By Cari Oleskewicz
What’s everyone drinking?
Autumn is arriving and as the calendar pages flip and the autumn equinox sets in, I’ll be heading towards Madrid for some creative writing shenanigans and then to a friend’s house in the Bavarian countryside, right along the Franconian Wine Route. I am eager to explore it.
As we move away from our summer wines into a new season, I’m recommending six specific types that you might enjoy. Here’s what I’m thinking for those fire pit gatherings and those supper clubs and those date nights at home.
I’m Not Reading All That, What’s the Quick List?
- A Portuguese White (I like Mimus Vinha do Cabeco Reserve White 2020)
- A Melon de Bourgogne (Try Vendange Nocturne from Pierre-Henri Gadais)
- Cava for your celebrations
- A Malbec from Mendoza (Perhaps the easy-to-find Piattelli Reserve)
- An Etna Rosso because volcanoes
- Bordeaux. Yes, you can.
Stick with Whites from the Douro Valley in Portugal
Portuguese white wines from warmer regions like the Douro Valley lean towards fruit-filled and fuller-bodied wines. Ideal for the fall. I spent some time in the Douro Valley in June, and was impressed with the structure in everything I tasted. My recommendation is this Mimus Vinha do Cabeco Reserve, a blend that gives us a pretty gold color, is extremely aromatic (find me with my nose lingering in the glass), and on the palate has hints of tropical fruit and toast, beautifully balanced.
Melon de Bourgogne: A White that Whispers
Come with me to the western Loire Valley, where you’ll find the Melon de Bourgogne grape, a fruit that produces bone-dry wines high in acidity. There’s green apple and citrus. Lots of minerals. A perfect way to transition from your summer whites to your autumn whites. I like the Vendange Nocturne from Pierre-Henri Gadais, which is crisp and full of apple and lemon and white peach. What I love most about this wine is that grapes are harvested by hand at night, with the moon high. Gorgeous.
Is There Anything Better Than Cava?
Halloween party punch? Mimosas in the morning? Something to welcome guests to your dinner party, before the big bottles are poured? Your autumn wine list needs to include a good Cava. This is a sparkling wine made the same way that Champagne is made, with the second fermentation happening inside the bottle. It’s a miracle that these delicious Spanish wines are so affordable.
Making the Case for Malbec
Listen, I arrived in Mendoza with a full attitude about Malbec. Fine in a blend, I told myself, but its own varietal? Meh. I was proven wrong and there’s nothing I delight in more than in being proven wrong. I drank Malbecs all over the Cuyo region while I was in Argentina, and I can tell you this wine is ideal for autumn because it looks like autumn, all dark and broody with that violet rim and purple-red color. In the U.S., I typically buy Piattelli Reserve, which is an outstanding expression of this grape and how it grows in the southern hemisphere.
Etna Rosso is Always My Favorite Volcanic Red
I went to a masterclass on volcanic wines earlier this year and tasted some surprises from places like the Canary Islands and the Azores and Greece. All of them interesting. When I’m looking for hints of ash and flint in my glass, however, I’m always going to reach for a Sicilian red. The Etna DOC region covers vineyards on the sloping volcano Mount Etna, which, by the way, is one of the world’s most active volcano. You’ll taste that and you’ll know that the fall months are indeed here.
We Have to Talk About Bordeaux
Why is Bordeaux the punching bag for wine industry “trends?” Every meeting, class, conference, and gathering I attended with wine professionals this year included the predictable and frankly irritating anxiety over the young people not drinking. Bordeaux is dying, everyone seemed to lament, quick, introduce a blend that the young influencers will love to drink. We need to stop all that. What are we really chasing? Bordeaux is Bordeaux is Bordeaux. I enjoyed the coming-soon Bordeaux Claret that I tasted earlier in the year and if it’s here, then it’s here. Maybe the young people will drink it. BUT IT’S OKAY IF THEY DON’T. Let’s stop begging. We can’t be hustling backwards. So drink your Bordeaux this autumn. It’s an act of resistance.
That’s all I’ve got. Well, not all I’ve got. I’ll be opening a variety of bottles all season long. If you want to know what they are, head over to the Sips and Sojourns Instagram Page. It’s right HERE!
Cheers, friends, and happy Autumn.
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