I learned a lot about brining in culinary school. Meats (especially poultry) benefit from being brined. The breast meat of poultry is naturally lean and can become dry easily. Brining will ensure every piece of turkey will be moist and juicy for your holiday meals.
A brine is a salt solution. Olives are brined. When a protein is brined, the science of osmosis happens. The salt traps water molecules inside the meat and in turn, makes the final cooked product moist and juicy.

Pairing wines with Thanksgiving day meals is easy. What defines the meal for you? For me it’s the side dishes. Stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy define my meal. These are rich, hearty foods. You can go with a rich, hearty wine or a fruity and crisp wine for contrast.

Pinot Noir Beaujolais and Zinfandel are great reds for your meal. They are fruity and rich wines. The Beaujolais is the lightest of the three reds. They will probably be the most popular among non-wine drinking guests. Pinot is lighter than the Zin. In my opinion Pinot Noir is the food friendliest red wine out there. It is lighter, so it doesn’t get in the way of your food. There is bright acidity which enhances the food flavors on you palate. Beaujolais Nouveau will also work quite well and they are pleantiful this time of year. The Nouveau’s are always released right a week before Thanksgiving. They are sweeter than the Pinot Noir, but a bit more straightforward and not complex.

For white wines, Riesling, Gewurtztraminier and Pinot Gris are great wines for Thanksgiving. Rieslings are usually on the sweeter side and in general, they are the most food friendly wine out there. If you brine your bird, the sweet wine and the slightly salty bird will work together quite well.

White reccomendations:

Riesling

<$10 2006 Clean Slate: Unclassified German Great, balanced sweetness and acidity. Wonderful value. I'm drinking this for Turkey Day

<$20 2005 Dr. Heyden Oppenheimer Sacktrager Spatlese: Great, open nose. Another great value.

<$40 2005 Joh Jos Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese: Unbelievable wine. Huge nose, great balance, will age a long time.

2006 Chateau Ste. Michelle Eroica: Dry, crisp and light. Very, very nice.

Gewurtztraminer

<$10 2006 Columbia Cellars: Good value, balanced sweetness with a curry/baking spice notes.

<$40 2005 Zind Humbrecht Herrenweg de Turckheim: Great Alsacian white. Almost tropical nose, nice sweetness, balanced acidity.

Beaujolais

<$15 2005 Domaine Jean-Marc Burgaud Morgon: Great Cru Beaujolais. Lots of tart raspberry flavors and quite earthy.

Pinot Noir

<$15 2006 Over the Shoulder: Showcase Pinot from Australia. Great fruit and acidity that will pair up with nealy any meal. I'm drinking this for Turkey Day

<$30 2005 Acacia Carneros: Up front fruit and well balanced. I like the texture of this wine.

Zinfandel

<$15 2005 Windmill, Lodi: In my opinion, the best value Zin out there. Fruit forward, almost a smokey/meaty component with this wine.

<$60 2005 Martinelli Giuseppe & Luisa: Yeah, this is a high priced, big zin. It is a special bottle of wine that was one of the top wines of my Napa/Sonoma trip. Great, great wine.