Keep It Light | The Best Wines To Lighten Up Your Thanksgiving Table

Thanksgiving can be heavy- the 17-lb birds accompanied by thick scoops of potatoes with sticky gravy adhering the two; stuffing that although by name it warns you of its intentions, you still partake willingly; the desserts that just seem like a mockery; family drama that is haphazardly swept under the narrow table runner just to seep out as you pass around the casseroles; the delicate dance of avoiding any political conversation while desperately coming up with anything to say but instead just stuffing stuffing into your face; it’s fucking heavy.

The best way to lighten things up? Choose some light wines that compliment the dishes, a few varietals that will serve as conversation topics, inoffensive wines that are non-polarizing, wholly drinkable, and of course, will naturally smooth things over after a few glasses bottles.

I teamed up with my in-house wine expert and favorite drinking buddy Zachary to help you pick out a few of the brightest, the lightest, the merriest, the most nefarious, and offensively shareable wines for your Thanksgiving table this year. Read on, drink up.

Why You’ll Like It: Is there anything more charming or captivating to share around a table than the story of the Beaujolais Nouveau? I say neau.

Why You’ll Drink It: Because it’s Thanksgiving and you’ll need alcohol.

What You’ll Taste: Each year during the third Thursday of November we (the French) celebrate the newest harvest of Gamay grapes with fireworks and revelry. Likewise on the fourth Thursday of November we (Les Americans) celebrate a long standing tradition, a meal that was the supposed heralding of the dawn of a new symbiosis. While it will likely be inappropriate to discuss politics with your seldom seen relatives, what will be appropriate is engaging them on a thousand other topics over a glass of perfectly drinkable Beaujolais. Raise a glass, stemless or stemmed, and care not what divides us save for how much we’ve loved the food and drink this day. Because odds are, we should find little to be at odds over when coming together this Thursday. Family, friends and neighbors: unite(!) over good food and drink and let’s take a page from the French playbook by eating, drinking and being merry with one another. Besides, we could use the practice before the *official* holidays roll around.

Why You’ll Like It: It will surprise the fuck out of everyone to hear “riesling” and not taste sweet. Or they won’t know what the hell you’re talking about and you’ll be in your own private sippy little state of bliss.

Why You’ll Drink It: Because it’s Thanksgiving and this is what seems to be the pinnacle of our young country’s cultural traditions.

Why You’ll Like It: It’s domestic. And that means it will be your best defense against your parents’ comments about how much “you liberals hate America.”

Why You’ll Drink It: Because it’s Thanksgiving and the only thing that’s uniting the table is the agreement on an overall clockwise passing of the plates.

What You’ll Taste: Juicy plum and cherry flavors make this wine a very nice complement to a hearty plate of turkey on this Thanksgiving day. A bit of sprite acidity accompanies the peppery finish to this deliciously drinkable wine. Much like the poultry served on Thursday, this easy-to-indulge-in wine is difficult to resist. Hug your neighbor, give thanks, and drink responsibly-ish.

Why You’ll Like It: It’s French, it looks and tastes more expensive than it actually is, and

Why You’ll Drink It: Because it’s Thanksgiving and you realize your family keeps getting weirder.

What You’ll Taste: The fruit flavors include currants and a bit of over-ripe blackberries, with a subtle dark chocolate finish. This slightly more mature varietal has medium tannins and acidity that deliver a robust round mouthfeel that would be well met with a tasty turkey day dessert such as, dare I say, pumpkin cheesecake.