The Best Fall Wines for Cozy Weather
Already our days are shorter, and the whisper of bracing autumn weather approaches. Fall beckons with chunky, cozy sweaters, golden leaves, cinnamon spice, and everything squash.
(Ha, bet you thought I was going to say everything pumpkin didn’t you?)
The shift from the summertime sizzle to cooler days and crisp nights calls for a palate adjustment as well. Luckily, fall foods and heartier meals are endlessly versatile and pair well with many wine options. There are stellar wine choices for every palate and preference.
That said, never let seasonal vagaries or silly wine “conventions” prevent you from uncorking what you love. If you enjoy rose year-round, then keep drinking pink. If you love cabernet all summer long, then you can roll your favorite libation right into fall.
Wine should always work for you. The only immutable rule is to drink what you love (and in turn love your palate enough to explore new things). Nonetheless, I have a few thoughts about the best wines for fall weather.
Let’s begin by dispelling a myth…
White wine is only for summer. Not so!
Some white wines, like a value minded pinot grigio (for example) are light-bodied and tissue paper thin on your palate. Wines crafted this way are ideal for those super steamy summer days when wine must be cold, easy and quenching.
In contrast, other white wines are fuller bodied and pair beautifully with fall classics like roasted root vegetable casseroles and heartier, herbed chicken dishes. Consider, for example, a white Rhone, a wine category that shouts fall.
The best ones remind me of Thanksgiving, wrapping stone fruit with honey, herbs, and orange pekoe. Fuller bodied and opulent, these whites are terrific with richer chicken recipes and most fall flavors.
If you prefer to drink local, look for domestic Marsanne/Roussanne blends or even fuller bodied Chardonnays. When pairing wines with food never forget the importance of acidity. Heartier fall meals need wine with enough acidity to slice through the richness of sauces and heavier textures.
A Sonoma Coast chardonnay may be the perfect pick. My 2020 Heintz Vineyard chardonnay offers some roasted apple notes along with citrus cream and brioche, all flavors mirrored in fall recipes. Roasted fennel, squash, and sweet carrots dressed in olive oil and velvety sage sings alongside my 2020 chard.
Roasting your favorite fall vegetables enhances their natural sweetness, so your wine should provide a foil, bright acidity that lifts your food and keeps you reaching for another bite.
So, when the weather turns cool, don’t shove your white wines to the back of your cellar. Experiment and you just might find your new favorite pairing.
Zinfandel is “comfort food in a glass.”
I make a dry (code for not sweet), elegant (code for balanced), aromatic (code for French oak barrels), and delicious (code for delicious) from the Rockpile AVA in Sonoma County.
This rich, luscious heavenly gem is comfort food in a glass.
The best zinfandels are juicy, laden with dark fruits like plums and boysenberries and display layers of flavor including spice, barrel toasty-ness, and sometimes herbs. Zin is synonymous with “black fruit” and “blue fruits.”
Well-made, food friendly zinfandel is not sweet. Zins that pair well with foods have lively acid, a core of minerality, and no residual sugar. These zins pair with grilled burgers, anything slow braised, fall-apart meat stews from the InstantPot, and anything you toss on the grill.
This zin/food pairing umbrella pretty well covers anything and everything you’d make for dinner when the weather turns brisk. That said, my all-time favorite zin and food pairing is my Rockpile zinfandel paired with Moroccan-inspired lamb stew with chickpeas and pomegranate molasses.
I have been shouting this zin & lamb pairing forever because it’s awesome. The pomegranate molasses mirrors the fruit character in the zin, and the stew’s spices reflect the spiciness in the zin.
It’s heaven.
In the original recipe, I use a Dutch oven. But I’ve made this autumn dish in both the slow cooker and my InstantPot with great success.
As you can see, zinfandel is a terrific wine to uncork when the weather turns brisk.
Snobby naysayers will tell you otherwise. Don’t listen. I’ve written this before, and I’ll shout it again. Choose zin. Uncork zin. Love zin. It’s perfect for crisp fall weather.
Here are common (misguided & incorrect) myths about zinfandel:
“It’s too hot,” a bougie way to complain the alcohol is too high. The modern zinfandel revolution is embracing a lower alcohol style, so check the bottle. For example, mine clocks in under 15% ABV. That said, do you want a wimpy-ass wine with your luscious, fall-apart, braised meat? I think not! You want a juicy, full-bodied stunner. Go zin. Pick zin.
“It’s too peppery” or “it’s too jam-y.” Again, the peppery and ripe fruit characteristics allow zin to shine alongside your favorite fall meals. So don’t underestimate zinfandel as a perfect autumn wine pick.
“It’s flabby,” again bougie talk for low acid. Now here I’ll be downright self-promotional. My Rockpile zinfandel is NOT low acid. In fact, I picked the 2019 vintage at a zesty 6.4 g/L titratable acidity. Oh, snap. Full stop.
My final pick for fall wine?
Pinot noir. You know that soft, cozy, oversized sweater that’s perfect for cool summer nights and warmer fall days? You know that super soft go-to pullover that warms you from the first cold breezes of September right though Thanksgiving?
Maybe it’s not a pullover. Maybe it’s a barn jacket with a hole or a trusty, package windbreaker. Maybe it’s pinot noir.
Yup, I said it.
Pinot noir is the red grape that can be anything for anyone. It can be a lighter-bodied acid zinger that’s your dog days of summer favorite or a richer, full throttle fruity explosion that amps up seared duck with cherry gastrique. Is your mouth watering yet? Pinot noir is so versatile and vinified in so many styles, that pinot noir is a must for any autumn gathering.
Because pinot noir can be savory and spicy, with earthy forest floor and toasty spices, it’s perfect with hearty fall root vegetables. Pasta with creamy mushroom sauce? No problem! Pinot has the acid to slay that sauce and enliven your taste buds.
Looking for an easy drinking crowd pleaser with lasagna? Great - find a Russian River Valley pinot noir. Making a fancy “white lasagna” with sage?
Well, pinot goes with that, too. Since pinot noir runs the spectrum from medium to fuller-bodied wines, it’s an ideal varietal for a transitional season like fall, when the weather is warm (ish) and cool (ish) but not yet downright frigid.
There are as many styles of pinot noir as fall pumpkin drinks at Starbucks. And you know that’s a lot!
Start exploring pinot noir in all her iterations, playing with different styles alongside different meals. I make four different single vineyard pinots, all from California. And each is unique. And of course, my pinots are distinctly different from Oregon or New Zealand or French pinots. Taste them all!
To get you started, here is a mini primer on what makes each of my pinots unique. After you read the description, try to imagine what meals works best with each wine.
Torrey Hill Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley - red cherry, warm cinnamon, violets
Sangiacomo Roberts Road Pinot Noir, Petaluma Gap - cranberry, sage, forest floor
Gap’s Crown Pinot Noir, Petaluma Gap - raspberries, luxardo cherry, spice
Soberanes Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands - blackberry brambles, exotic spices, tobacco
As you can see, both white and red wines are delicious choices for fall weather.
Looking to try these wines for yourself?
Our Bruliam Wines Introductory Bundle features some of our wines mentioned above. And it gets delivered straight to your door.