Wines that bring back the light

Lighter wines and foods that reinvigorate your palate

The winter solstice marks the return of the light. As our calendars mark a new year, I’d like to share a few ideas to reinvigorate your palate with a return to lighter wine and foods. The end of the rich and indulgent holiday season, with its heavier foods and memorable wines, is the ideal time to continue sharing good times with friends and family with simpler fare and wines that are every bit as memorable. 

Adding a bit of aromatic verve to my life is a great way to counter winter’s brisk days without giving in to a big red wine. Why not indulge in a lush white wine like Chenin Blanc or a Rhone–style blend? Plenty is going on, just in a lighter style.

Check out the easy-going wine bundle: Smooth Sips Selection

Chenin Blanc and Asian cuisines

Bursting with white flowers, honey, and citrus, the Leo Steen Chenin Blanc is really a favorite of mine anytime and will re-open your eyes and taste buds. Aged in French oak puncheons, the wine has a medium body with stone fruit and honeydew flavors leading to a long, refreshing peach and lemon finish. Spark up the night by pairing it with Thai or other Asian foods to see what you have been missing with Chenin.

White Rhone-style blends and curry

The Druids know their way around the solstice, and when it comes to exciting aromatics, the Druids Fluid from Troon Vineyards is one of my favorites for winter wine enjoyment. From Oregon’s first Demeter Biodynamic® and Organic Certified vineyards, they have crafted Marsanne, Roussanne, Vermentino, and Viognier to fill a veritable fruit bowl of apple, pear, and stone fruit vapors with white flowers, beeswax, orange blossom, and vanilla scents. Fermented with native yeast this compelling wine is bright and mouth-filling with lemon and pear notes, bold acid, and a savory quality. I find that Druids Fluid is a dynamic complement to complex dishes like vegetarian coconut curry or a roasted chicken salad with a snappy pear balsamic dressing.

Sauvignon Blanc and green vegetables

When vegetables are the focus of my menu, so is Sauvignon Blanc! Lively, crisp, and light, Sauvignon Blanc has an herbaceous character that makes pairing with green herbs, salads, and even asparagus enjoyable. If that sounds like the start of a palate refresh, then L’Objet Comstock Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc should be in your glass. Beautiful aromas of guava, tropical fruits, pears, white flowers, and hints of dry grass lead to flavors of lime and stones, a touch of saline, and white peaches. The balance is excellent and confirms this is a wine not just for those difficult-to-pair green vegetables but one that I reach for with herb-roasted chicken or pork, too.

Rosé and whatever you have on the plate

Refreshing and reinvigorating your palate doesn’t mean saying farewell to red wines for months; I just choose those red wines with higher acid and lower tannins, and there are many. However, when the thought of any “not red wine” causes distress, rose is my choice. Not white, yet not red, it’s the wine diplomat to negotiate a truce between good intent and “I really do want a ribeye.” I sip our Rising Wines Collective Streetvine Rosé of Syrah for these times. While it admittedly may not fend off a full-blown ribeye crisis that calls for “ten pounds of Cabernet in a five-pound bottle,” its strawberry, cherry, and tangerine aromas, crisp citrus and berry flavors, and fresh acidity can trend the yearnings to equally as dramatic oven roasted lamb (Oven-roasted lamb rack l Rising Wines Collective). 

Carignan and lean meats with dark fruit-based sauces

For a red wine reset towards lower alcohol and tannin, I opt for Carignan or Pinot Noir. Carignan shines when the vines are old, as in the Two Shepherds Carignan Old Vine. Lighter in body and higher in acidity with aromas of red raspberry, black cherry, dried herbs, and spices. Rich raspberry and cherry on the palate with savory herbs, I drink Carignan with foods that have sauces with berries or cherries and lightly roasted lean meats.

Pinot Noir and French onion soup

My ultimate indulgence for a red wine reset is hardly a reset regarding Pinot Noir. Its well-known red cherry and strawberry flavors with earthy mushrooms and spice can close the door to the need for tannin and alcohol. The Project M Personify is smooth with a lighter body than other Oregon Pinot Noir, but its enveloping aromas of porcini mushrooms, dried herbs, and strawberries that fold into dried strawberry and red raspberry, herbs, and mushrooms on the palate call for a simple light, French Onion Soup.

If you need to start the year with something new, why not try a white wine in winter, like a Chenin Blanc, or re-visit a perfect anytime wine, like Pinot Noir?