During the cooler winter months, the types of wine we buy tend to shift.  Gone is the crisp, mouth watering whites or the juicy reds that we enjoyed when the temperature was warmer.  When the weather is cooler, it gives me cause to search for some hearty reds to enjoy with the hearty, richer dishes.  Right now I am looking for some of fantastic wines of the southern Rhône from 2009.

A lot of consumers are not so seasonal when it comes to wine.  Some will enjoy white wine all year long, while others start a meal with white and finish with red.

The foods we eat in the colder months are very well suited to red wines.  Hearty dishes such as beef stew, braised lamb shanks, a rich meat sauce with pasta, and even roasted fall root vegetables, all these foods go well together with red wines.  During the winter, we welcome a warm oven emitting fragrant aromas throughout the house, making our mouths water.

Red wine is even good for you.  It contains antioxidants, most significantly ‘resveratrol’ from the seeds and skin of the grape, which have been linked to health benefits such as lowering cholesterol, protecting the heart and arteries, and preserving the skin.

When serving red wine, the temperature of the wine is quite often too warm.  The ambient room temperature – around 70ºC – can sometimes make the wine feel hot and heavy with the alcohol in the wine becoming quite pronounced.  In reality, the best temperature to serve red wine at is between 55º and 65º, quite a bit cooler than standard room temperature.  Putting the wine in the fridge for 10-15 minutes will bring the temperature down.  Clipping a wine thermometer onto the bottle will give you a somewhat accurate measurement of the temperature.

With Christmas fast approaching, it is time to think about some value wines to tide us over.  There is a huge supply of excellent wine on the market, with something for everyone’s tastes and budget.

Australia has fallen off in terms of popularity although there is still quality at just about all price points.  The 7% drop (LDB September 2010-2011 Annual Report) might be that consumers are tiring of the sweet, jammy style of wine, popularized by Yellow Tail and its imitators.

Argentina was one of the hottest countries in the wine marketplace in terms of sales.  Value for money, they were one of the best.  Consumers had discovered the Malbec grape that helped to drive sales up to the tune of 46% over a rolling 12 months as of the LDB’s September 2009 Quarterly Review.  However, that number has dropped to a dismal 18% as of the June 2011 Quarterly Review.  No doubt Malbec is starting to taste all the same at the lower price points.

BC wines are still the favourite of consumers if you look at the volume and dollars generated even though sales have slowed somewhat.  But that figure does not distinguish between 100% BC and the ubiquitous Cellared in Canada.  Are consumers revolting because of the growing price of our home-grown product? Or is it just the recession? Maybe…maybe not but there is still some value to be had.  You just have to know where to look.

There are great tasting and great value wines from Chile and the sales were reflected with a growth of 12% over the previous year (2008-2009 LDB Annual report).  But even those have fallen victim to the economic downturn.  Let’s hope that the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival where Chile is this year’s featured country will stimulate some sales.

Sales of French have also fallen victim to the recent recession.  While the sales were never spectacular, they have been in the positive due in part to the fabulous value of the wines from their southern region.  Wines here are produced from regional varieties such as Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre.

Spain has fallen over the past few years also.  However, being a world-class producer of wine offers history and tradition, which when combined with modern winemaking technology produces wines of unique character.  Sales are up a very respectable 15% over 2009-2010.  Value has always been a term associated with Spanish wines, however in recent years, major investments and developments have catapulted Spanish wines into their own in terms of quality.

Closer to home, Zinfandels from California are the perfect winter red, giving the right amount of weight and spice to warm you through and through.

So while you are cooking up some great lamb or beef stews, wonderful casseroles, slow roasted lamb shanks or a delicious, roasted boneless pork loin, consider searching for that perfect wine to match.  Great wintery food and hearty red wine just seem to go hand in hand.

Although most wines are ready to enjoy now, you will find with a few years of bottle age it will make a great difference, particularly with Cabernet Sauvignon.  Laying the wines down will allow them to develop and make for even better enjoyment next winter.

Winter Reds:

From the south of France, the 2005 Caves de Rasteau ‘Prestige’ Rasteau Cotes du Rhône Villages ($33) is a blend of 50% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre from 50 year old head-pruned vines.  Incredibly dense with a ruby/purple colour, the intense black raspberry, cherry, cassis and kirsch liqueur-like fruit is followed by gorgeous aromas of licorice, smoke, incense, leather and a hint of oak. The texture on the palate is pure hedonism with its full-bodied character of black and red fruit, herbs, incense, and spice. This wine literally tastes more like a Châteauneuf du Pape ($60 per bottle) than a Cotes du Rhone Village. The finish is full-bodied, and opulent with soft, velvety acidity and very firm tannins, which is in keeping with this top-notch vintage. Cellar and drink this marvelous wine over the next decade.

First produced in 1954 the Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon has become a benchmark wine for followers of Coonawarra Cabernets.  Produced using only the winery’s top 25% of Cabernet fruit, the wine is an outstanding example of a fully ripened Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, which avoids any of the dreaded herbaceous characters that can be evident in cooler vintages.  Matured for 19 months in a combination of new and seasoned French and new American oak, the 2005 Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon ($33) displays a vibrant purple-black colour, with a deep red rim, with aromas of blackberry, cassis, rich blueberry, eucalyptus along with hints of mocha and roasted coffee.  The palate takes you by surprise with its concentrated flavours of rich black fruit, followed by cedar and vanilla notes with a hint of spice.  The fine, rounded silky acidity and firm tannin develops into a luscious, prolonged finish; this is a wine that can be enjoyed in its youth, but also will reward patience.