KEY POINTS:
In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy," advised the poet William Blake before proposing that the road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.
While I'm not recommending immoderation in your drinking this season, matching the robust fare of winter with wines that have more feisty flavours and textures can certainly lead to more piquant pleasures. And since many of the wines I've selected here offer great value for money, there's no need for inordinate extravagance.
As the nights grow cold, we often look for nourishment in the comforting slow-cooked food of the season: roasted and braised meats, flavourful casseroles and dishes with plenty of warming seasonings and spice. Full-bodied and spicy reds are the obvious accompaniment.
Something like syrah (or shiraz as its known across the ditch), with its rich, savoury flavours is often a great partner to roasted meats, such as venison, stews and dishes with a peppery bite. Merlot and Bordeaux blends, too, suit the lamb and beef of the season.
Red wines may warm the spirits, but don't suit all foods and moods. Rich and spicy whites, or even more robust roses, have a place in these lighter moments. You'll need to go for whites with a bit of grunt, such as barrel-fermented chardonnays with their creamy textures, or spicy, fatter aromatic grape varieties like viognier, gewurztraminer and more concentrated examples of pinot gris, which pair so well with the spicy Asian dishes that are attractive at this time of year.
So rug up, sit back by the fireside and take the time to savour some more substantial wines.
Lawson's Dry Hills Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2006 $26.95
"Gewurz" is German for spice, and there's certainly plenty in one of New Zealand's benchmark examples. Star anise, nutmeg and ginger abound in its rich and perfumed palate of rosewater and lychee. A spicy specimen suitable for pairing with highly spiced or sweet and sour Asian dishes, as well as traditional matches such as liver pates and strong cheeses.
* From Point Wines, New Zealand Winemakers Centre, Foodtown Quay St.
Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Hawkes Bay Viognier 2005 $29.95
A weighty and voluptuous viognier that's oozing with the variety's classic characters - redolent of musk, apricots and peaches, lifted by notes of lemon zest and peppery spice. As well as partnering richer sweetly flavoured shellfish like lobster and crab, this big wine can cope admirably with hot and creamy curries. A winter white if there ever was one.
* From Liquor King and fine wine stores.
Clearview Estate Hawkes Bay Reserve Chardonnay 2006 $40
Clearview's Tim Turvey is well known for making some of the country's biggest and boldest chardonnays and this is no exception. Not for the faint-hearted or for drinking with delicately flavoured foods, this fat and creamy chardonnay, with its ripe stone fruit and lashings of toasty oak is reined in by a crisp citrus acidity which stops it from being overblown.
* From the Fine Wine Delivery Company, Caro's, First Glass.
Clayridge Marlborough Pinot Rose 2006 $18
Many roses may be light wines best suited to sipping as summer aperitifs, but this one's a more serious and savoury affair that will suit foods from game fish through to more hearty soups and casseroles, plus a variety of vegetable dishes. In this dry food-friendly rose from Clayridge's exciting new Omaka Valley vineyard, the tangy red fruit you'd expect from a rose is given added depth and spice from its time in oak.
* From First Glass and Caro's.
Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Vineyard Merlot 2005 $27.95
A powerful and complex Hawkes Bay merlot, with plenty of rich ripe dark fruit, nuances of dark chocolate, coffee and spice and a structure that begs for it to be paired with red meat. One of the most impressive recently released merlots that offers great concentration at an extremely competitive price.
* From fine wine stores.
Stonecroft Young Vine Hawkes Bay Syrah 2005 $19
For those looking for some winter spice without the weight that's to be found in much syrah/shiraz, this pretty example is just the ticket. Made from young vines in the estate of Hawkes Bay syrah pioneers Stonecroft, it's intensely fragrant, with freshly milled white and black pepper, cinnamon and floral notes layered over juicy red fruit, and at this smart price it's a stylish steal.
* From fine wine stores.
Zonte's Footstep Shiraz Viognier 2005 $19.95
Strong flavours require strapping wines, with warm climate Aussie shiraz often able to rise to the occasion. This blockbuster from Langhorne Creek certainly delivers, bursting with big, ripe, juicy blackberry fruit, pepper and spice, plus an aromatic apricot lift from the addition of a soupcon of viognier. Superb with steaks and sausages, with a fruit sweetness that won't spar with those hard-to-match fruity sauces. Hot stuff!
* From www.sceniccellars.co.nz and fine wine stores.
Artazuri Navarra Garnacha $17.99
There's nothing like the warmth of a Mediterranean red to beat the winter blues. This gutsy Garnacha is made from 70-year-old grenache vines by Spain's esteemed Rioja producer, Artardi. It's swimming in sweet juicy strawberry and raspberry fruit, with nuances of raisins and white pepper spice. Fresh flavours from the Old World.
* From Caro's.
Alluviale Red 2005 $26.50
The stylish single wine of the promising new Alluviale label, which sourced the merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc for this blend from Hawkes Bay's prime Gimblett Gravels district. Enticing floral and cedar aromas lead to an elegant and concentrated palate of pure black cherry and berry fruit, with a structure suggesting that if cellared it should continue to please for some more winters to come.
* From Caro's.
Graham's "Six Grapes" Reserve Port $54.95
Although I could happily drink port all year, there's arguably no better time to fortify yourself with its rich and warming properties than in the colder months. A superior ruby style made with grapes from some of the best vineyards of the prestigious Graham's port house, which offers a luscious and velvety textured compote of blackberries, blackcurrants, plums and spice. Although blended to be similar to a young vintage port, there's no need to lay it down or decant, just savour straight away.
* From fine wine stores.
