The Day After Thanksgiving: Leftovers and a Decanted Merlot

Last updated: November 2026

What Wine Goes with Thanksgiving Leftovers?

Merlot. Duckhorn Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot has the silky texture and bright red fruit to handle a turkey sandwich, stuffing and cranberry sauce on the same plate. If a bottle is left from Thursday, push the cork back in, keep it in the refrigerator overnight and take it out about 30 minutes before lunch. For heartier leftovers, open Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. For a day-after dinner worth dressing up for, Three Palms Vineyard Merlot.

Thursday gets the photographs. Friday gets the best sandwich of the year.

By the day after Thanksgiving, the hard part is over. The good china is back in the cabinet, the refrigerator is a puzzle of foil and mismatched lids, and whoever stayed over is drifting into the kitchen in yesterday’s sweater. Nobody has anywhere to be, which may be why so many of us quietly prefer the leftovers to the feast.

It’s also the best excuse we know to open Merlot at lunch.

Duckhorn Vineyards has made Merlot in Napa Valley since our first vintage in 1978, and we have always made it for the table. Margaret Duckhorn once described wine as “an enhancement to the meal.” The day after Thanksgiving may be the most honest test of that idea: no centerpiece, no seating chart, just good food on its second day and a bottle worth finishing.

Why Leftovers (and Merlot) Often Taste Better on Day Two

Anyone who has eaten cold stuffing in front of the open refrigerator knows something happens overnight. The herbs settle in, the gravy thickens and the cranberry sauce loses its sharp edge. Dishes that sat side by side on Thursday start to taste like they belong together.

An opened bottle of red goes through its own version of that. A little air softens the edges and lets the fruit and spice come forward, and Merlot, silky to begin with, takes to a second day especially well. Our founders knew this before there was a winery. In the mid-1970s, when they were tasting every bottle they could find, Dan Duckhorn recalled, “Margaret and I would bring a bottle home, drink half of it, and then save it for the next night.”

Their method still works. Push the cork back in, keep the bottle in the refrigerator overnight and give it about 30 minutes on the counter to come back up to 60 to 65°F before pouring. Day two is the sweet spot. By the end of the long weekend, whatever remains has earned a place in the gravy.

Should You Decant Merlot?

Yes, and the old bottles aren’t the only ones that benefit. Decanting tends to be talked about as a Cabernet ritual, yet a young Merlot opens up nicely with 20 to 30 minutes in a decanter. The pour changes the mood, too. Set a decanter beside a platter of leftovers and lunch starts to feel like an occasion.

A freshly opened bottle of Duckhorn Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot rewards that short decant. A bottle saved from Thursday usually needs nothing more than a swirl in the glass.

No decanter in the house? A clean glass pitcher does the job. Pour slowly down the side and let it rest while the sandwiches come together.

How to Pair Wine with Thanksgiving Leftovers

The Leftover Turkey Sandwich

Every family has a house version, and most are too tall to eat politely. Turkey, stuffing, a swipe of cranberry sauce and, if someone is feeling bold, a spoonful of warm gravy. It’s the whole holiday stacked into one bite, so it needs a wine that can handle sweet, savory and rich at once.

Napa Valley Merlot does that work. The 2023 opens with red currant and raspberry, which meet the cranberry halfway, and its silky texture and notes of plum and cherry sit comfortably with turkey that has had a night to firm up. Toast the bread well. With good cranberry sauce on hand, the mayonnaise can stay in the refrigerator.

Turkey Soup

Soup made from the carcass may be the thriftiest and most restorative meal of the weekend. White wine is the reflex here, and if someone at the table insists, Duckhorn Vineyards Napa Valley Chardonnay is a lovely companion to the bowl. A turkey soup built on roasted bones, root vegetables and a long simmer also has the depth to welcome a glass of Merlot, especially one with enough freshness to keep each spoonful lively.

Stuffing

Stuffing is usually the first container to empty, and it improves more overnight than anything else in the refrigerator. Crisp it in a skillet with a little butter until the edges turn golden. Sage and toasted bread find an easy partner in Merlot’s baking spice, and a stuffing made with sausage or mushrooms makes the case even stronger.

Roasted Vegetables, Second Act

Leftover squash, carrots and Brussels sprouts rarely get the attention they deserve. Crisp them into a hash with a fried egg on top, or fold them into a frittata for a late breakfast. Caramelized edges and earthy sweetness are natural matches for Merlot, and suddenly the meal feels new.

Which Duckhorn Wine for Which Leftovers

Napa Valley Merlot: The Sandwich-and-Football Afternoon

Our everyday answer to the leftovers question, and the bottle to keep open on the counter all afternoon. It covers the sandwiches, the stuffing and whatever lands on the grazing board between games.

Rector Creek Vineyard Merlot: The Richer Leftover Meal

For gravy-heavy plates and savory casseroles, Rector Creek Vineyard Merlot brings more depth. It is a single-vineyard Merlot made entirely from estate fruit, and the 2022 is round and velvety, with ripe raspberry and a spiced accent of cocoa and fig.

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: The Hearty Second Dinner

When the leftovers turn into turkey pot pie or a shepherd’s pie topped with the last of the mashed potatoes, Cabernet’s structure stands up to the richness. It’s also the bottle to open if the weekend calls for a steak night to give everyone a break from turkey.

Three Palms Vineyard Merlot: The Dinner Worth Setting the Table Again

Three Palms is where our Merlot story begins. In 1978, our first vintage, Duckhorn made 800 cases of Merlot from the vineyard and put its name on the label to honor friends of the Duckhorns, the Uptons, who owned it. We sourced fruit from its stony ground for decades before the vineyard became ours in 2015, and the 2014 vintage, Renée Ary’s first as head winemaker, was named Wine Spectator’s #1 Wine of 2017. Save it for the Saturday when a few friends come back and the good glasses come out one more time. A wild mushroom risotto with the last of the turkey folded in would do it justice.

Start a Day-After Tradition

Before there was a winery, there was an open door. In the mid-1970s, Dan remembered, friends would come over with bags of bottles to taste together, “all informal, sometimes formal.” That easy, come-on-over spirit is a big part of why Duckhorn exists, and the day after Thanksgiving is when it comes most naturally.

So make it a ritual. Set the table, even if it’s just placemats, and decant the Merlot. Put the leftovers out family-style, invite the neighbors who couldn’t make it on Thursday and let everyone build their own plate. Without oven timers or a seating chart, the conversation has room to wander somewhere better.

For more of the people and moments behind our first 50 years, visit 50 Years, 50 Stories. And when the leftovers run out, the gift list begins - Shop Holiday Gift Sets.

Frequently Asked Questions About Wine and Thanksgiving Leftovers

What wine goes best with Thanksgiving leftovers?

Merlot is the most versatile choice. Duckhorn Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot pairs with turkey sandwiches, stuffing, cranberry sauce, soup and roasted vegetables thanks to its silky texture and bright red fruit. For heavier dishes such as turkey pot pie, try Duckhorn Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Is Merlot still good the day after opening?

Yes. Recorked and refrigerated, an opened bottle of red wine is often at its best on day two and will hold for two to three days. Take it out about 30 minutes before serving so it can warm to around 60 to 65°F.

Should you decant Merlot?

A young Merlot benefits from 20 to 30 minutes in a decanter, which softens the tannins and opens the aromatics. A bottle opened the day before usually needs only a swirl in the glass.

What wine goes with a leftover turkey sandwich?

Napa Valley Merlot. Its red currant and raspberry notes meet the cranberry sauce, and its silky texture suits turkey and stuffing.

What wine goes with turkey soup?

Chardonnay is the classic choice, but a turkey soup made with roasted bones and root vegetables also pairs beautifully with Merlot.

What wines should I open for a leftovers get-together?

One versatile red and one white cover nearly everything. Duckhorn Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot and Napa Valley Chardonnay work across sandwiches, soups, casseroles and a grazing board.