5 Bottles To Add To Your Wine Collection This Winter

Whether you’re an experienced collector looking to expand your wine collection, or you’re fairly new to the world of fine wine, we have 5 incredible bottles for you to experience this winter. Discover the best wine to pair with turkey and enhance the taste of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, find the ultimate bottle to complement a cheeseboard, and expand your knowledge of what makes a great bottle of wine. This time of year is all about spending time with family and friends, drinking wine and celebrating the end of the year, so make the most of it by investing in a couple of bottles of fine wine. Indulge your passion for the finer things in life and treat yourself and your loved ones to a seriously good bottle of wine. 

Wine Tasting At Home This Winter

As the cold weather rolls in, traditionally this would be the time to venture outside and do some Christmas shopping, but with social distancing still, a priority, why not use this unique opportunity to spend quality time with loved ones. Host your own wine tasting event this winter and impress your friends with a couple of bottles of fine wine. With some lite bites and nibbles, ensure the wine is flowing throughout the night and see if you can taste the top notes and subtle flavors of each bottle. Whether you’re looking to expand your wine collection, or want to throw a sophisticated wine tasting event this year, here are 5 incredible bottles of fine wine that will make you welcome and appreciate the colder weather. 

1: The Only Wine to Pair With Turkey

If you’re looking for a great bottle of wine to pair with turkey, you’re certainly not alone. Cooking dinner for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day can often be daunting. Turkey is known to be dry, and roasting a turkey perfectly is a challenge that many people face. By adding a fragrant bottle of fine wine to your dinner table, you can bring out the rich flavors of the meat and encourage guests to overlook any overcooked dishes. When choosing a wine to pair with turkey, you need something that will refresh the palette rather than be dry, so choose a good bottle of wine that will help the conversation to flow and allow everyone to feel relaxed. 

Bottle: 2016 Okapi Cabernet Sauvignon

Price: $100

Vintage: 2016 

Alcohol: 14.1%

With aromas of milk, chocolate and blackberries, this is a gorgeous fine wine to pair with turkey and chicken. With a dense and juicy palate, you may be able to taste the subtle notes of black cherry, cinnamon and blackcurrants. You will enjoy a velvet finish in the mouth which helps to complement a roasted turkey dish. Produced by Okapi Wines, this elegant red comes from the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley.

2: Best Wine to Pair With Steak

When you start to feel the chill in the air, it’s time to enjoy rich, aromatic comfort food such as steak, potatoes and garlic sauteed spinach. The best wine to pair with steak has got to be a bottle of red. A rich, full-bodied bottle of red wine has the ability to cut through the fat and char of steak and leave you with an oaky taste in the mouth. This fall, invest in a full-bodied, rich red wine such as a Cabernet Priorat, Red Zinfandel or Merlot. If you really want to splurge this winter, we highly recommend the following wine to pair with steak or rich meat dishes.

Bottle: 2013 Chateau Musar Red

Price: $40

Vintage: 2013

Alcohol: 14%

This beautiful Lebanese red wine will make a wonderful addition to any wine collection and can be enjoyed now or stored to age for a further 5 years. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan made from 40-year-old vines from the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon. With flavors of peppery fruit and chocolate, this unique wine will certainly be a conversation starter at a dinner party or wine tasting event. 

3: Mulled Wine Must Have

There is nothing quite like a cinnamon and star anise garnished mulled wine in winter. Comforting and warm, this sharp and fragrant drink is enjoyed throughout fall and well into the winter months. Welcome guests to your home with the incredible aroma of orange peel, red wine and cinnamon and prepare a batch of mulled wine. To make a really delicious mulled wine, you need to start with a good base. It’s a big misconception that mulled wine doesn’t call for a quality bottle of wine, and often people tend to use a cheap table wine to prepare this festive drink. Although you will be adding additional spices to your drink, you need to build the flavors by using a quality base wine such as a Shiraz, Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon.

Bottle: 2015 West Coast Pinot Noir 

Price: $20

Vintage: 2015

Alcohol: 14%

Made in California, this 2015 Pinot Noir carries notes of cedar, cigar and oak and will make a wonderful base for a batch of mulled wine. With subtle hints of blackberries, black cherries and plums, build your mulled wine by gently simmering this West Coast Pinot Noir with some freshly sliced oranges, a couple of sticks of cinnamon and a few star anise. This Pinot Noir can be difficult to get your hands on, but if you manage to find it, it’s a must have for your winter collection. We also suggest adding brown sugar to sweeten the drink and garnish with a fresh cinnamon stick. 

4: Perfect Wine For a Cheese Board 

Wine and cheese are a wonderful combination and often enjoyed during the winter, with figs, grapes, nuts and crackers. When it comes to finding the perfect bottle of wine for a cheese board, you need to first consider the cheese you’re planning on serving. Creamy goat’s cheese and Brie call for a light and refreshing white, whereas Stilton, Roquefort and Gorgonzola need a rich red to cut through their strong flavors.

Bottle: Frederiksdal Rancio Vin Af Kirsebaer NV, Harpelunde Denmark 

Price: $57

Vintage: 2018- 2020

Alcohol: 14%

This delicious sweet cherry wine from Denmark is perfect to pair with cheese and nibbles. Aged in glass demijohns and Cognac barrels, enjoy the aromas of orange zest, figs, nuts and caramel. Ideal for blue cheese or mature cheddars. Full-bodied, this beautiful fine wine is a fantastic drink to add to your wine collection and serve when you have family and friends round for a cheese and wine night.

5: The Best Bottle Of Port 

Port is a Portuguese fortified wine popular during the colder months of the year. With a strong and distinct taste, this type of festive tipple is often savoured as the wind howls outside and the frost begins to form. Curl up in front of an open fire and enjoy a few moments to yourself and sip a rich glass of port. With a sweet finish, port can be stored for years and ages very well. Look out for a bottle of vintage port which is made with only the best produce of a single outstanding year. Here is a rich and enjoyable bottle of port that you can sip throughout the festive season.

Bottle: 2015 Taylor’s Late Bottled Vintage Port

Price: $20

Vintage: 2015

Alcohol: 20%

This is one of the most popular premium Ports in England and Canada and is a full-bodied red port. Notice notes of blackberry, strawberry and herbal scents. With a deep ruby color, enjoy this intense port in the evening. Vintage Port is stored in wood for twenty months before being bottles to age further. You can enjoy straight from the bottle and you don’t need a decanter to serve. Ideal as a gift too! 

Build A Wine Collection At Home

If you enjoy wine tasting and serving fine wine to family and friends at home, why not invest in your very own wine collection. Wine ages beautifully, so to truly indulge your passion for vino, it’s a good idea to create a wine cellar at home and build up your very own wine collection. Bring out an aged bottle of wine to celebrate a special occasion, have a range of wines ready to compliment a dinner party or collect and store expensive bottles of wine at home and allow them to mature over time. At Capstone Wine Coolers, we can help you create the ultimate wine cellar at home and give you everything you need to properly store your fine wine collection. From built-in wine racks to show off your favorite bottles, to wine coolers to have bottles of white wine chilled and ready to enjoy. Feel free to take a look at our online collection of wine racks, wine stands and wine coolers here.