These White Wines Were Made for Winter

"But as the air chills, veering into raw and rude, winter begs for something altogether more comforting. Red wine may seem the obvious choice, but consider embracing white wine's moodier alter ego. Think brooding, nostalgic wines with an unwillingness to fade away quietly-bottles with gravitas, texture and complexity. Enter the heady, untamed sensuality of Condrieu, or the dreamy marzipan and melted-candle textures of Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc."

"These wines operate on the opposite flavor spectrum as their zippy counterparts. Frost-bitten nights call for savory wines rich with salinity and nuttiness, languid whites that envelop and persist. These wines deliver a kiss of caramelized char and torrefaction, or march to the staccato brace of tannins and time. Save your palate-cleansing sips of Champagne or Chablis for raw oysters. Surrender instead to wines that tango with oysters gratinéed with butter and garlic."

Winter favors full-bodied, textured white wines with savoriness, salinity, nuttiness, and lingering textures rather than bright, zesty summer styles. Examples include Condrieu and Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc with marzipan, melted-candle textures, and wines that show caramelized char, torrefaction, and tannic structure. Late-harvest Mosel Riesling Auslese offers acidity, sweetness, and savoriness to offset fatty meats and umami-rich soups. White Rioja blends provide power and poise. These whites pair with oysters gratinéed, roasted root vegetables, lamb singed with sage and ash, and melted cheeses, offering comforting heft and complexity through colder months.

Read at Bon Appetit