If you like it, save it! Save and organize all of the stuff you love in one place. If you like something… Click the heart, it's called favoriting. Favorite the stuff you like. We may have food down cold, but wine? This is where we'll conquer it. we don't want to drink alone. Today: When the weather chills you to the bone, reach for wines that will warm you up. Cold winter weather makes me move a little slower. The clothes I wear each day are a little thicker. And the food I’m inclined to cook has a denser, bigger quality to it. Sweet potatoes instead of zucchini, say. Or farro instead of couscous. The same goes for the everyday wines I drink. I’m more likely to reach for a wine that’s lush and rich than one that’s lean and minerally. I’ll go for a more fruit-forward wine before one with high acidity. And, at this time of year, I’d rather hunker down with a wine that matches my pace than choose a breezy, easy-drinking option. It turns out that our instincts for hunkering down in the winter can also be used for choosing wintertime wines.

First things first: think texture. More: Need more help choosing wines? buy turning leaf wine onlineRead Cathy's rundown on wine shops.best port wine in the world It's all in the layers.red wine brands on indiaUnless you live someplace balmy, January is probably not the time you feel like drinking wines that are light, or crisp, or especially refreshing. best wine bars in americaInstead, think about wines that have layers, like the way you dress when it's cold. port wine is best withWines that have texture and layers have a lot of dimension to them, in terms of aroma and taste.best wine for dessert

When you smell a textured wine, tuck your nose deep into the glass -- you'll get the sense there’s more to it beyond one or two sniffs. Some grapes are known for their dimensional aromas, like Viognier and Gewürtztraminer; in the winter, older wines made from Riesling are a special treat, because they’ve often developed smokey, honey aromas over their time in the bottle. Look for German Rieslings in particular, where Dönnhoff (from Nahe, Germany) and Prum (in the Mosel region) are favored producers. In the Alsace region of France, the Boxler label is a personal beacon of light. When you taste a textured wine, you’ll notice it has a savory quality, similar to what you’d find in long-braised meats or stews: There’s an initial flavor when the wine (or meat) first hits your tongue, then another layer of flavor as it passes through your mouth, and yet another layer of flavor as you swallow. Not surprisingly, wines that emerge from regions that are also bountiful food producers offer savory characteristics.

Hit the Italian section of the wine list or shop for reliable and often exceptional bottles, especially Pinot Bianco from Alto Adige, Nebbiolo from Piedmont, and Sangiovesee from Umbria and Tuscany. Whether you focus on texture, smell, or taste, winter is the perfect opportunity to take your time and consider the layers in your glass. What do you drink in the winter? We want to hear all about it in the comments. Photos by James Ransom Red Wine Hot Chocolate Is the Answer to Your Cold-Weather Blues (Image credit: Imma Eat That) Frosé might have been the trendy drink of summer, but it certainly isn't something you want to snuggle up with now that it's cold out. Pumpkin spice lattes are always an option for the fall, and hot chocolate is a classic, but neither of them quite have the allure and intrigue that frosé did this year. So, what are you going to put in your mug when the winter blues hit? To nobody's surprise at all, the internet quickly became obsessed last week with the idea of red wine hot chocolate.

It's not a new concept by any means, but when blogger Imma Eat That posted her recipe for red wine hot chocolate, the internet quickly grabbed onto the idea and declared it the new thing to drink this fall and winter. How To Make Red Wine Hot Chocolate: (Image credit: Lauren Volo) (Image credit: Afternoon Espresso ) Red wine hot chocolate is exactly what you think it is: red wine mixed with homemade hot chocolate. Imma Eat That's simple recipe uses milk, red wine, and dark chocolate chips to create a very rich drink. Other bloggers got creative and used things like like cayenne powder, cinnamon, condensed milk, and marshmallows to create something unique. Have you tried red wine hot chocolate? Is this something you think you'd want to drink this winter? Red Wine Hot Chocolate Recipes to Try Red Wine Hot Chocolate from Imma Eat That Spiced Red Wine Hot Chocolate with Wines of Garnacha from Afternoon Espresso Red Wine Hot Chocolate (with Cinnamon) from War and Cheese

Red Wine Hot Chocolate from Wholefully Bittersweet Hot Chocolate with Red Wine from SaveurUse Cabernet to braise, then drink the rest with dinner. Double Up on Flavor Giada jazzes up a classic with mustard and mascarpone. Pears simmered in red wine make an elegant dessert. End on a Sweet NoteWarm Reds for Winter The hectic holidays have come and gone and it is time to settle into the doldrums of winter with your honey, some comfort food and a really good bottle of wine. Cold weather and icy conditions practically cry out for a big and robust red, something with the body and structure to stand up to hearty winter fare, but also something with the fruit, weight and richness to warm the bones on the very coldest of evenings. Which begs the question- which red wine to choose from? With such a bevy of styles and flavors the options are endless, but since we can’t give you endless options, we have narrowed it down to a few of our favorites: Let’s face it, just about everyone who likes red wines also likes Cabernets.

It is the epitome of non-offensive, with juicy fruit, generally tame tannins and a clean feel no matter where the wine is made. But Cabernet can be boring, and with such a glut of Cab on the market, it is time to strike out in search of variety. It is now common for just about every grape under every sun to be blended in with Cab at some point or another, but if looking for a fine bottle of red to keep old man winter at bay a true Meritage or Bordeaux-styled blend can’t be beat. Cabernet Sauvignon easily adds ripe red fruits and structure to any blend, but like a symphony it is not just the wind section that creates beautiful music, it is the harmony between the ripe fruit of Cabernet, the silky feel of Merlot, the youthful exuberance and delicate perfume of Cabernet Franc and even the broad shoulders and firm structure of Petite Verdot that take a melody and transform it into a work of art. The Selene Chesler is a fine choice for those looking for depth, body and complexity in a wine.

Mostly Cabernet Franc, with 20% or so each Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, the Chesler is a wine that is rich and broad enough to stand up to full-flavored dishes such as roasts and stews without killing the palate with fiery tannins. Since it has now reached its fifth birthday, the wine has softened and become more round, with a lovely feel that is pure silk. This wine is all about balance, with everything in the correct proportion, and at the end of a long day shoveling snow it is like a delicious and beautiful warm blanket of purple goodness. For years Syrah toiled in relative obscurity as the great wines of the Northern Rhone in France where relative unknowns here in the U.S. due to their high prices and low production. In the late 1990s the Yellow Tail phenomenon turned Syrah (or Shiraz!) into a household name, and most of the major winegrowing regions on the planet followed suit with their own versions. But as wine drinkers became bored with thousands of versions of cheap and uninspiring versions of Shiraz the Aussie wine market in the U.S. has collapsed, and Syrah is on the brink of falling back into the wine hinterlands.

But it should not be so! There are perhaps few more versatile grapes on the planet than Syrah, and due to the soft market it remains an incredible value at all price points, often providing more character, more Complexity and more inky depths of flavor than Cabernets, Pinot Noirs and other more fashionable grapes at the same price. There is no grape on earth better suited to cold weather than Syrah. By nature it is a tannic and big wine, with gobs of fruit and tons of personality and it often brings a touch of alcoholic warmth as well. The rich fruit and sturdy structure of Syrah works well with many dishes from Pork to Veal to Beef, and the juicy nature of the fruit allow it to provide a fine counterpoint to even the most heavily spiced dishes. In this case the Rusciano is a fine mix of both old and new world styles, with rich fruit, a broad body, a velvety feel and lots of personality. It is almost as if the wine contains the acid and tannin of Hermitage, the fruit and riches of Australia, and the mid-palate complexity and depth of a fine example from California.

Few would argue that Malbec is the hot new grape. Wine lovers and newbies alike across the nation have taken to the full fruit, chewy body and soft style of Malbec with reckless abandon. It has become the grape to ask for if you want a red wine but don’t know what you want. And with good reason, as the high elevations, dry summers and long falls of the foothills of the Andes in Argentina create wines that have everything red wine lovers could want- lots of ripe black and blue fruit, chewy tannins and a tendency to carry oak and earthy complexity. The Campo Negro is a fine example that hasn’t been colored outside of the lines. The current trend with mass-produced Malbec is to crank the volume up to eleven, with way to much fruit, alcohol and oak, but the Campo Negro offers a lovely perfume that smells of black plums, ripe raspberries and just a touch of cocoa followed by an expansive palate that has not lost its tannic edge. There is plenty of fruit and a silky feel to offset the full body, and the finish lingers and lasts.