Best Wines for the Kiwi Winter

Frightful weather needs delightful wine. This is the season to find warmth and comfort in a wine, seeking out bold flavours, spice, tannins and texture. Reds are very popular in winter, but there are whites to try too.

In this guide, we’ll go over what makes a great winter wine, and what to look for on the bottle.

In this guide:

• What wine is best for the Kiwi winter?

• Find your winter wine

• Warming red wines

• Winter white wines

• Best wine for mulled wine

Quick guide to buying winter wine

Look for:

Full body	Medium to high tannis	Toasty winter flavour	Alcohol warmth

Which you'll find commonly in:

 Merlot ,  Cabernet Sauvignon , Shiraz , Chardonnay

What wine is best for a Kiwi winter?

In winter, aim for comfort and warmth. Bold flavours and rich textures give you a richness to stand up to heavy foods, with slightly higher alcohol volumes warming you up from the inside.

Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are two popular choices, though look for any reds with ripe fruit notes, high tannins and a big mouth feel. You don’t have to avoid whites during winter, but you’ll want bolder varieties. Look for body and spice: Chardonnay or Gewürztraminer.

People turn to comfort wine in winter like they turn to comfort food. It’s a great opportunity to try the range of toastier, spicier flavours like cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla - which are all so strongly associated with cold weather. Of course, a mulled wine certainly warms the fingers and toes too!

Find your winter wine

Warming red wines

Great winter wines are big, bold and warm you up from the inside. Merlot is a highly popular choice for its approachable ripe fruit notes and easy tannins. Or try a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon, a related red grape which often features spices, blackberry and even chocolate.

Speaking of full-bodied, Shiraz is a famously bold choice for winter, and its higher alcohol concentration adds warmth to every glass.

In the warmer north, or just on a more sunny day, look to a Pinot Noir instead - it typically has a lighter body, but maintains the richness of a good winter warmer.

Our pick of the best red wines for winter:

• Giesen Merlot

• Grant Burge Ink Shiraz

• MT DIFFICULTY Roaring Meg Pinot Noir

• Mission Estate Winery Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

• Church Road McDonald Series Merlot

Winter white wines

You might not think to drink white wine in winter, but a lightly oaked Chardonnay often comes with a full, buttery feel and toasty vanilla notes that fit right in. Gewürztraminer is another great choice, featuring a higher alcohol volume to give it some warmth and a rich, ripe texture that stands up to the chill.

Many wine drinkers find sweetness comforting in winter, in which case turn to an off-dry Riesling, a sweeter Gewürztraminer or even Moscato - more of a dessert wine.

Our pick of the best white wines for winter

• Mount Brown Estates North Canterbury Riesling

• Huntaway Reserve Chardonnay

• 19 Crimes Hard Chardonnay

• Ngatarawa Stables Gewurztraminer

• Banrock Station Pink Moscato

Best wine for mulled wine

What you want - Big fruit notes, low to moderate tannins, dry or off-dry.

What you don't want - High tannins, high acidity, subtle flavors

Reds to try:

• Merlot
• Zinfandel
• Malbec
• Shiraz

Mulled wine gets much of its unique flavour from the spice and fruit additions, but your choice of wine is its backbone. Merlot and Zinfandel are popular choices, with bold dark fruit notes and moderate tannins. 

Related: Warming mulled wine recipe

Big Malbecs or a young Australian Shiraz can also hold their own in a mulled wine and aren’t to be overlooked.

You could turn to a Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir, so long as you look for a full body and avoid high tannins. If you’d like to buy either of these options, consider experimenting first as they don’t always come out right.

Avoid expensive bottles whenmaking mulled wine - there are plenty of great reds under $20 that will work excellently. The subtlety and complexity of a more expensive wine might be overpowered by the extra ingredients.

Our pick of the best wines for mulled wine

• Trapiche Oak Cask Malbec

• McGuigan Black Label Malbec

• Selaks Essential Collection Merlot

• The People's Merlot

• Arrogant Frog Lily Pad Pinot Noir

Find wine ideas for every season

Spring Wines Temperamental spring starts crisp and ends up warm, so your wine will do the opposite. Start bold and move towards crisp as the sun heats up.

Summer Wines Summer is all about heat and humidity. Crisp, refreshing wines go down best, with lighter bodies and big fruity notes.

Autumn Wines You’ll get weather from all seasons in autumn. Crisp summer wines will still work great, but you’ll move towards winter warmers as it gets colder.

Winter Wines Look for warmth and comfort in winter. Fuller-bodied wines and higher alcohol volume will feel warming as you drink, especially with toasty or spicy flavours.