In theory there are no wine-drinking seasons. You could say that late November is Beaujolais nouveau-drinking season — current vintages are released at that time of year, of course — or that late December is the prime season for drinking sparkling wine, but depending on where you are at those times of year, the outside temperature could vary immensely. Sparkling wine has no particular affinity for the snowy Decembers of Wyoming, nor does Beaujolais nouveau seem a logical choice for the balmy Novembers of Key West.
Every style of wine — from the most delicate to the most bold — is fair game at any time of year.
And yet! When fall approaches, I start thinking more about red wine — years ago I used to invite friends over on the first weekend in September for my annual Labor Day Red Party. It was just an excuse to open a bunch of big red wines, and to flaunt a sweet pun of a party name. It’s a double entendre, see? Labor. Red Party. Wine drinkers of the world — unite. I didn’t go so far as to align with the classic clothing style rule — “No white after Labor Day” — but the party definitely was meant to celebrate reds.
I would have no problem drinking a glass of light and refreshing Vinho Verde or Chablis, but the Labor Day Red Party was my chance to create an event around wine and fellowship — to being open to the pleasures of the table. I don’t think more about white wine when winter comes to a close and spring blinks itself awake. Same with summer; nothing about it communicates “white wine only” to me. But fall always seems like a shifting of gears, and for me that shift comes with a renewed focus on red wine.
Call it a harvest festival, or get punny if you have any tolerance for that. “The Rise of Fall” fest. I used to offer different styles of red at my Red Party, but you could offer a single wine style from different places in the world. The “High on Merlot” party (say it out loud, stressing the last syllable).” The “Nebbiolo and Behold” event. The “Malbec and Call.” The “Cabernet Cabaret.”
I guess it all comes down to this. Wine, in its many iterations, is there for us all year long. And modern life makes it possible for us to enjoy pretty much any of it at any given moment. The availability of everything all at once can be overwhelming, and it can make us take it all for granted — unlike our ancestors, whose food availability was dependent on the seasons and who didn’t have our beloved air conditioning, heat and wine refrigerators.
Drink what you like, when you want. Drink all wine styles all year long. But consider devoting one of those outings to a single slice of the grand and glorious pie that is wine. Pick a time of year, and pick a particular style. Go for whites at the start of summer if that’s your thing. You might discover something about yourself when you finally land on your choices. I don’t have any lock on the Labor Day Red Party. Run with it if you like. Gather up a bunch of reds and use that awesome name as if it’s your own. There’s plenty to go around, comrades.
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