That glorious spell of Indian summer is behind us, it's starting to get dark at an alarmingly early hour, and we're making the transition from the patio to the hearth.
Must be time for some white wine.
Not just any white. No vinho verde or pinot grigio, thank you, but rather wine with a bit of depth and structure, something medium- or perhaps full-bodied.
Think of that "body" thing in terms of how it coats your palate: Light-bodied wines are like skim milk, medium-bodied ones like regular milk, and full-bodied wines like cream. That's why light-bodied whites are best suited for summer, medium-bodied for fall (and spring) and full-bodied ones for winter.
For this, my favorite season, you don't want a wine that's as dry as the weather has been lately; you want something with a bit of oomph but also some vibrancy and structure. And probably not a big ol' buttery chardonnay, but rather a chenin blanc (Dry Creek is a nice introduction) or grüner veltliner (Domaine Wachau) or albariño (Paco & Lola).
Or a blend. The white grapes of France's Rhône region -- rousanne, marsanne, grenache blanc, viognier -- lend themselves beautifully to blending, whether over there (La Vieille Ferme Blanc), in California (Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Blanc) or Down Under (Peter Lehmann "Layers").
Blends shine every bit as brightly in Italy's Friuli region (Zuane Vigne), although they tend to be a mixture of light- and medium-bodied grapes. Ditto for the Northwest (Washington's CMS Hedges, Oregon's Sokol Blosser Evolution). These blends can be particularly useful with a wide-ranging meal, up to and including Thanksgiving.
Drink with the season