Winter Wines

While wine is a year-round beverage, there are varieties that pair better with each season. Winter brings a new group of wines that work with colder temperatures and shorter days. Here is a list of classic favorites, new ideas, and then, of course, some lighter options for sitting on the sand while your friends and family up north envy your winter playground.

Nebbiolo 

If you enjoy wines that are big, bold, and red, Nebbiolo needs to be in your collection. Grown in northern Italy’s Piedmont region, this grape produces powerful, full-bodied, and mercilessly tannic wines but looks as pale as Pinot Noir. These are the grapes that go into Barolo and Barbaresco, two of the world’s most revered and more expensive wines. While it has a prestigious legacy, Nebbiolo is also in a number of more affordable, entry-level styles of wine from Italy and beyond. This wine pairs well with classic winter foods like risotto, charcuterie, mushrooms, and truffles. 

SYRAH 

Syrah is one of the darkest red wines on the market. Darker than Cabernet Sauvignon, you’d actually have a hard time seeing through it if you held a glass up to the light. Syrah has a large amount of mouth-drying tannins and is full-bodied. The wine features flavors of berries, pepper, tobacco, and even smoked meat. Syrah is the perfect accompaniment to meat, but it also pairs well with almost any food group. 

White Rioja

If you are looking for a winter white, try a White Rioja or Rioja Blanco. This style of wine hails from the Rioja region of Spain and is made with white grapes, namely the important Viura grape. It ranges from light to full-bodied and has the unique ability to age for 10 or more years. Rioja Blanco wines are rare, making up only about 10% of the region’s production and the two primary styles of White Rioja wines are based on aging. Aged Rioja Blancos are bold and heady with notes of roasted pineapple, caramelized honey, preserved lime, candied tarragon, and hazelnut. Fresh Rioja Blanco aromas are lean and citrusy with notes of lime peel, lemon verbena, honeydew melon, fresh tarragon, and marjoram. On the palate, they are dry and with a pop of acidity, have sweeter fruit flavors, and a long finish of minerals and saline.

Port

Port wine is most commonly enjoyed as a dessert wine because of its richness and sweetness with flavors of raspberry, blackberry, caramel, cinnamon, and chocolate. There are several styles of Port, including red, white, rosé, and tawny Port. While most of the bottles available in the supermarket are just average, there are many fine Port wines that can cost several hundred dollars. The two most common styles of Port include a red Port that features flavors of berries and chocolate and a tawny-colored Port with hints of caramel and nuts. Older, fine tawny Ports have a wider array of subtle flavors including green peppercorn, hazelnut, almond, butterscotch, and graham cracker. Look for one that’s been aged for 30 years or more for this level of complexity. 

Cabernet sauvignon

The classic winter fallback is the trusty and well-loved Cabernet Sauvignon. If it wasn’t for a happy accident in seventeenth-century southwestern France, when breeding occurred between a red Cabernet Franc plant and a white Sauvignon Blanc plant, we wouldn’t have this grape which has become the most popular among American wine drinkers. As a wine, Cabernet Sauvignon is known for its dark color, full body and an alcohol content that is over 13.5%, with most Cabernet Sauvignons, especially those from California, Australia, and Chile, reaching over 15%. The wine is dry, and has a healthy level of tannin, which is why your mouth dries out when you sip it. Many people who drink Cabernet Sauvignon say they pick up a taste of green pepper in the wine, along with tobacco, cassis, and dark fruits with a hint of vanilla that comes from the wine aging in the oak. Cabernet Sauvignon is best enjoyed with food, given its acidity, tannins, and alcohol; as by itself it can be overwhelming.

Viognier

Finally, because it’s warm almost all the time in Southwest Florida, you might be craving something with notes of spring and relaxing beachside moments. If this sounds like you, try a Viognier, a full-bodied white wine that originated in southern France. Loved for its aromas of peach, tangerine and honeysuckle, Viognier can also be oak-aged to add a rich creamy taste with hints of vanilla. Depending on how it’s made, it will range in intensity from light and spritzy with a touch of bitterness, to bold and creamy. If you like Chardonnay then you’ll like the weight of Viognier. On the palate, it’s typically dry but some producers will make a slightly off-dry style which enhances the Viognier’s peachy aromas. You will almost always note an oily sensation on the middle of the tongue, a characteristic of wines made with this grape. The drier styles are less fruity and deliver subtle bitterness.