Wine and the Seasons
Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a season for everything under
the sun. At The Wine Country we’ve come to appreciate the
changing seasonal appeal of wine:
|
Wines for Spring
When the days begin to lengthen, green shoots begin their thrust
upwards and chirping birds begin their nest building we know spring
is upon us. The heavy meals of winter are now giving way to a bit
lighter fare. At The Wine Country, nothing says "spring" like
the red and white wines of France's Loire Valley. There is a life
force to them, a fresh reminder that wine reflects nature's cycles
every time you drink one. Youthful Vouvray, Montlouis, Sancerre,
Pouilly-Fumé, Anjou, Chinon and Muscadet, minerally and
alive, all possess the same nervosity that mirrors the bustle and
promise of nature in the springtime.
Heavy red wines give way to Pinot Noir and Barbera, Chardonnay gives
way to Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. These are the
wines we love to drink in the spring. They are as alive in the mouth
as nature is all around us at this time of the year.
top |
Wines for Summer
During the hot summer months, lighter wines appeal to us more
than heavy alcoholic wines. When our core body temperature rises,
high alcohol heats us up even more. Tannic wines such as the red
wines from California's North Coast make us even thirstier rather
than quenching our thirst. Chilled German Riesling at less than
10% alcohol, Portuguese Vinho Verde, Spanish Rueda and Txakoli,
Italian white wines and the dry rosés from the south of
France, Loire Valley and Spain are wonderful summer wines.
Rosé is particularly exciting in the summer because of its
glistening color reflecting many shades of pink during daylight hours.
As long as the alcohol doesn't creep over 13%, rosés retain
their fresh, thirst-quenching character.
Lighter red wines like Beaujolais (which
makes a refreshing wine when slightly chilled), Italy's Dolcetto,
Valpolicella, Montepulciano and lighter Chianti, some of Spain's
simpler red wines from the provinces and lighter California wines
such as J. Lohr's Valdiguié or
James Arthur Field's Red Wine all perform well in summer.
Red Zinfandel, once thought of as a great wine for summer barbecues,
have evolved into high-alcohol mastodons too heady for any kind of
civilized table. Zin earned its earlier reputation when it was a
typically a lighter, fruity, spicy red wine at the 12% alcohol range.
Easily available before the mid-1980s, moderately alcoholic Zinfandel
is sadly out of fashion in today's over-the-top wine environment.
Summer is also the time for fun, and that shouldn't end when it
comes to wine. Chilled Lambrusco tastes wonderful with some salami
and cheese at a picnic. Sangria, the Spanish red wine and fruit juice
concoction, is also a great summer refreshment. An ice cube or a
spritz of sparkling water in a red or white wine was once thought
of as wine heresy, and you wouldn't want to dilute an important wine
with either. But a simple everyday wine with an ice cube in it won't
offend anyone, and you may lose a point or two of alcohol in the
process. It is done all the time during the summer in wine-growing
Europe. If it's O.K. for them, it should be O.K. for us.
Above all, don't let your wines get warm in the glass. The alcohol
in them becomes volatile and your wines will be out of whack. That
is why we stay away from alcoholic wines in the summer.
top |
Wines for Autumn
Fall is an exciting time at The Wine Country.
As the days get shorter and night falls earlier, the glint in the
rosé is gone and
thoughts turn to the changing of the season. There are still the
warm days of Indian Summer and Santa Ana winds ahead, but rosé has
suddenly lost its appeal. The white wines made from Chenin Blanc
and Sauvignon Blanc are still appealing and they are joined by the
crisp, minerally white wines of Chablis and Macon.
Fall is also the time we take out the roasting pan, and there are
few wines that taste as good with roasted meats as Beaujolais and
Spain's Rioja in the fall. Cru Beaujolais, the fullest and most complex
reds of the region, take center stage from their lighter neighbors
whose chilled wines slaked our thirst during the summer.
On the third Thursday of each November the current year's Nouveau
Beaujolais is released all around the world to great fanfare. It
is meant to be drunk as a celebration of the harvest and as a lighthearted
aperitif and dinner wine through the end of the year. It's neither
a serious wine, nor the denigrated beast some make it out to be.
It shouldn't be evaluated; it should be quaffed and enjoyed just
for what it is -- a fall frivolity.
Of course, a week later is our national feast, Thanksgiving. After
decades of experimenting, the best wines for the varied and sweet
items on a traditional turkey dinner plate are semi-sweet Riesling,
Pinot Gris and Chenin Blanc for whites and Beaujolais for reds. Any
wine more complicated will get messed up either by the candied yams,
the ambrosia salad or the cornbread stuffing. Save your great wines
for a less challenging meal and enjoy the feast with a fruitier wine.
top |
Wines for Winter
Just as heavier foods are more appealing during the winter months,
so are our heavier wines at The Wine Country. It is the time for
Syrah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and the bigger Rhones, Brunellos
and Barolos. It is the time of roast beef and aged Bordeaux. It
is the time we raid our cellars for our deepest and most prized
red wines whether from Burgundy or Napa Valley. Our most ambitious
Pinot Noir tastes best at this time of the year. We are indoors
more, so we have more time to contemplate them.
California Chardonnay and White Burgundies
from the Côte d'Or
have a different appeal in the winter. We don't chill them as much
as our summer wines, and they offer the kind of complexity we can
savor over long, leisurely dinners.
Holiday time means family time, and ethnic
traditions are celebrated at these times of the year. Greek families
break out the Ouzo and drink Retsina, but there are a number of
delicious Greek table wines now available in the U.S. Italian families
toast with grappa and there never have been the selection of fine
red and white wines from Italy we have today. German Riesling is
great with pork and potato pancakes, and Alsace Riesling superb
with quiche Lorraine and Choucroute. Saké and sashimi, Normandy cider and Camembert, Albariño
and shellfish, Garnacha and tapas…the list is endless.
Of course, if your family is descended from a non-wine producing
region, your food tradition is probably stunted as well. Pickled
herring and lutefisk aren't exactly great wine foods, so Swedes need
to improvise at their holiday tables.
top |
|
