Preferred Wine Cellars
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The Best Types of Wine for Fall and Winter
People tend to drink more white and rose wines in the spring and summer and more red wines in the winter. This is also because white and rose wines tend to go better with typical spring and summer recipes and heavier, bolder reds suit traditional winter fare more.
There are no hard and fast rules though and if you want to serve a light white wine in the winter, go for it. Also, since wines should be paired with food, you might like to serve a glass of white wine if you are serving something like lobster or a delicate chicken dish as your appetizer and a glass of red with the entree.
Mulled Wine - The Liquid Comfort Food
Mulled wine also makes an appearance during the colder months and you can make this by warming red wine with cloves, cinnamon sticks and perhaps adding a little brandy to the mixture. Serve it in mugs with orange slices.
You can make a mulled wine recipe with any kind of red wine but since you are adding other ingredients to it you can choose pretty much any red wine. Also, a red wine, which has been open for a few days and needs to be used up, can be the main ingredient for it. There is something very special and festive about mulled wine and it is perhaps the alcoholic equivalent to snowman soup.
Great Red Wines for Winter RecipesWhen you are braising meat or making hearty winter stews or casseroles, adding some red wine to the cooking pot is something you might find yourself doing (and drinking a glass of wine while the dish cooks is something else!)
Barbera wine is a great one to try. Even though a fresh, bright Barbera is amazing with your grilled vegetables recipes in the summer, you will also find that a lightly oaked Barbera is richly fruity and zesty enough to pair it with your duck or roast pork in the colder months. Australian Shiraz blends are spicy and fruity and they are great with braised beef or any lightly spiced meat or game dishes.
If you enjoy both Barbera and Shiraz, you will also like Malbec, which is partway between the two. It can be slightly spicy and the body ranges from light to full. This is a nice wine to serve with wild boar, venison, or steak. Sonoma Cabernet is suitable for any season, although the richer, red fruit flavored ones are nicer in the fall or winter, especially when served with a prime rib or pot roast.
Coates du Rhone is one of the types of wine, which is very versatile due to its mouth-filling feel and aromatic depths. Try it with garlic sausage cassoulet or braised vegetables.
Zinfandel is full-bodied and spicy fruit flavored. It is nice with pork braised with prunes or rich chicken stews. Sangiovese is great with goat or braised lamb recipes. A lot of the Zinfandel blends are enhanced with a little Merlot, giving them a smoother, richer feel, as well as a little oak from the Merlot.
