The weather has been unseasonably warm this month in my neck of the woods, but it's finally starting to cool off. I'm ready to go apple picking and bite into fresh, crisp, tangy apples. I'm making pumpkin soup and roasted squash. I'm dreaming about baked pears stuffed with blue cheese and walnuts and drizzled with Port. And I'm finishing up my light summer Roses and Albarinos and Vinho Verdes and turning to fuller-bodied white wines and light reds that perfectly complement fall foods.
There's plenty of time to drink rich, full-bodied reds during the chill of winter, but in the fall I love Pinot Noir, a lighter red wine from France's Burgundy region that's grown in cooler-climate areas of the New World as well. Pinot is the ideal bridge wine, light enough to match white meats like roast chicken and pork, but robust enough to pair with lamb, veal, and wild game. Its cherry, mushroom, earthy flavors accentuate food, but many New World-style Pinots, which tend to be fruitier than their Old World counterparts, are delicious alone, too.
Because it's one of the most difficult grapes to grow and make into wine, and because top Burgundys can command thousands of dollars per bottle, you might want to look into some New World producers for affordable Pinots. I like Mark West from California ($12), Adelsheim from Oregon ($25), and Stoneleigh from New Zealand ($17). Roast a chicken with thyme, stir a wild mushroom risotto with freshly-grated Parmesan, toss a spinach and dried cherry salad, and drink to the season's glorious flavors.
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