Thanksgiving Wine & Dinner Calculator

About 7 bottles for 10 wine drinkers, 14 for 20 and 20 for 30. That's ¾ of a glass per drinker per hour over a 4-hour dinner, 5 glasses per bottle, plus a 10% buffer so you don't run out.

Pouring a sparkling toast? One bottle fills about 7 toast glasses. The calculator above splits your bottles into red, white, rosé and sparkling for your menu.

Buy 1¼ lb of whole turkey per guest, or about 1½ lb if you want leftovers. For a bone-in turkey breast, plan ¾ lb per guest, and count kids as half a portion.

For 12 adults that's a 15 lb bird, or about 19 lb with leftovers. Above 24 lb, two smaller turkeys cook more evenly.

In the fridge, allow 24 hours for every 4 to 5 lb. A 20 lb turkey needs 4 to 5 days, so for a Thursday dinner move it to the fridge by the Saturday or Sunday before.

Short on time? Thaw it in cold water in its wrapper: about 30 minutes per lb, changing the water every 30 minutes, then cook it right away. These are the USDA guidelines on FoodSafety.gov.

Light, fruity reds like Pinot Noir, Beaujolais and Zinfandel, and crisp whites like dry Riesling and unoaked Chardonnay. They work with the whole plate, from cranberry sauce to stuffing, without overpowering the turkey.

See all 12 picks, with classic and unexpected pairings, in our guide to the best Thanksgiving wines.

A dry sparkling wine: Prosecco and Cava are crowd-pleasing and easy on the budget, and Blanc de Noirs has the body to carry on into dinner. Chill it for about 2 hours before guests arrive.

More on the styles in Exploring the Sparkling World of Bubbly Wines.

About ½ lb of raw potatoes per guest when mashed potatoes are your only starch. If you're also serving sweet potatoes or another starch, the calculator splits the servings between them.

One 12 oz bag of stuffing cubes serves about 8 guests as a side. Plan a little more if stuffing is the favorite at your table; the calculator scales the full recipe, including broth, butter and celery.

One 9-inch pie for every 6 guests. A pie cuts into 8 slices, which covers a slice each plus seconds for a few. With two kinds of pie, the calculator splits the slices between them and rounds up to whole pies.

The turkey or ham, the ingredients for each side and dessert, the wine and any drinks, and pantry staples like butter, flour and spices. The calculator above builds this list for you, grouped by store aisle and rounded up to the package sizes you'll find on the shelf, with a countdown from thawing to dinner.

On its side somewhere about 55°F, dark and still. On the day, chill whites, rosé and sparkling for about 2 hours and serve reds slightly cool. A wine cooler keeps it all ready without taking over the kitchen fridge.