Winter means bundling up to play in the snow and then sitting by a fire sipping a glass of great wine staring out at a snowy landscape. Finding the perfect winter wine to elevate your cold evening can make it an even more enchanting experience. But when pairing wine with the perfect dish, it can be the “cherry on top” for your winter night.
To help you create this experience, we’ve put together a list of the best wines to drink in winter along with several food pairings. What’s great about winter wines is they go so well with the comfort dishes you love.
Read on to find out more about winter wines and what to eat with them.
Winter Wine #1: Cabernet Franc
It’s no surprise that red wines are great winter wines. The tannins in red wines have warming properties that can help push away those winter chills.
And a Cabernet Franc is the perfect medium-bodied red wine to handle winter comfort foods with its dark fruit flavors and high acidity. Drinking a glass of Cabernet Franc on a winter night is like slipping into your favorite sweater.
Captivating Cabernet Franc Winter Food Pairings
Cabernet Franc pairs well with roasted pork, beef stew, spaghetti and meatballs in a red sauce, turkey with cranberries, and roasted red peppers or eggplant.
Check out our 2018 Trí red blend for your wine & food pairing.
It is a red blend with 56% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot, and 4% Pinot Noir. You’ll discover aromas of dark fruit, especially plum, and licorice with black cherry flavors and notes of allspice and clove.
Winter Wine #2: Merlot
Merlot is one of the best-loved wines for winter – and it’s no big surprise. It’s the perfect wine to enjoy during a simple, relaxing evening playing card games with friends.
Merlot is a mellow wine that has a soft finish, easy tannins, and bursts with red fruits. But depending on the region for the Merlot, it can be more fruit-forward or medium to full-bodied. The more dominant the Merlot, the bolder the meal you should choose to complement its boisterous nature.
Magnificent Merlot Winter Food Pairings
Try pairing your next Merlot with pizza, penne pasta, barbeque, ratatouille, or braised meat. Be sure to avoid anything delicate or spicy since the flavors will clash.
Check out our 2018 Trí red blend for your wine & food pairing.
This red blend – which is predominantly Cabernet Franc and Merlot with a touch of Pinot Noir – will satisfy your Merlot needs.