From the bronze-skinned turkey on the oval platter to the traditional accompaniments, tomorrow’s holiday menu at my house will be formulaic. But the choice of wines somehow floats free of certitudes. No matter how much I strategize, I never seem to have a firm hand on what to pour. In part, the wine-matching problem lies with the minefield of those “sides,” especially the candied sweet potatoes, the stuffing spiked with dried fruits, and the simultaneously sugary and acidic cranberry sauce. Even the brussels sprouts have never met a wine they liked.

The turkey provides its own provocations. So many wines, both red and white, almost succeed in seducing the bird, only to finally fail. They’re an okay match, but no sparks fly, as compared with what can happen. say, when a leg of lamb meets a firm Bordeaux, or a deep-flavored duck or truffled potatoes mate with an earthy red Burgundy. Ultimately, the flavor of Teflon Tom may be just too slippery to set off sparks with a good wine.

Still, the search for the right match goes on. Last week, I consulted with a few deep thinking wine pros to find out how they hope to solve tomorrow’s wine condundrum. Sure enough, a fresh idea came from Jenny Lefcourt of Jennie & Francois Selections, a specialist in French artisanal wines. “People get trapped when they try to decide between red or white wine at Thanksgiving,” Ms. Lefcourt said. “Why not choose a rosé? Nobody thinks about drinking rosé in winter, but it’s perfect with turkey. A Tavel, from southern France, would be lovely. It has extra weight, compared to most rosés. We import one called l’Anglore with vivid raspberry fruit” ($18.99 at Astor Wines).

Next I called Alice Feiring, a feisty wine journalist and blogger. “Actually, I could care less about food and wine pairings,” she said. “I just think of how to indulge myself with great wine. Lately, I have not been drinking enough Chateauneuf-du-Pape, which I realized after having a lovely bottle at 11 Madison Park. I’m going to choose one with traditional big flavors from the 2000 vintage — Domaine de la Côte de l’Ange. If there’s going to be a white, I’d go with a dry Savennières from Domaine du Closel in the Loire.”

Suppose, in your search for tomorrow’s ultimate wine, you could have your pick of a great wine shop. Peter Morrell can do that, as owner of an eponymous shop in Rockefeller Center. “I’m as last minute as everyone else,” Mr. Morrell said, when asked what he’s planning to drink tomorrow. As we spoke, he checked his inventory on his desk top and plotted a scenario: “Before dinner, let’s say we’ll sip Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut. At the table, I always serve a white and a red. The white will be a chardonnay, Landmark Damaris Reserve ($35.99). It’s medium bodied, fragrant, and just a bit exotic tasting. For the red, I’ll go with a master of pinot noir, Merry Edwards — her Meredith Estate bottling from the Sonoma Coast ($62.50).

Next I called Drew Nieporent, who presides over a group of restaurants that includes Nobu and Tribeca Grill. “Thanksgiving is a pretty important day for me,” he said. As usual, dinner will at the home of his Sicilian in-laws in Valley Cottage, N.Y. “They do all the heavy lifting for the meal,” he said. Like Mr. Morrell, Mr. Nieporent will be drinking American: “An Iron Horse or Schramberg bubbly, then a Ridge or Martinelli zinfandel.”

My last call was to Peter Meltzer, auction correspondent of Wine Spectator magazine, who said: “For a couple of years, my wife has made turkey from an Amish recipe. But we were only four people, including two cousins, and we had so much left over that it was criminal. So this year, we’ll take an unconventional approach. Our main course will be sea scallops on crushed potatoes with sauce charcouterie. It’s got cornichons, red onion and ham in it, so it’s not easy to match with wine. But I have a new approach: When the wine doesn’t match, don’t fret. Let it be memorable on its own. So this year, I’m bringing up from the cellar a three-pack of a great California proprietary red, Harlan Estate 1999. I haven’t tasted this wine since I bought it upon release. The only problem will be how to build up to it. Maybe with an Usseglio Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc. If I’m feeling really ambitious, I can dig deep for a bottle of Dom Perignon 1990. But my basic point of departure is: Let the wine be memorable.”

Now there’s a Thanksgiving strategy, similar to Ms. Feiring’s, that I can buy into. Taking a cue from them, I’ll forget about trying to match wines and dishes tomorrow. Instead, I’ll go with the best wines in my cellar. What could be bad about that?