It is that time of year again. The leaves are turning
yellow, football season has begun (unless you live in Cleveland), and the
Pumpkin Spice Latte is back on the Starbucks menu. As your menu changes to
reflect fall flavors, your wine list should, too. It might be warm enough for
shorts and a T-shirt during the day, at night there's a chill in the air and
you might need a sweater or jacket. Which wines work best when the air is
starting to get crisp yet it's not truly cold yet?
Well, you can hold off on the heavy reds and the
mulled spice wines for now, but you might want to switch up from your summer
Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc to some cooler weather wines.
Alsatian
Riesling
Many
people stereotype Riesling as sweet, but Alsatian Rieslings are fermented to
dryness. They have fuller body and higher alcohol than their German
counterparts due to the “rain-shadow effect” created by the Vosges Mountains.
It is one of France’s driest and sunniest wine regions with a semi-continental
climate that allows the grapes to ripen to higher sugar levels while retaining
their naturally high acidity. Typical aromas include apricot, peach, ginger,
honey, diesel, and slate.
Hugel
et Fils Gentil Alsace PRODUCT
CODE: 000005259
Food
pairing: scallops, turkey, veal, curried butternut squash soup
Burgundy
Pinot Noir
Wine
production in Burgundy dates to 200 A.D. and brings some of the highest prices
at auction internationally. For example, in June 2011 during an auction at Christie's
Geneva, a private American buyer bid $123,889 for a 750 ml bottle of Domaine de
la Romanée-Conti 1945. Pinot Noir is a thin-skin varietal, making it a prima
donna demanding perfect conditions. The quality is heavily dependent on
producer, vineyard and vintage, creating the allure for the perfect Burgundy.
Typical aromas for Pinot Noir include cherries, strawberries, and cranberries,
violets, cured meats and black tea.
Domaine
Arnoux Chorey Les Beaune Les Beaumonts 2013 PRODUCT
CODE: 000078137
Food
pairing: chicken, turkey, duck, truffles, risotto
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Châteauneuf-du-Pape,
meaning new castle of the Pope, is in the Southern Rhone Valley. Bottles that
are embossed with a papal crest on the shoulder are 100 percent estate-bottled.
The region has a Mediterranean climate and is known for the pudding stones, or galets. The galets store the day’s heat,
keeping the vines warm at night. Although 13 varietals are permitted in the
final blend, the main grapes used are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. Typical
aromas include strawberry, raspberry, black cherry, raisins, powdered sugar, black
pepper, and olives. It's slightly sweet and oxidative, which makes it
pair well with spicy or hearty cuisine.
Chateau
Mont Redon Chateauneuf du Pape PRODUCT
CODE: 000007278
Food
pairing: cassoulet, duck, short ribs, lamb
Piedmont
Nebbiolo
Nebbiolo,
named after the morning fog, nebbia, is a thin-skinned grape varietal that
thrives in the Piedmont region of Italy. The Alps provide a rain-shadow effect. Although the region has more
Denominazione di Origine Controllata, or DOC, zones than any other region in
Italy with 16 DOCGs and over 40 DOCs. Typical aromas include dried cherry, tar, red licorice, fennel
bulb, truffle, clay, and cinnamon. It has high tannins, high acidity, with
medium to high alcohol. All of which make it ideal for pairing with food,
especially rich protein to tone down the tannins.
Pio
Cesare Il Nebbio Langhe 2015 PRODUCT
CODE: 000073929
Food
pairing: black truffles, risotto, stew, rich meat and game
Spanish
Tempranillo
Rioja,
located in North-Central Spain, is the most known region for Tempranillo. The
wine can be blended with Garnacha (Grenache), Mazuelo (Carignan) and Graciano. Rioja is traditionally aged in
American oak barriques due to the history of transatlantic colonial trade,
which gives it the distinct aromas of vanilla, dill and coconut. Other aromas
include strawberry, raspberry, Twizzlers, sun-dried tomato, bay leaf, and tobacco.
It has medium acidity and ranges between medium and medium-plus alcohol.
El
Coto Rioja Crianza PRODUCT
CODE: 000005634
Food pairing: grilled octopus, poultry, barbecued
meats, steak
After a long day of trick or treating when you're
raiding (oops! I mean "checking" your children's Halloween candy) you
have some options to drink while finishing the chore.
Hey, the little ghosts and goblins need to go to bed
sometime, right?
Check the blog often for more tips, tasting notes, and chapter news!
