60 winter wines to try

Wines to drink in winter

If you're in search of the best winter wines to drink, then we have you covered.

Wine comes into its own in the winter months but the thing is, even in winter, wine doesn’t always mean red wine. Indeed, a fact that is often ignored is that wine drinkers who drink white wine only will happily, readily and regularly drink chardonnay with steak for instance – matching weight with weight – and even those of us who drink both country and western often require a white wine of substance to stand up  to the fare in front of us.

There’s only really one rule in wine: drink what you like, and make sure that what you drink is good. Which is where our annual ‘Winter Reds’ feature comes in, but this year – for the first time – we’re including white wines. We’re overdue. Chardonnay is our best grape, full stop, and just because the weather’s cooler doesn’t mean that we leave our best cue in the rack. 

Plus, also, when it comes to ‘best’, every time we gather a line-up of Australia’s ‘other white’ wines – sometimes known as ‘alternative white varieties’ – we end up with an extra spring in our step. This is the category that none of us should ignore, at any time of the year, because it’s where many of the most exciting wines are to be found. Though of course, reds are the main game here, and we have 50 beauties lined up. Shiraz and cabernet blends, across a range of styles, dominate the listings, and from full-bodied to elegant, pristine to characterful, spicy to loaded with plush, sweet fruit – we have every base covered. If you’re drinking any of the shiraz and cabernet-based wines here, then you’re drinking superbly, we’re certain of it.

But then there are times when pinot noir is the only variety that will do, which is why we’ve singled out some lovely examples. If you’re looking for the best value, and/or most characterful red wines though, then it might pay you to dive straight into the ‘other reds’ section. This section is where the smart money’s going; the prices are keener and, often, the ‘interest factor’ is higher. Enjoy.