White Wine In Winter

A case for going against tradition.

- Jay Mcinerney

The tired old dictate against white after Labor Day seems to be falling away in the sartorial realm, although I still feel slightly subversive when I don a white cashmere blazer in a month ending in R. A similar rule seems to hold sway in the vinous realm, with many drinkers turning to red wine when the weather turns cool. But there are many white wines that are better suited to colder weather, and heavier dishes, than to summer slurping. Call them winter whites. They are not fashionable at the moment, which makes them all the more interesting.

“Now the fashion in white wines is all about minerality and acid, about lean wines,” said Jean-Louis Chave, as we tasted his 2001 Hermitage blanc in the chilly cellar of his winery in Mauves this past spring. “It used to be the fashion was for buttery and creamy whites.” I think he’s correct in this—the platonic ideal among sommeliers and wine professionals at the moment is Chablis and, perhaps, dry German riesling, and the big buzzwords for tasting notes are “lean,” “mineral,” and “precise.” The regnant ideal seems to be liquid limestone and lemon juice. These skinny wines are very refreshing, and they pair well with lighter cuisine. But there’s a place at the table, and in the calendar, for lowacid, voluptuous whites made from grapes like marsanne, roussanne, viognier, and gewürztraminer. I like to think of it as a question of clavicles versus cleavage.