Wintertime! Do the seasons affect your wine choice when you go out to eat? Should they? It depends.
We know someone who had lined up a date at a wine and cheese restaurant, and was wondering what kind of wine he should order to go with the season. Now granted, he happens to live in south Florida, where he was still able to dine outside. Nevertheless, he wanted to know how to order wine that gives at least a nod to winter “so I can look classy and educated.”
In this case, our inquirer already knew what he was going to order to eat at the restaurant: a grilled chicken salad along with a cheeseboard that included three or four different cheeses, plus bread and fruit. He also mentioned that he does not personally like “super dry” or tart wines.
That’s a lot of good information, and it helped us make some recommendations.
Although you might think that during the winter, you would want to order “warm” wines, that’s not necessarily so. Given this person’s dining plans, and the fact that it didn’t sound like he intended to drink in order to take off the winter chill (Florida, remember!), a red wine from a coolish climate, such as a Russian River Valley pinot noir, might be just the thing.
On the other hand, there are many white wines that be excellent choices for this particular dining experience. We would look at a pinot gris or a Reisling, or perhaps a good gewurztraminer. That last time goes well with a vareity of cheeses, and also would nicely complement a chicken salad.
For a very specific recommendation, we suggested a pinot grigio by the name of Santa Margherita. This wine has a light fruity taste with a clean finish. It is slightly dry but not at all tart. And, if the restaurant does not stock Santa Margherita pinot grigio, just ask your server to provide something close to it. A restaurant that specializes in wine and cheese will certainly be able to match it nearly perfectly.
