families serve both. In that case, put out one fruity, light red and one aromatic white, such as a Pinot Noir or Gamay alongside a Riesling. Between them they cover both meats and almost every side. Add a dry rosé for anyone who can't decide.

Sparkling wine: the secret weapon

Bubbles go with nearly everything on a holiday table: salty, fatty, creamy and sweet. A dry sparkling wine (labelled brut) is great as guests arrive and right through dinner. Traditional-method sparkling wines like Champagne, Cava or Crémant are toasty and crisp. Tank-method styles like Prosecco are lighter and fruitier. Both work.

A quick holiday wine cheat sheet

How much wine to buy

A 750 ml bottle pours about five 5-oz glasses. For a long holiday dinner, plan roughly half a bottle per wine-drinking adult. That's about one bottle for every two wine drinkers. Ten wine drinkers means about five bottles, plus one or two sparkling for a toast. For bigger gatherings, our guide to how much alcohol you need for a party or wedding has full per-guest tables.

Serving tips for an Alberta winter

• Whites and sparkling: chill in the fridge for a few hours, then take them out about 15 minutes before pouring so they're not ice-cold.
• Light reds: serve slightly cool. Twenty minutes in the fridge helps Pinot Noir and Gamay show their fruit.
• Don't chill bottles in the car or on the deck overnight. In a St. Albert cold snap, wine can freeze and push the cork out or crack the bottle.
• Open reds a little early if they taste tight. Half an hour in the glass is usually enough.
• Have alcohol-free options on the table, and plan rides home for anyone who's been drinking.

Bringing wine as a guest

If you're invited to someone else's dinner, a fruity red or a bottle of sparkling is always welcome, and it's fine if the host saves it for later. For more ideas, see our liquor gift ideas for every occasion.

Still not sure? Ask us

If you're standing in front of the shelves wondering what wine goes with turkey, tell our staff what's on the menu and what your family usually drinks. We're happy to help you find a red, a white and a sparkling that suit the table. City Liquor is at 260-525 St Albert Trail in St. Albert, open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. If you're new to wine, our guide to picking a bottle you'll actually like is a good place to start.