Martha Stewart's Wine Tip Takes The Guesswork Out Of Thanksgiving Parties
When Martha Stewart began her venture into the world of cookbooks, her first publication, "Entertaining," included tips for plating and hosting alongside her recipes. She now frequently shares tips and tricks for hosting the perfect holiday get-together, and her website even features an entire section dedicated to Thanksgiving.
Stewart is well-versed in sharing holiday-ready recipes, and when picking out the perfect wine to serve with Thanksgiving dinner, she has that covered, too. Instead of selecting one type of wine for everyone to share or purchasing several different wines that may wind up unfinished at the end of the evening, Stewart told Food & Wine that hosts should stick with just two bottles: A light red and a white wine.
Of course, you may want to purchase a few bottles to make sure all your guests can enjoy a glass or two — each bottle contains around five glasses of wine. By sticking with just two options, you can take the guesswork out of grabbing a glass to sip on.
How you cook your turkey could impact your wine choice
When choosing which wines to offer your Thanksgiving guests, you should also consider how you will serve your main course. In particular, how you cook your turkey could impact which wine will be the best choice. Stewart told Food & Wine, "The zinfandel is great if you're going to serve a roast turkey."
And, if you do plan on roasting your turkey, you can follow Stewart's recommendation of using a clean t-shirt to help season the poultry before cooking it.
If you prefer the flavor of deep-fried turkey, Stewart endorses serving an acidic, sparkling wine alongside the poultry. The light, refreshing beverage could help balance the fried food's heaviness. And, it's important to pair wines with similar acidity to the food they're served with since it could make both taste even better. For a smaller, stuffed turkey, try uncorking a fruity pinot noir to complement the flavors of the stuffing.
Stewart says not to focus on the wine glasses
If turkey isn't the star of your Thanksgiving dinner, plenty of other wine pairings go with different dishes. If you plan on piling plates high with a side of macaroni and cheese, Stewart told Extra that a Bordeaux will pair well with cheeses. She suggested serving a blended wine instead if you plan on serving other holiday meats — like a honey brown sugar glazed ham.
As for how you serve the wines, Stewart seems less picky with the presentation, telling Food & Wine she'll use any glass. So long as you're serving up wines that your guests will enjoy sipping on, chances are they won't be concerned about whether the beverage is served in the "correct" type of glass.
When planning to host a Thanksgiving dinner, give your guests just two different wine options to choose from — and make sure they'll pair well with the foods you're serving.