It’s winter. It’s time to dig deepest into the cellar, or into the inventory of your local wine shop. Time to call out the moody, layered bottles. Time to gather your most serious wine friends and puzzle out the mysteries of your most complex wines, during these long, still nights. 

The heartier food, the cold clear days and early dusks, the holidays, the instincts that make us all gather together and linger longer at the dinner table: winter is the best season for serious wine drinking. We have some suggestions. 

Wonderful Wines for Winter

NV Cleto Chiarli ‘Vecchia Modena’ Lambrusco di Sorbara ($17)

Good Lambrusco is vibrant, dry, and surprisingly complex—and yet, with its low alcohol and frothy bubbles, it’s like an adult soft drink. And it’s not just for summer. It's fruity, with tangy, lively acidity, but it will also have a bit of earthiness and a bit of muscle, and will be "rustic" in the best sense of the word. Slightly chilled, it is the perfect red wine to put a smile on your face after a bad day. This classic, benchmark Lambrusco is almost rosé-like in color. Light, delicate, and dry, with notes of violet, cherry, blood orange. - Jason Wilson

2021 Domaine Des 2 Anes Corbieres Fontanille ($19)

A broody, moody, and extraordinarily priced Languedoc wine. A savory nose leads you into dark fruits and game, and a peppery finish. The kind of wine that you’d be happy to drink twice a week for years—every “bistro wine” in the world should be half as good as this. Especially good with the rustic comfort foods you crave during these long, dark nights. 60 percent Carignan; the rest is Syrah and Grenache Noir. Reliable and characterful year-in and year-out. And about that extraordinary price: I’d get this for $13.99 in the mid-Aughts—so its price today, when adjusted for inflation, is cheaper than it was in 2008. - Jon Fine

NV El Maestro Sierra 15-Year Oloroso Sherry ($25, 500mL)

Winter is the time to bust out those opulent, oxidative sherries and warm up with a glass of something that’s a little higher ABV. This is lighter and more elegant than your typical oloroso, but just as rich and complex. It’s dry, intense: nutty (more hazelnut than walnut), figgy, umami, with some allspice and caramel notes. A pleasure to contemplate by a roaring fire. - Sarah Parker Jang

2023 Domaine Mabillot Reuilly ($28)

 Reuilly, a little-known Loire appellation, is one of my go-to spots for great-value Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. My logic is that, since no consumers are specifically looking for Reuilly, no importer who imports one is going to offer something other than quality. That’s true with this attractive Sauvignon Blanc, a tad on the bigger side, with a good balance of lush creaminess and cool minerality. Unique notes of melon, ginger, and coconut, along more typical notes of flowers and grapefruit. A cold-weather Savvy B. - JW

2022 Laurence & Rémi Dufaitre Brouilly ($29)

Old-vine Gamay winter glou-glou. Juicy and floral, with ripe red fruits (wild strawberry, raspberry, cranberry), a bouquet of fresh-cut and dried flowers, tea leaves and dried herbs. The soft, ample fruit and lovely acidity make it an ideal pairing with cheese and charcuterie at a holiday party. - SPJ

2022 Simonis Pinot Blanc Vielles Vignes ($30)

Golden and slightly viscous in the glass. Great, subtle midpalate richness—ripe pear, white peach, white tea—amid dashes of salt and white pepper that surprise, and hold it all together. Very interesting stuff, with loads of character. Think: sausages, pork, rich mushrooms dishes, or a decadent roast chicken. - JF

2021 Maitre de Chai Wheeler Vineyard San Benito County Chardonnay ($32)

From vines that were planted in 1974, and from Maitre de Chai’s first vintage from this vineyard in California’s Central Coast. Whole-cluster pressed and barrel-fermented and matured in old French oak. Golden apple, white peach, pear, herbs and white blossoms, spices, toast. It’s earthy, ripe but restrained, and more about texture than fruit. It’s evocative of warm, sunny spring days to come, but it will brighten your winter evenings until then. - SPJ

2023 Punta Crena ‘Vigneto Isasco’ Rossese ($32)

The wines of Liguria—land of pesto, focaccia, and salsa di noci—remain mostly undiscovered. But I love the light-bodied reds made from the Rossese grape, which are a perfect compliment to the creamy rich pasta dishes of winter. Rossese is often unoaked and fruity, while offering something more—a backbone of savory and herbal notes, good structure, and appealing acidity. This Rossese is bright, vibrant, juicy, with notes of tart cherry and cranberry, balanced by savory, herbal undertones. - JW

2022 Judith Beck Hunny Bunny Burgenland ($33)

I don’t care how cold it gets. I still want my fun, chillable reds, especially when I’m filling the void of space, time, and calories that falls between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. A blend of Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt, this is somewhere just between a rosé and a light red. It’s bright and floral, with tart red and black fruits—black cherry, ripe raspberry, cranberry, pomegranate—and crushed flower petals. Vivacious, with ripe tannins; a great pop-and-pour option for parties as well. - SPJ

2020 Domaine de Cotes Rousses “Ensemble” ($35)

This, from the Roussette de Savoie appellation in the French Alps and made from the obscure Altesse grape, is the epitome of a winter white. Rich, dense, moody, with swirling notes of gaudy flowers, wild herbs, and tropical fruit, balanced by zesty notes of white pepper and black tea, and an underlying saltiness. - JW

2023 Yves Leccia Domaine D’E Croce YL Blanc ($40)

The fruit shades tropical here—hello, pineapple—but there’s tons of salinity surrounding it and on the nose. The structure firmly contains the fruit, which is ripe but shows not an ounce of flab. Finish is deeply mineral. Quite characterful, an interesting change of pace—and definitely has the acidity and freshness to cut through rich wintry fare. 100 percent Vermentinu–what the Corsicans call Vermentino—from one of Corsica’s masters, and most likely vastly different from other expressions of that grape that you’ve already sampled. - JF

2023 Eva Fricke Kiedrich ($45)

If I had to choose a “winter” variety, I would also choose Riesling—dry Riesling. Eva Fricke, from Rheingau, has become one of Germany’s star producers of Riesling—dry Riesling. This village-level bottling, from a warm vintage, is rich and generous with notes of citrus peel, orange blossom, tangerine, Meyer lemon, balanced by an underlying saltiness and a lengthy mineral finish. - JW

2021 Arnaud Lambert Brézé ‘David’ ($45)

A rich, cold-weather Loire Chenin Blanc that gives serious Burgundy vibes. Contemporary wine culture is moving away from oaked whites—toward concrete and amphora and whatnot. So it’s interesting to see someone with Arnaud Lambert’s natural-wine cred producing a wine like this, aged nearly a year in foudre and French oak barrels. Thicc and powerful, herbal, honeyed, with layers of citrus and an underlying stony, salty minerality. - JW

2022 Thibaud Boudigon Anjou Blanc ($47)

100 percent Chenin Blanc grown on schistous soils in the Loire. Notes of quince and pear, gingerbread, fleshy ripe yellow fruit, stony and mineral, a hint of smoke, a salted almond finish. Crescendoing acidity. It’s substantial and concentrated but still light on the palate. Cozy but bright and cheerful—like watching snow fall across a backdrop of holiday lights from the window of a warm home. - SPJ

2019 Chateau Pradeaux ($50)

A super crunchy and black-peppery frame around blue and black fruit and a hint of smoke. Sweetness and flowers on the nose, amid the sauvage notes you’d expect. Certainly will get better with age, but can be enjoyed now, too, and this is exactly what I crave on a winter’s night. Serve alongside a pot roast or short ribs, something with unctuousness and savor to play off the fine but persistent tannins on the back end. Benchmark Mourvedre, from its benchmark home in Bandol, from an estate owned by the same family since before the French Revolution. - JF

2021 Radikon ‘Slatnik’ ($50)

For whatever reason, people think of orange wines as mostly a refreshing warm-weather beverage. But orange wines, with their structure and cutting acidity, are perfect for the winter table. This one, from OG natural winemaker Radikon, is a blend of 80 percent Chardonnay and 20 percent Sauvignon Blanc, with shorter-than-usual skin contact. It’s full of energy, electric acidity, and serious tannins, with herbal, peppery notes balanced by apricot and quince. - JW

2021 Terlan Vorberg Alto Adige Pinot Bianco ($53)

An Alpine classic that holds its own with wintry comfort food, especially roasted dishes. Meyer lemon, white peach, apricot, white flowers, almond, and chalk, with fresh acidity and surprising weight on the palate. And if you can track them down, it is available in magnums for your holiday gatherings. - SPJ

2016 Château Haut Bages Liberal Grand Cru Paulliac ($65)

There are Bordeaux that hit you in the face with currant and then there’s this. A palate that leans (far) in the direction of graphite and wood smoke and the stark vibe of a forest in midwinter. Tannins are here—it’s 70 percent Cabernet and 30 percent Merlot; there are Bordeaux that go well with roast chicken, but save this one for beefy dishes, pork, or venison. Decant this, gaze at the fire, follow this one over the course of a long evening. drift into a reverie.  - JF

2022 Gut Oggau Cecilia Rosé ($66)

Rosé isn’t just for summer—this much we know. But during the cold months, you want a different kind of rosé. This idiosyncratic bottling—a field blend of white and red grapes—from the hipper-than-thou Burgenland producer Gut Oggau delivers on so many levels. Cloudy, pale crimson with a subtly funky nose of blood orange and wild strawberry, and super tart on the palate with sangria-like notes of cranberry, white peach, and watermelon. Perfect for a night in, scarfing down rich, creamy, pungent cheeses.  - JW

2015 Jim Barry The Benbournie Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($80) 

Stealthy, this one. Early impressions are that of a warm-climate Aussie Cab with an oak-heavy nose, but soon enough it reveals its headfakes and very smart footwork, and you realize that this has much more going on than you might first believe. Herbs and a hint of eucalyptus (the ghost of California Cab past, perhaps?) quickly overtake the oak aromas, and those herbs tussle with dark fruit on the mid palate and triumph in an interesting way. Serve with roast beef or prime rib. The label suggests decanting; the label is right. - JF

NV Domaine Nowack Autre Cru Champagne Extra Brut ($83)

Champagne is so often enjoyed during the winter season, from that first glass at the first holiday party through midnight on New Year's Eve. This blanc de noirs Champagne—100 percent Meunier sourced from different plots in winemaker Flavien Nowack's home town in the Vallée de la Marne—can handle any occasion. Aged in oak, it has a lean, savory, toasty profile. White-fleshed and just-ripe red fruits, jasmine, sweet spices, with a saline finish. It's quite transportive on a cold Tuesday night at home, and a superb pairing with rich and roasted meals. - SPJ

2018 Domaine de Chevillard La Mort Cru Saint Jean De La Porte ($90)

A remarkably generous nose—plum, rich dark berries, ripe stemmy fruits, a hint of winter smoke—ride atop a refreshing and satisfyingly ripe dark berry fruited palate intermingled with herbs that cuts thru acidity and ends with an energizing and plangent mineral finish. The darker end of Mondeuse, but that’s a highly relative term, and there are lots of layers herein to fuel a contemplative wintry evening. Not the easiest wine to find from this standout Savoie producer, but very much worth the effort to track down—I’ve been told by the importer (Corkhoarder) that there are still bottles available in the U.S., so ask if your local doesn’t have it on the shelf. - JF

2019 Elena Fucci Titolo Aglianico Superiore Riserva  ($110)

This standout producer from Basilicata continues to coax nuances and depths from the Aglianico she grows on volcanic slopes—nuances and depths that elude many (all?) of her peers. Ashy, in a very good way, with a surprisingly vivid floral top note. A wine that’s more about earth and a dark volcanic rockiness and black pepper than it is about the savory plum underneath it all. Layered, complex, utterly unique—really great stuff. - JF

2010 Vignobles Levet Côte Rôtie La Chavaroche ($150)

Olives and juicy brambly fruit, within a structure and finish that immediately evokes the extraordinarily rocky soils of its vineyard. Profound and also delicious,with a kind of crystalline clarity and minerality that brings to mind snow-covered fields underneath the piercing sunlight of a cloudless winter day. There are hints of the sauvage, but only hints—this is a remarkably elegant and lithe wine. Refreshing, even. One of the world’s greatest expressions of Syrah from an ultra-traditional producer. - JF