It was late December when your intrepid wine storyteller looked out his window at a beautiful, fresh down comforter of the light, white and fluffy. Pretty proud of himself he was because he knew he had made it snow.
You see, a couple of days before with the holidays coming up and not a flake in sight, I realized that Khione, the Greek goddess of snow, and her boyfriend Ullr, of Norse mythology — an archer and expert skier who covered the land with snow — must be on the outs. So, I ran out to my favorite Tahoe wine purveyor, got some suggestions and put together a gift basket of warming, romantic winter wines. Voila, snow.
All of that toasty, butterscotch yumminess of California Chardonnays is the perfect white for winter.
This got me to thinking that everyone could use some advice on what to enjoy during winter. And don’t worry about the romance part, even if you’re like me and just have an “Abbey the Wonder Dog” to cuddle with, these wines will still warm your heart. And maybe, it will work again and we’ll get more snow.
It’s winter and it’s America, ergo, Zinfandel. Stay with classic producers and Old-Vine versions. You may pay a few more dollars for this style and you’ll get dry, spicy, earthy, berry-liciousness and be saving this California original because many of the older vineyards will be replaced with higher yielding new vines if we don’t support them.
Petite Sirah is another big-winter winner because it is voluptuous, inky and full of black plums and brambles. This grape makes magic wherever it’s grown, so experiment with wines from Paso Robles to Mendocino and all points in between.
Syrah/Shiraz from the world over makes for great fireside sipping. Rich and wonderful value Syrahs from California, Australia and Chile are available everywhere. Syrahs come in many styles from ripe and fruit filled, to dry and earthy. Ask your local wine-shop guru for his or her top tips.
Tempranillo and Garnacha blends are native to Northern Spain and the Spanish choose these to warm their souls in their frigid winters. Don’t rule out domestic versions because they can bring an extra level of ripeness and body that is just right for our chilly mountain weather.
This pick may surprise you but I believe ripe buttery California Chardonnays are wasted in the heat of summer. All of that toasty, butterscotch yumminess is the perfect white for winter. Try it with some homemade oatmeal cookies full of winter spices and you’ll get it.
These are just five of the many wonderful wines to bring folks together. They are not bad for a pray for snow gathering, either.
But don’t stop here; use your own wine knowledge and palate to add even more fun to winter and your wine adventure by picking bigger-bodied, spicy wines of any grape or origin and share, share, share.
