15 Delicious Red Wines To Drink In The Winter

If you live somewhere with four seasons (at the very least, a cold and a hot season), you're probably familiar with adjusting aspects of your lifestyle to fit with your environment. Aside from swapping out the swimsuits and flip-flops for scarves and boots, it's natural to serve different foods depending on what's in season — and your wine selection is bound to change, too. Although you certainly don't have to pass on drinking rosé in the winter, some wines are simply better suited for the cooler days.

As a certified specialist of wine, I am always searching for the perfect bottle for the occasion. When that occasion is cozying up by the fireplace, digging into a steaming bowl of stew, or watching a holiday movie while snowflakes fall outside, I gravitate toward wines with bold characteristics. Concentrated aromas, notes of dark fruits, and spices are often present, as well as flavors typical of oak aging, like leather, tobacco, chocolate, and coffee.

I've selected 15 red wines from around the world to taste this winter as you wait for the warm weather to come around again. Thanks to their weightier palate, these wines are great served alongside a hearty meal but can be sipped solo, too. There's a range of prices, including some costlier bottles, but keep in mind that colder temperatures might make you less likely to leave the house for dinner, consequently increasing your at home wine budget. That's how it works, right?

You might associate Southern France with pale salmon-hued rosés, but the area also excels in the red wine department. Notably, the small region of Bandol (there are only around 50 wine estates) is prized for its mourvèdre based red wines, which can also feature smaller amounts of grenache and cinsault grapes. Get a taste of the bold style with a bottle by Domaine Dupuy de Lôme, which follows organic and minimal intervention practices.

The red blend is primarily composed of mourvèdre grapes with the remainder taken by grenache. This gives it an elegant and concentrated flavor, with notes of spices and red and black fruit. During the maturation process, the wine is stored in oak vats, which add an element of leather to the fruit and earth aromas.The medium-to-full-bodied wine leaves a mark on your palate with structured tannins and a smooth finish. It's an excellent wine to pair with grilled, roasted, or braised lamb and beef. No matter what you serve, typical local ingredients like garlic, tomatoes, olives, and herbes de Provence are sure to match it well.

Uruguay might not have as large of a production as some of its neighbors, but the South American country's wine market is on the rise. Its flagship grape is tannat, which originally comes from Madiran, in southwest France. It thrives in the Uruguayan climate and ripens fully, expanding the aromatic profile and taming the tannins. The tannin levels are still fairly notable, making tannat the kind of wine that feels like your taste buds are being enveloped in a cloak ... in the best possible way. It also has a hefty antioxidant content, which is always a bonus in winter.

Try a winning version of tannat by Bodega Garzón to experience the sensation of this rustic, full-bodied wine. The deep inky color hints at its weighty character, which exudes notes of red berries and dark plums. Notes of spice, licorice, and mineral essence come through in every sip, marked by the balanced tannic structure and a juicy finish. Tannat makes a great pairing for roasted meat dishes (especially game), as the tannins act as a palate cleanser. Locally, it's commonly served with a roasted leg of lamb seasoned with garlic and herb olive oil.

Syrah tends to feature dark fruit aromas with hints of peppercorn, herbs, spices, tobacco, and chocolatey notes on the palate. It varies widely depending on where it's grown, offering a range of flavors that stand out in this full-bodied wine. David Bruce Winery is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains and produces an excellent Estate Syrah that highlights the best of this versatile grape.

The wine is bold and tannic, giving it plenty of weight to hold you through a cold winter evening. Flavors of dark cherry, red currant, and plum mingle with hints of pepper and earth. Tart fruit and leathery aromas infuse every sip with contrasting yet balanced flavors. This concentrated wine goes well with lamb, a favorite food pairing for syrah, especially prepared with herb-laden pesto. It also has just the right acidity and savoriness to accompany an eggplant Parmesan dish with its rich layers of cheese and tomato.

Rioja wines are known for the interplay of fruit, tannins, and bold structure, which vary depending on the style of aging. Crianza wines are the lightest, but for the winter season, you'll want to dip your toes into something bolder, such as a Reserva or Gran Reserva labels. The price tends to increase accordingly, as each step further implies a lengthier oak aging regimen, which adds to the costs.

Bodegas Montecillo produces all the styles, making it a reliable stop for your Rioja wine needs. Try a bottle of Montecillo Rioja Reserva from the winery's classic range to get a taste of what it has to offer. This wine is made with a blend of primarily tempranillo with a small amount of mazuelo grapes. The wines are aged in oak for approximately two years, and the blend is left to settle in a bottle for a minimum of 20 months. This Rioja wine displays richly concentrated aromas reminiscent of ripe red fruit and herbs. Notes of vanilla and coffee come through amidst the fruity background, giving this velvety wine a multidimensional character. Serve it with grilled red meat or vegetables, stews, or your favorite Spanish cheese.

Barbera d'Alba might live in the shadows of the region's prestigious wines, but there's nothing subdued or muted about it. G.D. Vajra is a family estate and the first to initiate organic farming in the Barolo region in northwestern Italy in the early '70s. This innovative spirit is evident in the winery's selection of grape varieties and follows in the hands-off approach in the cellar, which allows the fruit to shine to its full potential.

G.D. Vajra's Barbera d'Alba features grapes grown in several of the estate's vineyards, creating a blend of different terroirs that unite harmoniously. The delicate hand in the winemaking process brings out the nuances of the barbera grape, with its subtle violet, blackcurrant, cherry, star anise, and white pepper aromas. The fragrant notes bring a touch of elegance to this flavorful wine, which retains a bold acidity and structured finish. Served with grilled meat, chicken cacciatore, or pasta with a hearty meat sauce, this wine will brighten up a dark winter evening.

With its inky indigo color, this Argentinian blend is the perfect wine for a chilly winter evening. Produced by Trapiche, Iscay is one of its iconic wines. In the local indigenous Quechua language "iscay" means "two," which in this case refers to the two varieties featured in the blend. About two-thirds of the wine is reserved for malbec, while cabernet franc makes up the rest. These varieties are chosen for their compatible nature, each bringing elements that complete the other.

Malbec provides plush tannins and infuses the wine with ripe fruit aromas reminiscent of blackcurrant, black cherry, blackberry, warm baking spices, and violet. Meanwhile, cabernet franc introduces subtle vegetal and herbal aromas and a balsamic essence. Combined, the result is a dense yet balanced red wine that displays intensity and an elegant character. Naturally, the Argentinian wine stands up to hearty grilled or stewed meats, but it fares well with cheese and mushroom-based dishes, too.

Zinfandel is popular for its jammy ripe fruit and spiced flavors, which give it a powerful character that isn't overwhelmed by hearty dishes and grilled foods. While that also makes it a barbecue favorite, in the wintertime, those weighty aromas can envelop your palate in a warm hug (the high alcohol content doesn't hurt either if you're looking to stay warm).

Seghesio Family Vineyards is located in Sonoma County, where the family's founding members first planted zinfandel vines after immigrating from Italy. Over 100 years later, several of those vines continue to flourish, producing deep and complex zinfandel wines that can't be replicated.

Sonoma zinfandel label features a blend of over 100 small vineyard lots in the area, giving it a multidimensional character that highlights the grape's best attributes. Juicy raspberry, plum, and blackberry notes are present, enhanced with a freshness from the vibrant acidity. Smooth and rounded tannins add structure to this bold wine, which pairs well with meaty mains, charred vegetables, and strong cheeses. You can also play up its spicy profile by pairing it with curries or other spiced dishes.

If you're planning a deluxe night in, you won't regret splurging on a bottle of Barolo. The iconic Piemontese wine has long been called the king of wines and the wine of kings, but zero royal lineage is required to pick up a bottle (though a slightly padded wallet might help). Made with the nebbiolo grape, Barolo embodies juxtaposition with its delicate earthy and rose aromas alongside bold acidity and grippy tannins. Yet, somehow, it all works, and it works especially well in Ceretto's Barolo DOCG wine.

The winery combines tradition and innovation, focusing on sustainability, farming organically, and using a light hand in the cellar to fully express the local terroir. The Barolo DOCG wine features a blend of vineyards, displaying distinct qualities of the region in the same sip. Red fruits like cherry and raspberry, as well as fragrant notes of rose petals bring some levity. In opposition, hints of tobacco, leather, earth, licorice, and spice round out the palate. Serve it with a creamy mushroom risotto or a pasta dish, braised meats, or an assortment of aged cheeses.

Cabernet sauvignon is a timeless choice when it comes to serving a full-bodied red wine for the winter season. But, not all cabs are created equal, and there's no doubt that Napa Valley has the optimal terroir for the grape. Priest Ranch has mastered the variety, with vineyards scattered across more than a dozen areas of Napa, providing diverse landscapes and soils that express the grape to its fullest. It produces four different cabernet sauvignon wines: Snake Oil (made from the three top plots), cabernet sauvignon (a blend of 22 plots), James Joshua (harvested by hand from three premium plots and fermented naturally), and cabernet sauvignon Block 136 (made with grapes from a single vineyard plot).

Your budget and curiosity will guide your selection, as any one of these labels is sure to warm you up on a cold evening with its robust aromas. The classic cabernet features cherry and blueberry fruit notes, enhanced with hints of licorice, baking spices, chocolate, and coffee. Snake Oil takes it a step further, with darker fruit notes like plum and cassis, as well as tobacco, mint, cedar, and weightier tannins. These complex wines are a natural pairing for grilled or roasted meats, as well as recipes featuring earthy vegetables like potatoes, cauliflower, and mushrooms. And there's a reason that Priest Ranch offers tastings pairing its wines with chocolate and bacon.

There are plenty of flavorful Italian red wines, and in the northern region of Verona, Valpolicella wines shine. These are made with a blend of a few grapes, and can be vinified according to standard methods, or by using dried grapes. Wines like Valpolicella Ripasso and Amarone fit into this category, and there are similar wines being produced with the Veronese IGT label.

This is the case with Allegrini's Palazzo della Torre, a red wine made with corvina, corvinone, rondinella, and sangiovese grapes. Two-thirds of the grapes are processed and fermented per usual, and the rest is dried for a few months before being pressed and combined with the other juice. The result is a richly aromatic wine with complexity and balance. Spicy peppery notes and hints of vanilla and cloves linger on the palate, along with subtle notes of dry grapes. The wine is full and velvety, bringing warmth to the tasting experience. Serve it with classic Italian comfort foods like saucy pastas, creamy mushroom risotto, and lasagna.

Although it's the same grape as syrah, shiraz implies a richer and more luscious wine with ripe fruit flavors and more body. While a few different regions produce this alternate style, Australian shiraz is an entity of its own, which makes John Duval Wines' Entity Shiraz a fitting name. The Duval family has been farming in the Barossa Valley for five generations, initially selling its fruit to Penfolds winery. After John Duval spent a few decades as a winemaker there, he eventually combined this experience with his family vineyards and opened his own winery.

The Entity shiraz is a peak example of what the Barossa Valley has to offer. Brimming with velvety red and black fruits on the palate, along with warm baking spices, it offers plenty of depth in every sip. The fruit is concentrated yet fresh, and the spices mingle with the woodsy undertones of oak and vanilla. Sleek tannins add structure to this opulent wine, while a gentle acidity keeps it vibrant. This wine can certainly stand up to weightier meat dishes (notably grilled beef and lamb), and it fares well with roasted poultry, mushrooms, hard cheeses, and pizza.

Aglianico might not be the most common Italian red wine, but it'll become one of your favorites once you try it. With its contrasting intensity and rich fruit aromas, it offers everything you would want in a bold red wine. The variety was introduced from Greece to Southern Italy, where Mastroberardino is a leading player. This family winery is located in the region of Campania and produces a range of wines made from indigenous Italian grapes. A respect for the land and tradition, as well as a firm foot in modern practices, are the key to Mastroberardino's success.

The company's Irpinia Aglianico DOC wine is a solid example of the grape, featuring notes of sweet cherry, wild blackberry, strawberry, violet, and baking spices. Hints of oak, vanilla, and tobacco add a warm dimension, while notes of leather, earth, and smoke bring an element of austerity. Serve it with wild game, baked eggplant, and red sauce pasta dishes. As you develop an affinity for aglianico, you might want to look into Taurasi, Aglianico del Vulture, or Aglianico del Taburno, three revered (and pricier) versions of the wine.

Chile has a vibrant wine industry, and a lot of its success has been based on the carmenère grape, which some describe as a bold alternative for cabernet sauvignon enthusiasts. A transplant from France, this variety thrives in Chile, where it is vinified in a range of styles, from fresh and fruit-forward to complex and age-worthy. 

Lapostolle has been producing premium wines in Chile since the mid '90s, with a focus on sustainability, innovation, and showcasing Chilean terroir. The winery makes a couple of carmenère wines, including Cuvée Alexandre, which is made with fruit from Lapostolle's Apalta Valley vineyards. The result is a classic, elevated carmenère, with red and black fruits, spice aromas, and smooth tannins. Deep color hints at an intense yet carefully balanced flavor. Notes of dried herbs, vanilla, chocolate, and toasted oak add warmth, while the fruit displays just enough juiciness to give it a bright palate. Pair this full-bodied carmenère with a cheesy baked dish, meat stew, roast chicken, or saucy pasta.

Portugal boasts a wide range of wine styles featuring numerous native grapes. Port might reign supreme in the Douro Valley, but right behind it are regional red table wines. Made with the same assortment of grapes as Port, Douro reds are packed with intense, concentrated flavors and ripe fruit aromas typical for the hot and dry climate. Real Companhia Velha produces both Port and table wines, and a bottle of Quinta das Carvalhas Douro Tinto is a great place to start.

This wine features fruit from several of the estate's vineyards, providing complexity and depth from the various terroirs. Altitude brings freshness and acidity, while the vines lower in the valley receive plenty of heat, enhancing the ripening process. Plum, cherry, and spice aromas mingle with warm vanilla and toasted oak notes. It's the perfect antidote to a cold winter evening and an excellent accompaniment to the hearty stews you'll want to eat to feel cozy.

The Rhône Valley grows a variety of red wine grapes that come together in an array of blends to satisfy all palates. Depending on the dominant grapes, they have a lighter or weightier style, offering excellent value and plenty of options for pairing. Domaines Paul Jaboulet Aîné is situated on hillsides in the northern part of the valley and follows organic and biodynamic farming principles.

The winery's Parallèle 45 red wine is a blend of primarily grenache and syrah, as well as mourvèdre, marselan, and carignan, adding complexity to the glass. The result is an intense wine with concentrated red fruit aromas and subtle wood and spice notes. Raspberry and strawberry bring sweetness to the palate, with floral notes to round it out. Silky tannins give it a generous mouthfeel and a bright finish. Pair this Rhône blend with baked eggplant dishes, grilled meat, or charcuterie to keep you warm all winter.