Best Wines for Winter

The colder weather calls for rich and robust meals, paired with equally vigorous wines. Here are some great selections for your winter menu.

Breaking out the winter clothes, lighting the fire or turning on the heater and electric blanket have all happened in my household – I suspect yours, too – because it’s winter again. These colder months bring on a different set of routines from how fast we get in our first coffee or cuppa to including porridge or a cooked breakfast to the morning menu. When preparing lunch or evening meals and deciding on which wines to find in the cellar or buy, the rule of thumb changes in your food and wine selections.

“FULL-BODIED WINES FROM BOLD CABERNET TO WEIGHTY CHARDONNAY MATCH BETTER WITH WINTER FARE.”

For example, the richer and heartier the food, the heartier the wine. Full-bodied wines from bold cabernet or merlot-led blends to oaky syrah and weighty chardonnay match better with winter fare. It can also mean more complex single variety wines like young pinot noir that can manage the higher protein dishes and soups made in your kitchen.

Quite a few winter dishes are simple in their complexity – the meat and three veg, lasagne, risotto or large bowl of pumpkin soup are good examples – so the wine choice can be complex, even those older wines you’ve been keeping can be great this time of year. The selections this month are all ready for you to pair up with your winter menus.