COMFORT WINES OF WINTER
By Eric Cook
horter days inspire all sorts of hibernations . Summertime sunshine drives us out into the countryside , searching for the novel , and winter ’ s chilly contractions invite us closer to home . For some of us , the swing is literal — like winter ’ s chill sends the call to migration or invites the locals into the sheltered draws and valleys . For most of us , it is metaphorical — simply reminding us of the traditions by which the world we know feels closer .
This closeness is difficult to define — like a central piece of ourselves — our taste , our personal culture embodied in the familiarity of seasonal flavors . Wine takes a place in this seasonal comfort zone . Alongside the long-sleeved shirts , hot cocoa , lap cats , blazing wood stoves , and heated car seats , red wine predominates — though a hearty white wine may also line right up with slow-roasted meals .
Our imprecise sense of smell works more precisely on memory . Our personal history of scent carries us further than words , to the places and people we were and can buoy us toward the people we will be . It carries us from the imprinted tastes and smells of one ’ s past to the vivacious experience of who and where we are in this moment . Favorite , or comfortable , smells are the survivals of who and where we were in taste , for who we are now — snapshots of both then and now , before and after . Smells are sometimes an anchor for that part of life , sometimes the warm blanket .
Europeans are on to the fact that scent rises out of the ground ; scent has a spatial geography as well as a seasonal preference . Every wine lover has tasted the difference between the same grapes grown in different places , and the Pacific Northwest is home to both novel and comforting wines . Our sweet wines still sate the sweet tooth while the strident wines comfort a robust menu ’ s fire-grilled lamb chop . Pinot Noir wines soak up the differences , inviting the poles of taste to a culinary detente in the name of smooth red wine .
Where your comfort zone runs to off-dry white wine , try this excellent Riesling . If red wine is your version of a well-worn flannel , give these five a try over the winter months — or a re-try — as they are already familiar names to so many Pacific Northwest wine fans .
Long Shadow ’ s Poet ’ s Leap Riesling , Columbia Valley
The Poet ’ s Leap Riesling , the liveliest white wine in this esteemed winery ’ s lineup , has become a Riesling lover ’ s oasis . Originally crafted by the Riesling artist Armin Diel of Germany ’ s Nahe Valley , the wine has developed over the years into a style with just enough sweetness to evoke flavors from the fruit of the wine and please a gentle sweet tooth . Citrus and stone fruit characteristics in this barelydry Riesling make it an easy wine to sip by itself or accompany a range of foods from gingerbread to ginger beef . Purity of sweet fruit and lip-smacking acidity bring comfort to tasters who
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