Bakersfield Life

Wines for Winter Weather

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Wines for Winter Weather
By Kevin Eubanks

A conversation with Eberle Winery Owner Gary Eberle can be likened to speaking with an old friend on a long overdue phone call. He’s friendly to a fault, he speaks in a manner that can relax even the biggest worrier, and best of all, he’s seemingly done it all during his lifetime: football at Penn State, zoology at Louisiana State – where a professor introduced him to wine – and finally a winemaking doctoral degree from UC Davis.

Being from the cold of Pennsylvania and the swampy humidity of the south along with extensive education in California, Eberle knows a little something about how the temperature outside correlates with what wine to drink. And the key reason is simple: A change in location and food necessitate the change in wine.

“Traditionally, when the weather turns cold, people tend to drink more red wine than white,” said Eberle, who has owned his Paso Robles winery for 25 years. “During the summer, we spend so much time outside and we want a chilled rosé or white wine with lighter foods. But when we move inside, the foods get heavier and we want a red that will match the food.” It would be difficult to find a wine professional who would disagree. Winemaker Terry Culton of Paso Robles-based Adelaida Cellars certainly agrees, adding that the combination of food and wine in the winter could play an even more important role than in the more heat-stricken months.

“People pack on the pounds in the winter because they’re inside more sitting around eating,” Culton said. “So you might as well have a wine that adds an additional character to it.” Culton’s approach to cold-weather wine drinking is similar to that of Eberle. A heavier red wine matches the food that will accompany it, which makes it a perfect choice for colder weather. Lance Silver, owner/winemaker of Paso Robles’ Tobin James Cellars, doesn’t even rule out a Chardonnay to keep the whites represented. He suggests a buttery, full-bodied Chardonnay – that doesn’t need to be served icy cold – as a perfect match for turkey or ham.

Interestingly enough, these winemakers’ suggestions for individual varietals that are ideal for cold weather varied greatly, but all agreed that to enjoy wine to the fullest during the winter, it should be balanced and bold.

“I love balanced, structured wine,” Culton said. “If the wine whams you up front but is hollow in the end, it’s a disappointment.

When it’s cold outside, you want something that you can enjoy for a while and a balanced wine will be enjoyable all the way through.” While the obvious choice for the perfect cold-weather wine was a Cabernet Sauvignon, Eberle, Culton and Silver each offered up different options ranging from very common varietals all the way to a wine that few would recognize. They might have been a bit biased toward their own winery when making these suggestions, but they are still solid selections.

The next popular selection was clearly Syrah. The dark, intense fruit typically produces a structured wine that creates the balance that Silver explained is the backbone of a perfect winter wine.

“I’d probably say the (Tobin James) Rock-N-Roll Syrah,” Silver said, explaining his first wine choice for cold weather. “It really has all those fall flavors. It has cranberry and dark berry flavors, and it ages two years in really pretty oak, which gives it a nice vanilla, espresso and cappuccino on the back end. And it has that gamey character, which is what you want in a great Syrah.”

Other popular choices included Zinfandel with its fruit and spice characteristics, as well as a Rhone blend, and Adelaida produces both equally well. Adelaida’s Rhone-style blend called Version is a combination of Mourvedre, Syrah, Grenache, Counoise and Cinsault.

In fact, Version earned 90 points from The Wine Advocate and won a double gold at the 2008 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

But Eberle suggested a wine that most have tasted at some point, but many wouldn’t recognize the name.

The wine is Barbera, one of the top four grapes grown in California, but has traditionally been grown in the San Joaquin Valley for, as Eberle described it, “jug wine.” But Eberle Winery has been making Barbera for 20 years and its 2006 edition would be a perfect addition to any cold-weather wine rotation after winning Best of Class and double gold from the 2008 Lodi International Wine Awards.

“It’s great because it is a red grape with high, natural acidity,” Eberle said. “But it was looked down upon by a lot of the coastal producers. They’d say, ‘That’s a valley wine,’ and it was looked upon as a second-tier fruit. But it makes spectacular wines when it is cared for properly and grown in a cooler area than the San Joaquin Valley.” One thing to keep in mind is to enjoy red wine at

Room temperature, but, as Culton pointed out, the original idea of room temperature came from England, which is much different than room temperature in Bakersfield. Culton makes his wines to be enjoyed at about 65 degrees – clearly a different temperature than most rooms locally.

Culton said that the idea of room temperature should actually be thought of as cellar temperature.

“That’s probably a reason why many people drink more white wine in the summer, because the reds aren’t being served at cellar temperature,” he said. “When they’re not being served at cellar temperature, reds can be a bit chunky. You get the fruit up front, then the alcohol, then the tannins. You don’t get that flow. Sixty-five degrees is a more optimum temperature to drink at, not the 75-degree room temperature we like to live in.” While these winemakers suggested particular wine ideas as the weather turns cold, there is one motto that those involved with wine tend to live by, and no one said it better than Culton: “Any wine that you’re having with good friends is the right choice.” So no matter the wine, enjoy the cool weather, friends and conversation while sitting around the fire. And hopefully the warm-natured personality of a winemaker like Eberle will shine through in his wines when it’s cold outside.