When temperatures drop in winter, it’s time to get cozy. Whether your winters are snow-filled or a bit more mild, we bet the season brings heartier meals to your kitchen table. Cold nights and warm dishes definitely call for flavorful wines. That same rosé or Pinot Grigio you savored all summer long definitely isn’t cutting it anymore. So, here are five of our favorite winter wines to savor with the season.
What is a Winter Wine?
During winter we crave warm and rich dishes with bold flavors to warm us from the inside out. Dishes like this require substantial wines that can hold up against the bolder flavors and richness of winter cuisines.
Mourvèdre
Mourvèdre wines are bold, dark, meaty, and full-bodied. Their fruit aromas and flavors are typically on the darker side, such as plum, blueberry and blackberry. This red winter wine is complex with notes of violet, pepper, smoke, and meat. Mourvèdre wines are begging to be paired with a rich winter pot roast with braised carrots and onions.
Wine recommendation: Domaine Tempier, Bandol Rouge, France
Syrah
Syrah is another big, bold and rustic red wine perfect for winter! Ripe blackberry and boysenberry aromas dominate the nose. While savory notes, such as olives, pepper, herbs, tobacco, and cured meat fill the robust palate. Syrah is basically a whole meal, in a glass. Though if you’re going to pair this red wine with a meal, definitely go for lamb chops.
Wine recommendation: Arnot-Roberts (if you can get your hands on the Clary Ranch), Sonoma Coast, CA
Sagrantino
For the biggest red wine of them all, look to Sagrantino from the Umbria region in Italy. This Italian red variety has super thick skins, which translates to a really tannic and full-bodied wine. Once again, for fruit, you’ll encounter more dark fruit aromas, such as overripe plum. Plus, savor flavors of black olive and a little bit of licorice. A meaty, cheesy lasagna, or pasta al forno, is the perfect match alongside this Italian winter red.
Wine recommendation: Paolo Bea, Montefalco, Umbria, Italy
Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc is a super versatile white grape variety which can be made into numerous styles of wine. It can be a dry mineral-driven wine, off-dry, sweet, and even sparkling! For this reason, it’s the ideal winter white wine. When made in an off-dry style, Chenin Blanc becomes a rich white wine with notes of ginger, honey, and ripe golden apple. This style is the perfect white wine pairing for cozy nights in with take out. Off-dry Chenin Blanc really shines alongside the rich, spicy flavors of Thai cuisine.
Wine recommendation: Domaine Huet, Vouvray Haut Lieu Demi-Sec, France
Sherry (Amontillado)
Sherry is so much more than just a cooking wine and winter is a great season to explore its varying styles. From saline and dry to nutty and rich, Sherry is an incredibly diverse fortified wine from the Andalucia region in Southern Spain. If you have not had a good sherry, and have an open mind, treat yourself to a nice bottle next time you are at the wine shop. One of my favorite styles of Sherry is Amontillado. This specific style is nutty, oxidative, and salty. It’s the perfect way to end the day or even ideal to enjoy throughout a meal. A simple roasted chicken is on dish which pairs surprisingly well with Amontillado Sherry.
Wine recommendation: La Cigarra Amontillado
Winter wines should be bold and flavorful, as should your wine pairings. So, curl up on that couch and start to explore some new varietals and wine pairings to warm up your winter evenings.
Cheers!
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