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Riesling is the perfect addition to elevate your Thanksgiving feast. With its delightful fruity and floral aromas, invigorating acidity, and harmonious sweetness, Riesling is incredibly food-friendly and crowd-pleasing. Whether your palate leans towards a dry or off-dry style, we have the ideal pairing for your turkey, ham, stuffing, vegetables, and even dessert. Here are some expert tips on how to choose and pair Riesling with Thanksgiving dishes.
Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese refer to the ripeness of the grapes at harvest and can be produced at varying degrees of sweetness. If you are looking for dry Riesling, you can look for the word ‘Trocken’ on the bottle. This is a term used in German wine law that refers to the level of sweetness in the wine. It translates to “dry”, although these wines are not typically as dry as many other still white wines out there. Trocken wines will have less than 9 grams/liter of residual sugar.
In the simplest terms, if you think of these wines as desserts, Kabinett would be like a light fruit salad, Spätlese would be a fruit pie, and Auslese would be a rich fruit cake. The later the grapes are harvested, the sweeter the wine will be. We recommend trying them all to find your favorite style!
Throughout this article, we’ll share several recommendations for Rieslings by categorization, and particular bottles that pair well with Thanksgiving dishes.
For a traditional roasted turkey, try a dry Riesling, such as any of the selections that we offer from Gut Hermannsberg. These exquisite wines possess the perfect blend of body and minerality, allowing them to stand up to the heartier portion of the menu. Their vibrant citrus and apple flavors offer the benefit of cutting through the richness of meal.
For a honey-glazed ham, opt for an off-dry Riesling, or more specifically a Kabinett. This is the lightest style of Riesling. The grapes used for Kabinett have a sweetness level of 148–188 g/L sugar. These wines can range from off-dry to medium-dry. Give these bottles a whirl for your Thanksgiving feast: 2021 Van Volxem Rotschiefer Riesling Kabinett ($21 per bottle) or 2020 Van Volxem Riesling Ockfener Ortswein ($28 per bottle). These wines have a touch of sweetness that harmonizes with the caramelized flavors of the ham, and their lively acidity counterbalances the saltiness.
For pumpkin pie, the classic Thanksgiving dessert, enjoy a sweet Riesling, categorized as a Spätlese or Auslese. Spätlese means “late harvest” and the grapes used for this type of Riesling have a sweetness level of 172–209 g/L sugar. Since the grapes are harvested later, they have more time to build sugar levels, resulting in a sweeter wine. Auslese means “select harvest”. This type of Riesling is even sweeter than Spätlese, with grapes picked at 191–260 g/L sugar. This is a hand-harvested, special wine with high sugar content. These wines have intense flavor profiles of apricot, peach, honey, and spice that complement the creamy and spicy notes of the pie. They also have enough acidity to prevent the dessert from tasting overly sweet.
Riesling is a wonderful wine to enjoy on Thanksgiving, as it can pair with almost any dish on the table. It can also be a great gift for your host or hostess! Below you will find a range of options from a few of our favorite Riesling producers.
Looking for recommendations beyond Riesling? Explore our complete guide to Thanksgiving food and wine pairings!
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