White Wine After Labour Day
Just because the leaves are changing color and the air is getting crisper doesn’t mean that you have to switch up your usual white wine to a red one. In fact, there are plenty of amazing white wine options that’ll work with flannel and cooler weather.
Some of my faves for this season include Viognier, a lightly oaked Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Gewürztraminer. So let’s dive into all of these a little deeper!
Viognier
This is a grape that’s typically found in the Rhône region of France, but there are lots of New World interpretations of this wine that are fab including regions like Canada, Australia and California. A Viognier usually has richer aromas that you may be used to for a white wine - I’m talking mango, honeysuckle, rose petals and cloves. Now, don’t all those aromas kind of scream cozy to you?
In terms of pairings, for appetizers you can stick with charcuterie with an emphasis on softer cheeses or serve chips with a mango or peach forward salsa. When it comes to mains, I personally love Viognier with any dishes that have butternut squash, sweet potatoes or carrots (all very fall foods!) and for my meat-eating friends, this pairs excellently with white meats and could be the best option for a white wine at your Canadian Thanksgiving dinner (since that’s early October).
Lightly Oaked Chardonnay
I know, I know, you’re thinking, “Chardonnay? How original”, but hear me out. Nothing is quite as versatile with food as a lightly oaked chardonnay. While Burgundy is renowned for their beautiful styles of Chardonnay, it can be a bit daunting when you don’t know the nuances between the appellations. So when I’m looking for a lighter style Chardonnay, I tend to gravitate towards alternate regions - such as Washington State, Willamette Valley in Oregon, South Africa, Spain and Australia.
These Chardonnays are going to have a bit more zip in them, and the most prominent flavors should be more citrus and apple instead of oak, oak, oak. Now, you will get a little bit of oak on these wines, but it truly does smooth out the zippiness to give it a very attractive roundness.
Like I said, this is such a food friendly option. I love pairing chardonnays with pretty much everything - some of my favorite pairings here are mac and cheese, corn on the cob, butter/oil based pasta dishes, lighter seafood dishes and white meats as well.
Chenin Blanc
This white wine speaks to my heart and I’m a personal fan of it all year round. That said though, fall is a great time to step out of your comfort zone if you’re never tried it because I promise you will be a fan too! Chenin Blanc is South Africa’s gem and honestly, they do it so well! There are also great Chenins coming out of Loire Valley in France, but in my case, I tend to gravitate towards the South African styles more as they tend to be the driest (least amount of residual sugar).
On most dry Chenin Blancs, you’ll get notes of pear, melon, lemon curd and chamomile. With those aromas, your best pairings will be in the sweet and salty range - think Southeast asian curries and spiced dishes. I personally love Chenin with cauliflower dishes and one of the herbs I think it goes best with is chives!
Gewürztraminer
I often feel like this grape is forgotten about or put in a corner because people think it’s too sweet. Well, I’m here to tell you to give it a chance (again) because the off-dry styles of this wine are so perfect for Fall.
The two regions that I think do this grape the most justice are Germany and Alsace, France. No surprise that Alsace is on the Germany border, which tells you that this grape craves a cooler climate than you might think.
These wines tend to be fuller bodied which is perfect as the weather gets crisper, and they typically have a smooth finish. The quintessential Gewürztraminer aroma is lychee but it’s often joined by lots of floral and orange rind notes. When it comes to pairing this style of wine, it’s another white wine that would be a winner at the Thanksgiving table as it would work with cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, dark and white meats, plus this could go right through to dessert pairing amazingly with pumpkin pie! Aside from Thanksgiving foods, I love pairing Gewürztraminer with Indian dishes. I find that the off-dry styles complement the spices perfectly here.
So there we have it - a reason not to put away your white wine glasses for the season.
