Forget the stopwatch and the stress. Thanksgiving is a long, delicious stretch, more like a slow dance than a sprint. With the right bottles on hand, you can glide from appetizers to the aftermath with a glass that keeps every moment bright and buoyant.

A Bubbly Kickoff

By the time guests start rolling in, the kitchen crew is deep in the trenches still. For a crowd-pleasing welcome without any fuss, reach for a palate priming sparkler—think cava, prosecco, Lambrusco, and beyond.

When it comes to the holidays, Champagne might seem like the default pick, but for “big family events, I like to do something a bit more value-oriented,” says George Day-Toles, the beverage and education manager at Verve Wine in Chicago. Crémant, a category of French sparkling wines made using the same traditional method as Champagne but outside the Champagne region, is a classic go-to, he says. It’s “essentially like baby Champagne,” Day-Toles explains, the perfect sip “to get your palate going.”

Pour this: Val de Mer NV French Sparkling Non Dosé, $24

This year, Day-Toles has already set aside a bottle of Val de Mer sparkling wine produced by Patrick Piuze, the Burgundy négociant. While not labeled Crémant, it’s 100% Chardonnay sourced just miles from Chablis and vinified in the same Champagne method. It’s brut nature, so it’s nice and dry, making it an ideal aperitif wine, he says.

We’re Seated

The quintessential American Thanksgiving is a glorious mess of flavors. With roast turkey nestled against marshmallows and brussels sprouts migrating into pools of mac and cheese and cranberry sauce, precise pairings are moot.

Start the main event with bright, juicy wines versatile enough to handle anything, from candied sweet potatoes to a briny oyster stuffing. Focus on unoaked whites with texture—think fuller-bodied expressions of Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio, smoky Italian whites like Greco di Tufo and Falanghina, or fruity but dry expressions of Riesling. For red, think medium-bodied wines with delicate tannins—Pinot Noir, Gamay, or Grenache-based blends from the Côtes du Rhône. Rosé wines, too, whether a blush-hued Provencal or an intensely concentrated Tavel shine beautifully with any Thanksgiving meal.

Pour this: Le Monde 2023 Pinot Grigio Friuli, $22

“Every year, one of my staple wines is this Pinot Grigio,” Day-Toles says. Produced in Italy’s Friuli region from old vines planted in the ’70s, it stands apart from more diluted, lighter-bodied versions that dominate the market, he says. Despite its affordability, “it’s Pinot Grigio for someone who likes something a little bit more serious, a little bit more compelling.”

Round Two

By round two, everyone’s slowing down. Bellies may be full, but the buffet’s still calling and you need something zippy. This is where high-acid whites, sparklers, and chillable reds shine, wines that refresh the palate and kick-start your appetite again. Consider a spine tingling off-dry Riesling here—a kabinett or spatlese from the Mosel with just a kiss of sweetness, perhaps. Alternatively, Loris Jones-Randolph, a Los Angeles–based sommelier and content creator, points to Passetoutgrain, vibrantly fruity, floral blends of Pinot Noir and Gamay from Burgundy.