The ultimate Fall wine

The Fall is my favorite time of the year. Yes the leaves, the sweaters, the pumpkin-flavored lattes — all that stuff is very important to me. Everyone who knows me knows I enjoy wearing various capes and capelets….finally weather appropriate! And perhaps most important, I get excited about new wines. Spicy reds with a bolder mouthfeel and some gripping tannins are calling me. So what, you might ask, pairs well with a capelet? I have been loving the 2009 Domaine de la Chanteleuserie Cabernet Franc. As a young wine, it still maintains some beautiful light freshness, which can be attributed to the cooler climate of the Loire Valley. The nose is so layered and complex that I can’t stop sniffing my glass. I get ample warm baking spice, perhaps clove, a hint of eucalyptus and pine as well as a nice Fall earthy quality. And on the palate there is lovely cranberry fruit and a hint of smoky peppers. This wine just embodies the Fall.

Get excited about a Greek wine with me, won’t you?

I have really been enjoying the Kir-Yianni Ramnista lately. Kir means Mr. in Greek. (I was lucky enough to recently meet the Mr. Yianni, and let me tell you, he definitely falls in the “handsome-wine-maker-plus” category. But that is besides the point.) The name of the wine is the Ramnista, and the grape used is called Xinomavro. It has some serious ass-kicking tannins. But ass-kicking in a way that makes you come crawling back, begging for more. A crazy flavor profile too: ample spice, smoke, kind reminiscent of sandalwood incense, hints of really dark fruit and a bit of black olive.

This wine would be great with any kind of steak, a stew, or maybe something gamey, with a side of roasted root vegetables. The Xinomavro grape is often compared to Barolo, and that makes perfect sense. Both have rather intense tannins and a big mouthfeel, but flavor-wise, there is a ton of elegance and complexity with similar notes of leather and soft cherries as well. The great thing about this wine is that it’s only $30, which is a very afforable price for such a complex wine, especially in comparison to a Barolo.

Albarino and Brussels sprouts?

Remember when we all used to hate Brussels sprouts until we discovered putting bacon on everything? But if you take the bacon away, you’ll realize you love these slightly smelly petite cabbages. And dear lord, how good they are roasted in the oven with just olive oil and salt! But the delightful funkiness remains and calls for a very fresh wine to pair with it. I personally have been eating a lot of Brussels sprouts and drinking a lot of Condes de Albarei, Albarino. It’s a richer white, meaning the flavors are more pronounced and the weight of the wine lingers in your mouth and even longer on your tongue. It has great honey notes that really complement the roasted sprouts’ caramelization. With hints of citrus, peach, and ginger, it is an unmistakably fresh golden wine, making for a nice contrast to the classic Brussels sprouts funkiness. (Also a nice match for roast chicken or pork loin, just in case you were looking to have something else for dinner with your pan of roasted sprouts.)