UPDATED MAY 2025
Can we talk about pumpkin pie wine pairings? For many people, this timeless fall dessert is the highlight of the Thanksgiving holiday. Forget the turkey and stuffing. The third Thursday in November is all about pumpkin with nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger-clove spices, that flakey, buttery crust, and a dreamy dollop of fresh whipped cream.
Picking the best wines for Thanksgiving turkey was easy, but how do you choose the perfect wine to complement your pumpkin pie? If this is your first time pairing pumpkin pie with wine, don’t worry, this guide covers some of the easiest bottles to purchase (most are available at your local grocery store), tips for serving and storing dessert wines, and ideas for Thanksgiving wine tags to help your guests navigate the pie and wine dessert table.
When you’re ready to share your pie wine pairing with your friends on Instagram, save yourself some time and use one of these fun fall wine captions – or better yet, send a thoughtful Thanksgiving message with these ideas.
What wine goes well with pumpkin pie?
The only thing you need to remember when pairing wine with pumpkin pie is this: sweet pie requires sweet wine. Pumpkin pie is a classic fall dessert with a rich, creamy texture and warm, spicy flavors.
It pairs well with a variety of wines, but some of the top 5 pairing ideas include:
Late Harvest Riesling
Late Harvest Riesling is a sweet style of Riesling made from grapes that are left on the vine to ripen longer than usual (basically, they are left behind when the rest of the grapes that are used in still and sparkling wine have already been harvested). This extra hang time on the vine causes the grapes to develop more sugar, which leads to more concentrated (and delicious!) flavors. The high sugar content and sweet notes of honey, apricot and peach are perfect with pumpkin pie spice.
You could also serve pumpkin pie with a traditional sweet Riesling.
Gewürztraminer
This food-friendly wine is all about intense aromatics and sweet notes of lychee, ginger, tropical fruit, rose, and even tangerine. Gewürztraminer is made in dry and sweet styles, so when crafting your perfect pumpkin pie wine pairing, be sure you select a sweet bottling.
Aged Tawny Port
Aged Tawny Port is a sweet fortified wine that is released in decade bottlings, so you will find bottles labeled 10 year, 20 year, 30 year, and 40 year Tawny Port. These wines have pleasant notes of candied nuts, dried fruits, and luscious caramel. This wine goes well with pumpkin pie because its sweetness complements the rich and creamy texture of homemade pumpkin pie.
Ice Wine
Ice Wine is elegant, sweet, and irresistible with pie – or any Thanksgiving dessert, for that matter. This special wine is made with grapes that have been allowed to freeze on the vine, and are then harvested in the dead of winter while they are still frozen.
Ice Wine also happens to be my favorite after-drink – even if there is no dessert involved – so I can personally vouch for this pairing. Try Inniskillin from Canada’s Niagara region and enjoy a crisp, sweet wine with notes of candied fruit, brown sugar, and honey.
Sparkling Wine
You’ve got a few choices for your pie pairing if you select a sparkling wine for the holiday.
Moscato d’Asti is a sweet sparkling wine with ripples of peach and ripe apricot. It’s also lower in alcohol than the other options on this list.
Demi-Sec Champagne is a pumpkin pie wine that is semi-sweet. This sparkler is a refreshing way to end the evening, and settle into a satisfying food-coma.
Use Pumpkin Pie Wine Tags
Make it easy (and fun!) for your guests to decide which wine to enjoy with their pumpkin pie by adding pumpkin pie wine tags to your bottles. Thanksgiving wine tags like these are also helpful if you’re serving different kinds of pies.
Pumpkin Pie Wine Pairing Tips
- If you serve Aged Tawny Port, make sure the wine has a little chill on it. This dessert wine is best served at 55–58°F.
- Serve Late Harvest Wines at 45–55ºF.
- The sweetness of the pie will affect the type of wine you choose. If your pie is very sweet, choose a sweeter wine. If the pie is more pumpkiny, you can choose a drier sparkling wine, or even a light Pinot Noir, sweet Riesling, or Chenin Blanc.
How to Store
Worried you won’t finish your bottle of wine? Don’t be! Tawny Port can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, which makes it perfect with all of that leftover pie. Dessert wines like Ice Wine can be stored for 1 to 2 weeks. Opened bottles of sparkling wine can be stored for 3 to 4 days.
How to Serve Dessert Wines
If you serve dessert wines like Tawny Port or Ice Wine with your pumpkin pie, use a dessert wine glass. These specialty glasses are smaller than still and sparkling glasses, and are the ideal size for the standard dessert wine pour of 2.5–3 oz.
Go functional, with dessert wine glasses like these. Or go fancy, with dessert wine glasses like these.
Pro Tip: You can find beautiful vintage etched dessert wine glasses at just about every antique store.
FAQs
Does red or white wine go with pumpkin pie?
Pair pumpkin pie with sweeter wines to match the sweet flavor profile of pumpkin pie. These wines can be red or white. It’s all up to your personal taste and preferences.
What red wine goes well with pumpkin pie pairings?
If you want to pair red wine with pumpkin pie, go with Pinot Noir. The gentle elegance of this grape offers a nice touch to the rich pie flavor.