Winter is lovely, but it can be tough as well. Staying warm and cozy becomes our number-one priority, and hearty food, wine and good company can help.
It’s easy to find summer wine, those bottles that keep us fresh and help us keep our cool. But what about winter wine? What’s the best wine for winter? Here’s what you need to know.
Before we get started, let us invite you to a heart-warming experience, a winery tour to Yarra Valley with your private driver. This experience for couples in Melbourne is a lovely Yarra Valley long weekend plan and a fantastic way to see the vines, resting after a long growing season! Visit Yarra Valley and fall back in love with wine!
1. Big, Bold Red Wine
Choosing big red wines is the easiest way to ensure you’re picking up the right bottle for a chilly evening. These wines are not only fruit-forward and full-bodied, but they’re also high in alcohol, and it’s that alcoholic warmth that helps us stay warm.
Wines made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Malbec, Sangiovese, Zinfandel and others are ideal winter wines. Of course, these wines also pair well with the hearty and often fatty winter food specialties. The best part? These wines can age, so you can even lay a few bottles down for future enjoyment.
2. Fortified Wine
If you want to take your winter wine game to the next level, pour yourself a glass of fortified wine, the sticky kind. Think of Port, Topaque or local Yarra Valley fortified wines. Fortified wines have added grape spirit, so they’re even more alcoholic than regular red wines. Fortified wines are also quite fruity, as the alcohol preserves the wine’s fruit aromas.
These wines are also sweet, so they’re compatible with food that can help you feel warm and cared for, like chocolate cake, fruit cakes and caramel treats. Fortified wine is delicious with Yarra Valley cheese selections to match.
3. Full-bodied White Wine
If you’re not all that into red wine or need white wine to pair with poultry, fish or shellfish, there are a few white wines for winter as well. To ensure your bottle of white wine has that wintry feel, choose white wine that spent some time in oak barrels, more often than not made with Chardonnay. These are bold white wines with full-bodied palates and creamy, rich bouquets.
Oak-aged white wine is often a bit more expensive than their un-oaked counterparts, but they’re worth every cent. Look around, and you’ll find a few oak-aged Sauvignons and Viogniers as well!
What’s Your Favourite Winter Wine?
To be completely honest, any wine is exceptional for winter, as long as you share it with your loved ones in front of the fire. Enjoy wine this cold season and let it keep you warm and comfy. It is true that when it comes to wine for winter, the bigger and bolder, the better, but find the wine styles that sing to you. After all, we all like different things!
A tour to Yarra Valley might just be what you need to find a new favourite wine for the season, whether it’s an elegant Pinot or a fruity Shiraz. The sky’s the limit!
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