What Wine Should You Buy for Thanksgiving Dinner?

Thanksgiving means turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie and other great things to eat.

All that good food deserves something good to drink.

Unfortunately for wine connoisseurs, the decision on what to offer guests can be a complicated one.

"I belong to a family that cooks. For 25 years I've been scratching my head trying to determine the best Thanksgiving wine," Bill Kotila, beverage consultant for Busch's Fresh Food Market said. "Thanksgiving is one of those meals that is more difficult to pick wines for because there's so many things going on — from the giblet gravy to cranberry sauce.

"The ideal solution is an old French pinot noir. However, those bottles are rare, and if you do find one, you'll probably pay a couple hundred dollars."

Kotila said Busch's has plenty of alternatives, including the ever popular Beaujolais Nouveau, which goes on shelves Thursday, a week before Thanksgiving.

“It’s a bottle to celebrate the harvest,” said Calvin Khemmoro of Merchant’s Fine Wine in Grosse Pointe Woods.

The red wine, best served chilled, is young (about six weeks old) and does not age well. The price of a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau ranges from $8.99-$12.99, Khemmoro said.

“People look forward to it,” he said. “It’s very fruit forward. It’s very dry.”

But if Beaujolais Nouveau is not your style, Kotila suggests trying Elk Cove pinot grigio, Meiomi pinot noir, or the Sofia Rosé blush wine, which go well with turkey.

“You can pretty much get away with any white,” Khemmoro said. “But some are just fun because it’s not your typical Saturday night Chardonnay.”

Finally, Khemmoro said that dessert wines such as Eiswein or port also are popular this time of year.

“Those go great with your cakes, cheesecakes and chocolates,” Khemmoro said.

Where to Buy Wine for Thanksgiving in Dexter

• Busch's Fresh Food Market
• Country Market
• Dexter Pharmacy
• Dexter Party Store
• Baxter's