Wine and celebration go together. And there aren't many bigger causes for celebration than Thanksgiving. So it will soon be time to be choosing our wines to celebrate Thanksgiving in the best possible way.

However, picking the right wines to celebrate Thanksgiving isn't as easy as it sounds.

Why not? There are two reasons it's a difficult choice. First, there's a huge range of possible food that can be served at the Thanksgiving meal. Second, unlike most other dinners, the Thanksgiving meal often isn't served in a succession of courses, where an appropriate wine can be served with each course. More often all the food is put on the table at once, so people can fill up their plates from all the different dishes.

So how can you rise to the challenge of choosing wines to go with such a wide range of food?

The number one thing to remember when choosing wines to celebrate Thanksgiving is that the food is paramount, and the wine is there to enhance the experience of the meal and the feeling of celebration. So, on this occasion, forget about the rich, powerful, highly-flavored wines that you may enjoy at other times. You want wines that won't overpower the food - wines that are lighter, not too much tannin, and 11-13% alcohol levels or even lower.

Of course, if you want to play safe, you can't go wrong with a soft and fruity Merlot for red, or a Chardonnay for white - the Chardonnay served cool rather than chilled. These wines will go fine with most of the foods and won't overwhelm the flavor. But you may decide you want to be a bit more adventurous. Sparkling wine and Champagne - you don't normally think of these as table wine. But you'll find sparkling wine an ideal pairing with this type of meal because of its higher acidity and lower alcohol. And of course, there's nothing to beat bubbly for a sense of celebration! Ros'e wines - these are very suitable because they are mostly low in alcohol. They have a fresh, fruity flavor, without tannin, so they complement the food beautifully. If you fancy a red wine, you could hardly find a better choice than a low-alcohol Pinot Noir (this is nothing to do with the movie Sideways). The light Pinot Noirs have delicious subtle flavors that enhance the food and don't mask it. The best choice for white wine would be a German wine like Riesling or Gewurztramer. Don't be misled by the bad press of Riesling - this was because a lot of inferior wines at one time became mistakenly associated with the Riesling brand. Real Rieslings can be really delicious, and both these wines - even the sweeter ones - have the right level of acidity to go with a rich meal.

Of course, there's nothing to say you have to offer just one wine - provide a choice and everyone will be happy. The main thing to remember when choosing wines to celebrate Thanksgiving is to forget the rich powerful beverages that you enjoy at other times. Choose wines that enhance the food, and you'll have a perfect Thanksgiving meal!

For a wonderful range of wines to celebrate Thanksgiving, come and visit us at http://www.MyVintageWine.com/thanksgivingwinegifts.html