On Wine: Reds for winter eats

Editor’s Note: Dan Berger is taking some time off.

Wine is a food, and our moods for it change with the seasons just as they do for the solid stuff that we eat. A lot more rosé and dry white is sold in summertime; this is the time of the year for chill-chasing reds and fortified wines that can be too heavy for mid-year heat.

I’d like to recommend some wines that pair up nicely with wintertime eats. I’ll offer some suggestions for the latter as well. These are some of the better red wines I’ve sampled recently, and I’ll tell you why. They represent six different countries, include one from Mendocino County and cover a wide price range. If your local wine store can’t get them for you, they’re available online. A sweet fortified first, then the reds, listed from lightest to heaviest-bodied.

Graham’s 20-Year-Old Tawny Port, Portugal: The wooded port that shows its age the most expressively is the 20-year-old tawny. The 20s are viscous enough to show that they’ve long been in barrel, layered enough to entice back and again, and so lengthy on the palate that they haunt. (Older tawnies, in my view, overplay all of that and, hence, suffer nuance.) This delicious, come-hither mix of nuts, citrus and “darkness” (toffee, coffee, chocolate) is superb. Best by itself (and a hearth) or with dried nuts, dried fruit, rich heavy cake or lighter chocolates. $40-$45

2010 Vina Real Crianza Rioja, Spain: The truly great thing about Rioja reds is how much you get for so little you pay, all a function of the winemaking style there. Riojas tend to sport years of aging at the winery, the cost of which is not passed on to you, as it would be from other regions. This is a beautiful red Rioja: all cherry fruit and soft tannin, polished by years in barrel and bottle. The liveliness of Rioja red is refreshing, too, especially at table. Lamb, of course, but also anything from pizza to a rich vegetarian. $12-$18

2012 Edmeades Zinfandel Perli Vineyard Mendocino Ridge, California: It’s terrific when wood is so well integrated into a red wine that, though its aroma is up-front on first snort, it also has become part of the wine so that it doesn’t call unneeded attention to itself and distract from what else is there: buckets of bright red fruit (raspberry and cherry especially), with subtle notes of brown cooking spice and black pepper. America’s new zinfandels are killer delicious, such as this one. Gimme deep-dish or anything with tomatoes in it or on it. $30

2012 Vinas del Vero La Miranda de Secastilla Garnacha Somontano, Spain: What’s best about grenache/garnacha is its in-your-face perfume that just says, “Drink me.” This is from high-altitude vineyards just recently rediscovered and refurbished for modern winemaking, and it shows: bright fruit, soft tannin, super-juicy finish. Vegetarians and vegans would appreciate its flexibility with nonfat proteins. $14

2011 Ktima Driopi Nemea, Greece: This comes from central Greece and is all-agiorgitiko, the justly famed red grape of Nemea. Higher altitude allows for a long maturation of the effulgent aroma in the wine, but a retention of refreshing, table-friendly acidity as well. Lots of dark cherry flavor here, with spice and green herbal notes. Solid tannin, so pair with some fat or oil on the plate. Grilled tuna would be nice; or something from veal or turkey; also any cheese-vegetable dish. $30-$35

2011 Bastianich Rosso “Vespa” Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy: When a big red comes across the palate softly, plushly, that’s a neat trick and a delight. This is half merlot and then a mix of Friulian and French red grapes; it’s bold, brooding, a chomper-on, but gorgeously scented of dark fruit and spice and as soft as velour. The tannins are so plush that it may not come off so well with fatty meats, so go for leaner cuts, even fowl, or grilled mushrooms. Treat it as if it were a sauce. $30-$38

2011 Bodegas Cal Blanca Tinta Toro, Spain: A mazing value for all that’s packed into the bottle. All tempranillo, this is as dark as a poodle’s nose, with some gripping but chalky tannins just asking for food. The dark red-black fruit is very prettily accented with spicy and earthy notes, but it’s the rich tannins that will turn on the tongue. Stews, ragouts, especially meat-and-bean combinations would be delicious. $13-$18

2011 El Enemigo Cabernet Franc Mendoza, Argentina: So many layers of flavors, aromas, textures and (even a multilayered) finish that it would help to have a calculator at hand. The dominant dark fruit is accented with earth, graphite, black pepper; the texture attacks right on the sip, but then plays out with vapor-menthol “lift” and line; and though there are ample tannins, they’re plushly rendered, and so carry the flavors and aromas through to a nonstop finish. More lamb to go with the “mint-y” note, but also a nice beef stew or even baked ziti. $25-$30