People drink wine for lots of great reasons: they love the way it tastes, how it makes them feel, it enhances their meal, etc. Some people enjoy one type of wine (be it white, red, or rose) and never venture out of that box (or bottle). For me, I not only like reds, whites, and roses, I prefer dry wines, but occasionally a sweeter wine will entice me. The wine I choose to drink on any given day is generally related to the meal I am pairing it with. That said, to everything there is a season. While I generally prefer more full-bodied wines (especially reds), in the hot days of summer, a lighter wine may be more appealing. I drink more white wine in the summer than any other time of the year. This is in part due to the greater availability of fresh seafood. For me, seafood generally goes better with white wine than red. Of course there are exceptions to most rules. I have recently found that I enjoy a good Pinot Noir with salmon as much or more than a Chardonnay or other white wine (unless the salmon is cooked with a buttery or creamy sauce).
Let me make my point in another way. If you are a beer drinker (like me, you may enjoy wine AND beer) you may enjoy a lighter beer, like a Pilsner, Pale Ale, or IPA in the summer. However, if you enjoy different styles, you are likely to enjoy a darker, more full-bodied beer like a Stout or Porter in colder weather. Some breweries don’t even make a stout until the weather turns colder.
So what are some of my favorite lighter and more full-bodied whites and reds?
Albarino, Pinot Grigio, and Chardonnay
If I look back over my wine choices over the past few years, I’m pretty sure that I tended to drink fewer light Pinot Grigios in the fall and winter than in the summer. As a result, I drank a little more Chardonnay (especially those with a bit more body) in the colder weather. Perhaps, an even more subtle change in my choices can be seen with Albarino. The photo above shows two great bottles of Albarino (both from Autumn Lake Winery). These are two of my favorite Albarinos.
Autumn Lake Winery 2022 Albarino-This is a very tasty version with lots of citrusy notes and lively acidity.
Autumn Lake Winery 2022 Barrel Reserve Albarino-A much different, yet very good alternative is this oaked version, that still gives you citrus notes, but in a smoother, more full-bodied version.
Note: Hawk Haven Vineyards and Cape May Winery also make very good ones, as does White Horse Winery.
Pinot Noir vs Cabernet Sauvignon
Likewise, I tended to drink somewhat less lighter reds like Pinot Noir and a little more fuller bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon. First, a couple of my favorite Pinot Noir. Pictured below from left to right:
Turdo Vineyard Pinot Noir-An excellent earthy version with tasty notes of black cherry and caramel; a little more body than many others on the East Coast.
Unionville Vineyards 2021 Pinot Noir-A terrific Pinot Noir, with delicious cherry and raspberry notes. The 2021 was especially good.
Beneduce Vineyards, Cape May Winery, and Willow Creek Winery also make excellent Pinot Noir.
New Jersey Cabernet Sauvignon
While Cabs are just one of the many reds with a bit more body, here are a few of my recent favorite NJ Cabs from left to right below:
William Heritage Winery 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon-Very good Cab with ripe dark fruit and a smooth finish.
Turdo Vineyard-Great full-bodied version with ripe fruit, smooth tannins, and a long lasting finish.
Hawk Haven Vineyards Reserve 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon V Row-Possibly the best NJ Cab I have had all year (I do drink Cabs all year round). Wonderfully robust, full-bodied Cab with smooth tannins, delicious ripe red fruit, and a hint of cocoa.
With colder nights I also really enjoy sipping on a good after dinner drink-perhaps a glass of Port, while sitting by the fireplace (or my new outdoor fire pit). I used to include a good cigar in that scenario, but I gave them up about a decade ago. Though I rarely smoked them, as I try to limit myself to one vice at a time.
Here are a couple of my recent favorite New Jersey Port-style wines from left to right below:
Turdo Vineyard Turis Rubino-A delicious Port-style wine, made from Cab and Merlot and aged in French Oak for four years. It was fortified with Italian Grappa. It offers tasty notes of chocolate and cherry.
Bellview Winery Port-A very good version utilizing Chambourcin as the base.
While I do not have any bottles currently, Unionville Vineyards makes one of the best Port style wines around. Also, the blue bottle in the background of a few of the other photos this week (with our hydrangea) is from a bottle of White Port from Old York Cellars. The Port was very good, but I can’t throw away the bottle because it is too beautiful, so we occasionally adorn it with flowers.
Coming Attractions
- Beneduce Vineyards Fall 2024
- Cedar Rose Vineyards Fall 2024
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