Savvy retailers know Thanksgiving is where wine meets food to kick off the holiday season. Retailers are dialing up wine tastings and recommendations and promoting them through email blasts, social media and in-store displays. “Thanksgiving says Ian Aker, owner, Summerland Wine & Spirits in Summerland Key, Florida sales are very important as it’s the first holiday in many months where people spend big money on wine,”. “Wine is the ideal pairing with the traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner and starts the annual transition for many people from beer to wine.”
Aker notes Thanksgiving brings out the Pinot Noir buyers at his Summerland store and his Florida Cork and Bottle store in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida. “It’s partly due to the weather getting cooler, and also because Pinot Noirs pair well with turkey,” he says.
Aker’s leading Pinot Noir sellers for Thanksgiving are A to Z Oregon Pinot Noir ($20 a 750-ml.), Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Pinot Noir ($40), Mark West Pinot Noir ($10), and Meiomi ($18).” On the higher end, sales of Caymus Napa Cabernet ($80) are usually up. “We also increase the frequency of wine tastings leading up to holidays,” he says. “It gives customers an additional reason to come in and shop and get ideas for holiday meals and gifts.”
At Top Ten Liquors in Minneapolis and St. Paul, the 15-unit retailer has a heavy November tasting calendar Fridays and Saturdays. The retailer uses email blasts and social media spotlights staff picks and simple pairing suggestions. “Thanksgiving is a key kickoff and one of the top wine weeks of the year,” says store co-owner, Jon Halper. “It’s an important momentum builder for December. Customers stock up for gatherings, and it brings new shoppers into our loyalty program.”
Top Ten stores’ end caps are built around holiday wine pairings ideas. The stores also have a ‘better than the national brands,’ private-label comparison approach and member-exclusive pricing on key holiday wines. “We lean into trial and education every Friday and Saturday and our on-site wine expert hand-picks our Buyer’s Select wines offering a premium taste at a value price,” Halper says.
Popular Thanksgiving wines at the retailer include Pike Road Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($22 a 50-ml.), Bryn Mawr Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($25), and California Chardonnays Sonoma Cutrer ($17.96), and Chalk Hill ($20). “Our customers are gravitating toward $15–$25 a 750-ml. for everyday wines, and $25–$50 for holiday and entertaining bottles,” Halper says. “Value still matters, but consumers want quality they can trust.”
Other popular Thanksgiving wines at Top Ten include Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc ($16), Les Cardonnieres Provence Rosé ($15), and Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel ($18). “We see a meaningful bump in rosé because it pairs well with turkey and sides,” Halper says. “We expect a solid but value-conscious holiday season. We’re seeing strong interest in wines under $20 delivering restaurant-level quality, and we’re leaning into real-world recommendations over hype.”
In Hoboken, New Jersey, ‘The Wines of Turkey’ are featured at both Sparrow Wine & Liquor Co. stores and on the retailer’s website. It’s a selection of wines created by store owner and wine director Armando Luis “to make everyone at the table happy without breaking the bank.”
Wines on the list include 2023 Catena Chardonnay, Mendoza, Argentina ($19 a 750-ml.), 2022 Provenance Merlot Napa Valley ($25), 2022 Joel Gott Cabernet Sauvignon 815 ($16), and 2023 Trefethen Dry Riesling ($25). “We’re doing three days of ‘Wines of Turkey’ tasting the weekend before and promoting on the leading local social media platform, Hoboken Girl.com,” Luis says.
Luis says there’s no reason to overspend or overthink Thanksgiving wines. “We promote softer reds like Pinot Noir, Gamay and Merlot, but also include some softer Cabs and lighter reds from Spain and Italy like Mencia and Etna Rosso,” he says. “We promote flavorful wines like New World Chardonnay, Oregon Pinot Gris as well as Chenin Blanc, and Grenache-Marssane blends. We keep it under $30 and mostly under $20. We promote a day to enjoy wine, not impress with wine.”
At McCabes Wine & Spirits in Manhattan, light red wines are popular Thanksgiving wines. “Pinot Noir, especially from Oregon and Burgundy, and Beaujolais Gamay always lead the charge,” says store owner Daniel Mesznik. “They are fruit-forward, wonderful with a chill and pair perfectly with the Thanksgiving table. There are also opportunities for some new wines to be thrown into the mix.”
Light red wines being featured at McCabes this holiday season include Big Table Farm Pinot Noir ($68), Jerome Fornerot Bourgogne Pinot Noir Vieille Vignes ($36), Jean Foillard, Beaujolais-Villages ($36), Burlotto Verduno Pelaverga ($44), and Domaine Vincent Prunier Passetoutgrain ($25), which Mesznik says is “a delicious mix of Pinot Noir and Gamay.”
Mesznik plans in-store tastings every Thursday through Saturday in November and December. “For Thanksgiving there’s a focus on wines on Thursdays. Friday and Saturday we’re pouring a healthy mix of spirits,” he says. “We’re comfortably in the $25-$40 range for wine.”
Thanksgiving wine sales are critical to beverage alcohol retailers. “It’s a party at McCabes during the build-up to Thanksgiving, and it’s most certainly among our busiest times of year,” Mesznik says. “We just finished a positive October, and we’re gearing up for an even stronger November and December,” he says. “We’re fortunate to be holding our own and we’ve continued growing our online sales.”