Red wines for winter, white wines for summer

As a part of my recent virtual wine tasting with Arkansas Democrat-Gazette subscribers, a reader asked if I preferred different wines in different seasons. Although I didn’t have the chance to respond to the question live during the tasting, the answer is a resounding “yes.”

One of the wine “hills” I’ll happily die on is that white wine is superior to red. So it’s likely no surprise to learn that from approximately May through September, I’m drinking almost exclusively white wines, with the occasional rosé and sparkling wine thrown into the mix. Red wines, even those on the lighter end of the spectrum, are just too heavy to be consumed in the Arkansas summer. Who wants to be drinking 15% ABV wine when it’s 90 degrees at 8 p.m.? The opposite is also true for me: red wines dominate the fall and winter months.

Without fail, I always begin craving the lush tannins of red wine near the end of August, and by the time we hit our first evening in the mid-70s, I’m ready with my bottle of red. Here are a few of the wines I’ve been enjoying so far this fall.

Domaine de Fontsainte Corbieres ($15)

This carignan-heavy blend from the south of France has long been one of my “cheap and cheerful” go-to wines. It balances ripe fruit (think blackberry and black cherry) with this lovely note of dried wild herbs that always reminds me of hiking in the desert.

Clos la Coutale Cahors ($20)

Argentina (deservedly) gets most of the world’s attention when it comes to malbec, but this bottling from the grape’s ancestral home in France shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s lush and juicy and just begging to be paired with a homemade cassoulet (email me if you need a recipe).

Vietti Barbera d’Asti Tre Vigne ($21)

Barbera is something like the bridesmaid of Italian wine. It never gets the hype of nebbiolo or sangiovese, though it often offers a better price-to-quality ratio for entry-level wines. This one from Italian powerhouse Vietti has soft, almost dusty tannins and an unmistakable earthiness. If you like heavier California pinot noirs, this’ll be up your alley.

Marietta Arme Cabernet Sauvignon ($22)

When folks ask me to recommend a cabernet in the $20 range, I typically steer them to the wines of South America, but this Sonoma-based winery makes some of the best bang- for-yourbuck bottles you can find in Arkansas. This cabernet is dark and brooding and will benefit from a little time in a decanter, but I promise the wait is worth it.