For some hosts, the holiday starts hours before anyone arrives, with a glass poured while the turkey goes in. Others wait until the doorbell rings to open the first bottle. Either way, the wine is the decision that trips up even practiced hosts. How much wine do we need? Which bottle goes with the turkey, and which with everything else on the plate? Is a magnum worth it, or just a flourish?
If you've searched for answers to those questions the week before Thanksgiving, you're in good company. The short answer to the first: plan on half a bottle per guest, or closer to a full bottle for a long holiday dinner. For the rest, here's the guide we'd give a friend hosting this year, built around the Bordeaux-style wines we've made on the Silverado Trail since 1972. Just like in Bordeaux, our wines are designed to be enjoyed with food. Their balance and freshness are exactly what a crowded holiday table needs.
How Much Wine Do You Need for a Holiday Dinner?
After more than fifty years of making wine, and pouring it at more holiday tables than we can count, we've found the math is simpler than it looks. For a sit-down dinner, the usual rule of thumb is half a bottle per guest. A standard 750-milliliter bottle pours about five glasses, so that works out to two or three glasses each.
Holiday dinners tend to outrun the rule. There's a glass while the turkey rests, a long meal, a toast, dessert, and one more pour nobody planned on. For a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner that runs four hours or more, plan on having closer to a full bottle per guest on hand, plus an extra bottle or two. Not everyone will drink their share, and that's fine. We'll tell you what we tell friends: always plan for a little extra. Running short is a quick way to wrap up the night before you’re ready to.
| Bottle | Holds | Glasses | Standard dinner (1/2 bottle each) | Long holiday dinner (1 bottle each) |
| Standard (750 mL) | 1 bottle | About 5 | 2 guests | 1 guest |
| Magnum (1.5 L) | 2 bottles | About 10 | 4 guests | 2 guests |
| Double magnum (3 L) | 4 bottles | About 20 | 8 guests | 4 guests |
| Imperial (6 L) | 8 bottles | About 40 | 16 guests | 8 guests |
So a Thanksgiving for eight could run on eight standard bottles, or on a single 6-liter Cabernet with a magnum of rosé alongside for anyone who wants something lighter. For 12 guests, plan on six bottles for a standard dinner and twelve for a long holiday one. For 20, that's ten bottles at minimum, and twenty for a dinner that runs late.
Going Big: Why a Magnum Belongs on a Holiday Table
Once you know how many are coming, the next question is how big a bottle you should serve. A magnum does something four separate bottles can't; it becomes part of the centerpiece, it gets passed down the table like a platter, and everyone ends up drinking the same wine at the same moment. Big bottles are kind to the wine, too. There's less air in the bottle for the amount of wine inside, so it ages more slowly and gracefully, which is why collectors prize them. It's also why a big bottle ranks among the best wines to buy for a cellar, if one of yours happens to survive the holidays unopened.
Our large formats run from a magnum of rosé to a 6-liter of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that pours for sixteen at a standard dinner, along with a few library magnums for a table that deserves something rare.
Which Wines to Pour, Course by Course
A holiday menu asks a lot of a wine. Sweet, savory, rich and tart all show up on the same plate, so the bottles that work best are the ones with enough freshness to keep up. The nice thing about Napa Valley Bordeaux-style wine is that one family of grapes can carry the whole evening, from the first glass in the kitchen to the last one at the table. Here's the order we'd pour them in.
While Everyone Arrives
Start with white. Something crisp and bright wakes everyone up around the cheese board without weighing anyone down before dinner, and Sauvignon Blanc, Bordeaux's classic white grape, is made for exactly that job. One with a little time in barrel brings more texture, if the appetizers run rich.
The Big Meal
This is where Cabernet Franc earns its place. Ours brings rose petal, cinnamon and a little cedar, which sit comfortably next to turkey, cranberry and herb stuffing alike, and its tannins stay gentle enough for a plate that's half sides. If roast beef or lamb is the main event, reach for a Cabernet Sauvignon, which has the structure to stand up to it. And for anyone who'd rather keep it light, a cold glass of rosé never feels out of place on a holiday table.
The Toast
When everyone's seated and someone taps a glass, pour something you've been looking forward to. For us, that's Yettalil, our flagship Bordeaux-style blend from the estate. Whatever you choose, open it an hour ahead so it's ready when the speeches start.
Friendsgiving and the Nights In Between
Not every holiday gathering is a formal affair. For Friendsgiving, a potluck, or a weeknight in between, a chillable red is the easy answer, and it's why we made Table Wine: Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, the same Bordeaux family in a lighter mood, happiest straight out of the fridge. It's table wine in the truest sense, a bottle nobody has to fuss over, though we fussed plenty making it. It held its own at all three dinners we took it to this summer.
What We'd Tell Anyone Hosting This Year
Serve the reds a little cooler than the room. A warm kitchen with the oven going for six hours does a big Cabernet no favors, so twenty minutes in the fridge before dinner helps. The whites, the rosé and Table Wine can go in the night before.
Open the reds before guests arrive, and taste each one. It gives the wine some air and spares you a corked bottle at the table. If you're pouring from a library magnum, stand it upright for a day first so any sediment settles to the bottom.
Keep the bottles on the table, within reach, alongside a pitcher of water and something good without alcohol for anyone skipping the wine. Half the fun of a holiday dinner is people topping off each other's glasses, and the other half is making sure everyone gets home safely.
And buy early. Big bottles and older vintages are limited by nature, and the weeks before a holiday are when everyone else is shopping, too. If you'd like a second opinion on what to pour, our team is a phone call away at 707.261.5212.
After the Last Pour
When the house finally goes quiet, recork whatever's left and put it in the fridge, reds included. Most open bottles hold up for a few days, which makes the leftover-sandwich lunch the next afternoon a good deal better.
And if this year you're the one ringing the doorbell instead of answering it, our companion guide for guests covers what to bring, whether it's Friendsgiving with old friends, dinner at your boss's house, or meeting the parents for the first time. Otherwise, the table is yours to set, and the planning is half the fun.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much wine do I need for Thanksgiving dinner? Plan on half a bottle per guest for a standard dinner party. Holiday dinners usually run longer, so for Thanksgiving or Christmas plan on having closer to a full bottle per guest on hand, plus one or two extra bottles. Not everyone will drink that much; the extra just means you won't run out.
How many glasses of wine are in a magnum? About ten. A magnum holds 1.5 liters, the same as two standard 750-milliliter bottles, and each standard bottle pours about five glasses.
What size is a 6-liter wine bottle called? In Bordeaux, a 6-liter bottle is called an imperial. It holds the equivalent of eight standard bottles, or about 40 glasses.
What is a Napa Valley Bordeaux-style wine? A wine from Napa Valley made from the grapes traditionally grown in Bordeaux: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot for reds, and Sauvignon Blanc for whites. Clos du Val has made Bordeaux-style wines in Napa's Stags Leap District since 1972.
What wine goes best with Thanksgiving dinner? Wines with good freshness and moderate tannin handle the mix of sweet, savory and tart on a Thanksgiving plate best. Cabernet Franc, rosé and Sauvignon Blanc are all strong choices, with a Cabernet Sauvignon for roast beef or lamb.
Should I serve red or white wine at Thanksgiving? Both, if you can. A crisp white like Sauvignon Blanc suits the hour before dinner and the lighter dishes, and reds take over once the turkey arrives. Having a rosé or chillable red on hand covers anyone who wants something in between.
How far ahead should I open red wine for a holiday dinner? Open younger, structured reds like Cabernet Sauvignon 30 minutes to an hour before serving, or pour them into a decanter. Older bottles need less air and more care: stand them upright for a day so sediment settles, then open them shortly before pouring.
Are large-format bottles good for holiday parties? Yes. A magnum or larger bottle serves a crowd from a single pour, makes a natural centerpiece, and ages more slowly than a standard bottle because there's less air relative to the wine.
What wine should I bring or serve at Friendsgiving? Something easygoing and food-friendly. Clos du Val Table Wine, a chillable red blend of Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, is made for exactly that kind of gathering.
Does Clos du Val sell magnums and large formats? Yes. Our large formats include magnums of the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Rosé of Cabernet Franc, Estate Cabernet Franc and Yettalil, 3-liter and 6-liter Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and library magnums of our Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, all on our Large Formats page.