By STACEY MARCUS
Daylight is dimming as the temperature drops and we surrender to the reality that summer has blown by. No need to despair. Fall is a splendid season of renaissance. Think of all the stylish wool clothing and ankle boots to don, fresh leaves to crunch and bold wines to uncork and pair with your favorite fall menus.Your friends at ONE magazine want to help you transition to cooler weather. We asked our neighborhood wine experts to recommend a few values for fall. Time to stock up on some great red and white wines and curl up with your sweetie.
In warm weather, one tends to go with lighter reds. But with crisp air moving in, Greg Knowlton, wine manager of Kappy’s Fine Wine & Spirits, suggests going with heartier reds. He recommends raising a glass of wines from Southern France, noting that vintages from the Côtes du Rhône region are perfect to pair with meats and root vegetables.
He also notes that wines from the Piedmont area in Italy, such as Barbera and Barolo, are great choices for fall, adding that the wines of Barolo made from the Nebbiolo grape are full-bodied and go nicely with roasts. Good bottles can be found in the $14-$18 range. Knowlton says that dry rosés are wildly popular year-round, and pair exquisitely with Thanksgiving turkey and all its accompaniments.
In terms of white wines, Knowlton sees customers transitioning from such lighter wines as sauvignon blanc and moving to fuller-bodied white wines such as chardonnay, a great companion for fish, pork and poultry dishes. A fall favorite is the versatile riesling variety, which Knowlton notes can be bone dry or as sweet as honey and works well with a wide variety of foods.
Neal Zagarella, store manager at Vinnin Liquors in Swampscott, notes that in the summer customers enjoy a wine that is crisp but when the air becomes crisp their preferences change. “People go to heavier white wines like chardonnay, which are paired nicely with white meats, fish, salad and cheeses,” said Zagarella.
He also suggests opening a bottle of pinot noir at Thanksgiving and enjoying vintages from the grenache (France) and granacha (Spain) grapes that are excellent values and pair nicely with red sauces and red meats.
- Zagarella shares these tips to savor your wine experience:
- Drink your best bottle first. Do not save it for last when you will not appreciate it.
- Make sure to give reds time to breathe. Uncork the bottle and try it 15 minutes later. It will taste much better than it did when you originally uncorked it.
- If you like a grape from a specific region, try a wine made from the same grape from another region and note the subtle differences.
Cheers to an awesome autumn! Remember to never drink and drive and always toast to good times, friends and family.
A few recommendations:
From Greg Knowlton at Kappy’s: Carl Sittmann riesling $8.99, Long Path cabernet $11.99; Long Path chardonnay $11.99, Mirabeau rosé $14.99, 90 Plus Lot 66 riesling $8.99
From Neal Zagarella at Vinnin Liquors: Altes Herencia $8.99, Camille Cayran Côtes du Rhône $8.99, Bench chardonnay $14.99
