I’m never one to limit great wine consumption by season. Want a rosé when it’s snowing? Drink it. Crave a Cab when it’s 90 out? Down it. That said, there are certain wines I associate with a time and place. That I imagine drinking in front of a fireplace, while wearing a sweater and enjoying the view of my neighbor’s pumpkins and gourds splayed across porch steps.

3 Wines I Crave in Fall When Feeling Cozy

There is nothing I love more than a glass of a spicy red when fall hits. Leaves are in their amber prime, and I’ve put away the grill for the season. In Autumn, I like something medium-to-heavy body with full fruit, that has enough acidity to handle all the butterfat I’m likely throwing at it. I tend to save my uber-rich, more oaked reds until December- more on that later. These 3 below are my top autumnal styles.

1. Northern Rhône Reds like Crozes-Hermitage

• From the Northern Rhône Valley in France, these Syrahs are some of the best in the world. Some are $$$. Some are $. All are Syrah. The rule in this region is that if you slap a Northern Rhône appellation on your label and it is red, the grape in the bottle must be legally be Syrah.

  One area I love in the Northern Rhône is Crozes-Hermitage. The pricepoint is killer compared to many other neighboring regions —you can find a bottle for around $20. (Watch out though- though delicious, the similiar-sounding neighboring “Hermitage” region will cost you $40 and up, easy). I like wines from this area because they’re delicious, and lovable. Think floral notes, blackberry and blueberries, thyme, and sometimes hints of bacon or black olive. With great acidity.

• Other great regions to try nearby (but more $$$) are Cornas and Côte Rôtie,

• Some wineries I love from Northen Rhône: Jean-Louis Chave, Yann Chave, Domaine le Colombier, Faurey, Graillot, Sorrel, Vernay,

2. Aged Tempranillos of rioja alta

• Did you know that there’s an area of Rioja, Spain that actually ages your wine for you? And they don’t charge you extra for it. This appellation in westernmost Rioja is called Rioja Alta and it’s magnificent. Unlike wineries in Burgundy, Barolo, or Barbaresco (where some of the best Pinot Noir and Nebbiolos are made) that sell their wine young and expect you to age it until it’s at its peak, Rioja Alta producers make the wine, then generally cellar it for you until they think it’s ready to drink. This means that upon release, the ravages of time have already made the wine, well, less ravaging. Those burly tannins and high acids that many high-end European wines are known for when young (see the 3 B’s above) have already been soothed for you as the wine ages and mellows in the bottle. Quite simply, they’re ready to go.

  The grape of Rioja Alta is Tempranillo, sometimes with a touch of Graciano. The wines taste of black cherries, spice, leather, and sometimes tobacco. And at around $40, they’re a deal considering you could be opening a wine that’s already been aged for you 8-plus years- one current release, for example, is 2004. They’re just the kind of wine I love opening with a rich bean stew or lasagna.

• Some Rioja Alta wineries I love: La Rioja Alta, Vina Alberdi Reserves, Vina Ardanza (La Rioja Alta tends to release them later, so taste around among Alta wineries to find your aging preference).

3. California red Blends

• I’ve seen from working in a wine shop for years that California blends have unfairly earned a bad rap. Customers often looked at me with suspicion when I suggested a blended wine to them like I was trying to sell them a bunk bottling because it wasn’t just one grape. Of course, sometimes blends are a mix of whatever was leftover at a winery that wasn’t good enough to justify a single-variety release, but blends are more commonly made with intention. Winemakers blend grapes for a few reasons.

  As said, winemakers nmight take the remaining juice left over after making single-varietal wines and blend it together to ferment, but most times its because they would hate to throw away great remaining juice, not just because it’s “leftovers.” Other times they blend grapes because they love the flavors of the grapes together. Individual grapes have typical characteristics, so if you decide to bottle just a Grenache, you might love the lively, peppery notes typical of the grape, but wish there was a little more acid in there. Throw some Barbara in there and you’ve got your acid.

  Some of the best and earliest California wines were blends. Winemakers came from other countries with vines in their backpocket (or suitcases, or trunks, honestly I’ve always wondered how they stashed the vines), then planted them all over the state. Winemakers, if their lucky, can still gain access to those early grapes like Graciano, Valdiguié or Charbono. Some of my favorite red blends are made with mixes of early grapes and are a beautiful homage to California’s immigration history.

  The best thing about blends is that they come from light to dark and can hit all your wine sweet spots that maybe just one grape couldn’t. Explore! They often are less $ than a single-variety bottling, too.

• Some of my favorite blends come from: Bedrock, Bucklin, Brown, Folk Machine, Mathiasson, Preston, Scar of the Sea, and Stereophonic.

How to Pair Cheese to Cozy 🍷 when the Temp Drops

1. What are the best cheese pairings for spicy, medium to full-bodied reds with dash of acidity that have just been waiting for the temperature to drop so they can lounge in front of the fireplace? (See above post for wine names).

2. Go bigger than summer. Cozier, fuller-bodies autumnal wines don’t like lighter, fresher cheeses like summery fromage blancs, queso frescos, or mozzarellas. They’d rather snuggle up with a more mature, complex wheel. They want a deep cheese conversation.

3. I love a Tempranillo in fall, and Tempranillos and other spicy wines love sheep’s milk cheese, as do Syrahs. Think Manchegos, French mountain cheeses like Abbaye de Belloc, younger Pecorinos, Vermont Shepherd Verano.

4. Cozier wines like cheese with spicy notes, too, like an aged Provelone, Bellwether Pepato, or feta (really, feta isn’t too light, try it!).

5. Farmhouse cheddars can’t wait until summer is finished because they love cozy wine, too. Set chunks of your favorite cheddar out with any of these wines and enjoy the way the butterfat pairs with wine’s darker fruits and light acid.

6. Play around with a Tomme like Tomme de Savoie, Churchtown Dairy’s Wendell, Wenslydale, or another rustic cheese with a natural rind. Medium-body reds are so versatile, and since this semi-firm cheese style varies widely in flavor, consider the combo a free pairing pass. Have fun!