The pairing logic, in depth
Turkey pairing is really table pairing. On most days you'd match a wine to a single dish; on Thanksgiving you're asking one bottle to get along with roast turkey, savory stuffing, sweet cranberry, earthy mushrooms, buttery potatoes, and a candied yam, all on the same fork. That's why the answer is never a big, opinionated wine - it's a diplomat. You want bright fruit, fresh acidity, and low tannin, so the wine bends to whatever bite comes next instead of fighting it.
Pinot Noir wins the vote because it is exactly that diplomat. It's light enough that it won't trample lean white meat, its red-berry fruit is a natural friend to cranberry, and its earthy, savory undertone locks onto stuffing, mushrooms, and gravy. Beaujolais (Gamay) is the budget-friendly understudy with the same playbook - juicy, low-tannin, served slightly chilled - and many people quietly prefer it.
The two enemies are tannin and bone-dryness. A tannic Cabernet overwhelms turkey's mild meat and turns harsh against cranberry's acidity; it's the classic holiday mismatch. And a completely dry wine can taste sour next to sweet cranberry and candied sides - which is the case for an off-dry Riesling, whose touch of sugar meets the sweetness on equal terms while its high acid keeps the whole plate lifted. Riesling is the secret weapon of people who've hosted enough Thanksgivings.
If your table can't agree, dry rosé is the peace treaty: it has a red's fruit and a white's freshness, it's gentle enough for every dish, and it looks festive in the glass. Serve the reds and rosé lightly chilled (55-60°F), buy a little more than you think you need, and don't overspend - the magic here is versatility, not prestige.