“As it gets colder, we tend to lean toward heartier meals— and the same can be said for wine,” says Andrew Yingst, winemaker at Grace Winery in Glen Mills.
For Yingst, that includes options with a higher alcohol content and elevated tannins. “Think big reds like our 1734 Red Blend, which is dominated by cabernet sauvignon,” he says.
At Va La Vineyards in Avondale, winemaker Anthony Vietri offers Cedar. “It’s a red wine with distinctive bronze hues, a velvety texture and a savory Old World character … wild mushrooms, eucalyptus, cinnamon, orange peel and good acidity that pairs very nicely with hearty dishes,” says Vietri. “We enjoy pairing it with North Italian cuisine, wild game dishes, porcinis, polenta, steak and cured meats. But I’d have to say my favorite pairing is with duck breast.”
Ben Cody also has his favorite winter red. “Petit verdot is big, bold, brooding, tannic and spicy, and there’s not a better winter-weather grape out there,” says the proprietor of Landenberg’s 1723 Vineyards.
Cabernet sauvignon grapes from Grace Winery’s vineyards. Photo by Jim Graham.
His favorite pairing? “Without a doubt, that would be lamb shank,” he says. “Beef bourguignon is another dish that works great—but basically any stewed red meat slow-cooked.”
A dry red blend, Chaddsford Winery’s 2021 Harbinger is also an excellent wine to reach for in the cold winter months. “Enjoy it alongside rich winter classics like beef stew, spinach and artichoke dip, or sausage and fennel,” says Chaddsford GM Corey Krejcik.
Most of these wines use locally grown or regionally purchased grapes. Vietri’s standout Cedar is a small-batch wine made from a field blend of massal selections from 11 different nebbiolo clones grown on his farm—“which we humbly believe are the most grown in the U.S,” he says.
“Don’t forget the vegetables. Grilled eggplant is a great pairing for any red with a little bit of toasted oak characteristics.”
—Grace Winery’s Andrew Yingst
Cody farms his own petit verdot grapes. The variety often plays third fiddle in Bordeaux’s traditional blended wines, but it’s often its own varietal wine on the East Coast. Kyle Jones is also a fan of petit verdot. He purchased Kreutz Creek Winery in West Grove a few years ago and has reconfigured it as Acadian Wine Company. He’s been utilizing his contacts from years of winemaking in Pennsylvania to buy many of his grapes until his own production comes online. “The petit verdot varietal that currently sits on my wine list was grown in the Lehigh Valley just outside of Kutztown,” Jones says. “Picked on Oct. 6, 2022, it was fully de-stemmed, had a14-day maceration and spent 14 months aging in an American oak barrique.”
Photo by Jim Graham.
Only 38 cases of the wine were produced. “I enjoy picking up small lots of fruit and offering limited production varietals to show off the many unique terroirs of our state,” Jones says. “This example demonstrates the balance of fruit, texture and acidity achieved from our medium-length, temperate growing season.”
Davide Creato is almost poetic about his love for the merlot made at his winery in Chadds Ford. On winter evenings, he pairs it with aged cheese, sliced prosciutto and salami, and bread and olive oil from his native Italy. “With some age in the bottle, merlot becomes more complex and intriguing,” says Creato, who took over winemaking duties at Penns Woods from founder Gino Razzi a few years ago. “The fruit becomes less prominent and the chocolate and tobacco aromas are highlighted, offering a nice, round finish.”
Winemakers generally consider the structure of a wine to be as important as its flavors. “I like to associate it with a textile feeling,” Creato says. “Merlot’s structure after a few years in the bottle becomes opulent and soft, like a modern bamboo cloth that’s incredibly smooth but has a very good body structure. Our merlot grapes come from vines that have been established for 30 years and have acclimated to the soil and conditions at our vineyard.”
Felipe Pallares moved to the United States with his family several years ago from Ecuador, where he and his brother, Enrique, once played polo and traveled the world with their ponies. Enrique still plays at Brandywine Polo Club, not far from their Jennersville farm. Today, they own Casa Carmen Wines, which has tasting rooms at the farm and in Chestertown, Maryland. The wine is made at their facility in Baltimore, and the grapes come from all over this region. A perfect winter red is the 2022 Casa Carman Duende, a Bordeaux blend with a touch of tannat. With its rich blackberry flavors and good structure, the wine is served in the Jennersville tasting room alongside Spanish-style tapas or snacks. “I like to drink it with a meat-based stew, such as a ragout with a bit of spiciness that simmers for six hours or so,” Felipe says.
But it’s not always about meat and cheese. “Don’t forget the vegetables,” says Yingst. “Grilled eggplant is a great pairing for any red with a little bit of toasted oak characteristics.”
Visit acadianwinecompany.com, casacarmenwines.com, chaddsford.com, gracewinery.com, 1723vineyards.com, pennswoodswinery.com and valavineyards.com.
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