Thanksgiving with a Spanish Wine Twist

Whether you’re hosting a feast or visiting family and friends, here are a few traditional Thanksgiving food items paired with some of the best Spanish wine has to offer.

Candied Yams | Cava Brut

Thanksgiving dinner tends to be heavy on sweets, with dishes such as candied yams and cranberry sauce. You want wines that are refreshing in their acidity yet versatile, fruity and even slightly sweet themselves to match the sugar in the food. Cava is bubbly and the acidity makes for a refreshing palate cleanser.

Oyster Dressing or Traditional Stuffing | Godello from Valdeorras

Hailing from the Galicia region of northwestern Spain, Godello from D.O. Valdeorras is a fresh wine with plenty of green apple, melon, mineral and lemon flavors. Often compared to Chardonnay, this authentic Spanish variety makes for the perfect pairing with traditional stuffing or even a New Orleans style oyster dressing!

Roasted Turkey | Rioja Reserva

Unlike so many other meats, Turkey does not traditionally dominate a plate of food flavor-wise and has a lower fat content. With this in mind, the wine pairing should ideally be either a full bodied white wine or a medium bodied red, with low to medium tannin and relatively high acidity, such as a Rioja Reserva.

Glazed Ham | Mencia from Bierzo or Ribeira Sacra

Ham, with its sweet-and-salty richness, pairs best with wines that have a touch of sweetness, nice acidity and bold fruit. Mencia is a medium-bodied red grape that produces high-quality wines with floral and red fruit flavors and makes for a delicious accompaniment to glazed ham.

Pecan Pie | Medium-Dry Amontillado Sherry

Sherry from Spain is a great option to complement the simultaneous sweetness and earthiness of pecan pie. A medium-dry Amontillado Sherry is oxidized and has a nutty, caramel-like flavor that pairs well with, but does not dominate, a delicious pecan pie.

From our Wines From Spain family to yours, have a happy Thanksgiving!