10 Wines To Bring To Thanksgiving Dinner That Won't Make You Look Stupid

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Thanksgiving. You've got roast turkey, tart cranberries, savory stuffing and sweet potatoes; probably a green bean casserole, biscuits, carrots coated in dill and butter, and enough gravy to douse it all. Oh, and don't forget the pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and those sweet potatoes-baked-with-marshmallows thing (what is that called, anyway?).

Now for the test: you're asked to bring a bottle of wine to dinner. No instructions given. Older folks—your girl's parents, maybe—will be judging you. What do you choose?

There's so much to choose from, it's anyone's guess what the “best” pick is. Honestly, as long as you like what you're drinking and how it matches with what you're piling onto your fork, you're good.

“Oh, just tell me what to get, already.”

If you insist. Here are 10 Wines—some general, some very specific—to Bring to Thanksgiving Dinner that Won't Make You Look Stupid.

10. Alamos 2010 Malbec

Blackberry and plum combined with a little velvety mocha make this one fine pick for cold winter weather—Thanksgiving or otherwise. Dark, lush and balanced, this particular bottle is a good, low-risk entry into sampling this prized Argentinian wine.

9. Riesling

Like our friend the moscato, Riesling is another choice that many overlook on Thanksgiving, thinking it belongs with pecan pie and nothing else. If you just aren't a red wine kinda person or you just want to try something new, a nicely chilled Riesling will not only bring out the sweetness of dessert, its higher acidity will also balance out the savory turkey and spicy—well, whatever you add spice to.

8. Sparkling Rosé

Who knew? Get your pale pink bubbly on this holiday season, sparkling wines are all the rage—not just as a hors d'oeuvre aperitif, but as the drink, straight through the main course. This adds a little elegance to a day otherwise devoted to eating for three hours and then taking a well-deserved nap, but it also has phenomenal food-pairing versatility. Turkey? Check. Cranberry? Check. Creamy cheese? Drool.

[Ed. Note—Drake co-signs this choice.]

7. Las Rocas 2008 Calatayud Garnacha

Ruby red in the glass, this wine has enough spice and kick to be interesting—not to mention, to hold up well against the richness of all that gravy slathered over everything—but not enough to overwhelm the milder flavor of turkey.

6. Zinfandel

'Tis the season for Zin. This wine can run the gamut from restrained, to pepper pot, to fruit explosion, and there's no one right answer for your Thanksgiving smorgasbord. Starting with dark plum, moving through a little spice, and ending with some clove and nutmeg, this wine has more intensity than your average pinot noir, but can still accommodate the crazy flavor-spectrum awaiting you on T-day.

5. Tempranillo

Say what? Spain's Tempranillo is usually not the first thing that comes to mind for most people when you ask about Thanksgiving wines, but it should be up there. It has both fruit and acidity, which means it pairs great with turkey (you know how well that goes with cranberry, after all) and the acidity will cut through all the oily richness of gravy.

4. Chardonnay (unoaked)

If you can't abide an oaky chard (you know it when you drink it), now is your time to rebel. A chardonnay can still be a good choice for your holiday bonanza, but leave the oak behind—otherwise you'll taste more tree than turkey.

3. Dulcet Reserve Cabernet/Syrah Blend

If you're thinking a Cab is a bit too much for turkey, you're probably right. But if you're also thinking a wine going by the name of 'dulcet' can't be all that intimidating, you'd be even more on the money. As the name implies, for all its Cab, it's actually pretty gentle. For red lovers this makes it a great choice to go with the milder flavors of turkey, and for non-red people it's a very approachable choice to test the waters.

2. Fetish Field of Dreams 2009 Moscato

An amazing choice for Turkey Day (or any other day, really), this white is clean, crisp, with just enough sweetness to be refreshing, but not too much to be cloying. If you think you have to wait for dessert to crack this one open, thing again: moscato goes ridiculously well with bird and all the trimmings. Try it—it might surprise you.

1. Pinot Noir

This is your all-around pick to accompany your all-day Thanksgiving extravaganza. As far as reds go, it's not overpowering, and its earthiness goes well with the herbal flavors you'll find bursting out of the 20 side-dishes you'll spend most of your time eating (hey, it's all about the stuffing, right? And the garlic mashed potatoes. And the green bean casserole. And…).