Top 10 Red Wines for Winter

Courtesy of E. & J. Gallo Winery

When it's the middle of winter and the only thing  I really want to eat is cassoulet (or short ribs, or  a massive steak), what I want to drink is a bear-hug wine. That’s how I think of them: big, unabashedly luscious reds, the kind that grab you and won’t let  go, lifting your body temperature and your spirits at the same time.   I don’t mind if they’re on the high-octane side, either. These days, sommeliers tend to recoil in horror at alcohol levels over 14 percent,  but look: It’s snowing, and you’re not going anywhere. Who needs a lean, steely Muscadet in January? You’d be better off trying to drink an icicle. No, what you want is warmth, and until the local store starts sending out Saint Bernards with barrels of brandy around their necks, that  means Zinfandels from California, Shiraz from Australia, and Italy’s great Amarones. All you need now is a roaring fire.

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2014 Terra d'Oro Amador County Zinfandel

Courtesy of Terra d'Oro

Silky and enveloping, this red from an eternally warm part of California has aromas of raspberry liqueur and sweet pipe tobacco.  Buy: $14 at wine.com

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2013 Tait The Ball Buster Shiraz

Courtesy of Tait Wines

Despite the blow-you-away alcohol level (15.9 percent), this  cheekily named red  is balanced and complex, full of earthy blackberry and  black pepper notes.  Buy: $20 at wine.com

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2015 Thorn-Clarke Shotfire Shiraz

Courtesy of Thorn Clarke

More savory than most Shiraz, this full-bodied red from Australia’s Barossa Valley evokes curry spices and black olives (try it with tandoori lamb). Buy: $25 at thorneclarkewines.com

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2014 Dry Creek Vineyard Heritage Vines Zinfandel

Courtesy of Dry Creek Vineyard

Dry Creek used pre–Prohibition era vine cuttings to plant the vineyards for this chewy red. In essence, it’s a young-vine version of Zinfandel from the early 1900s. Buy: $18 at wine.com

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2014 Ridge Vineyards Three Valleys Red

Courtesy of Ridge Vineyards

Single-vineyard specialist Ridge changed its approach for this raspberry-rich Zinfandel blend, using fruit from 10 sites in Sonoma County.  Buy: $26 at wine.com

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2014 Tenuta Santa Maria Valpolicella Ripasso

Italian Ripasso-style Valpolicella is made by adding wine to casks containing the dried grape skins  left over from making Amarone. This  results in wine with seductive cherry-liqueur flavors.  $30

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2014 Kay Brothers Basket Pressed Shiraz

Courtesy of Kay Brothers

An antique basket press from 1928 is used to extract the juice for this luscious McLaren Vale Shiraz, producing gorgeous cassis and spice notes. The method may not be cutting edge (owner Colin Kay says the device operates “a bit like those old-fashioned elevators used to lift motor cars”), but the results are inarguable.  Buy: $25 at kaybrothersamerywines.com

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2014 Robert Biale Black Chicken Napa Valley Zinfandel

Courtesy of Robert Biale Vineyards

Biale’s wines have always been, on the whole, unreservedly full-bodied and rich. But—especially in  the case of this darkly spicy single-vineyard Zinfandel—they’re also unexpectedly nuanced: proof that “power” doesn’t necessarily translate to “brute force.”  Buy: $42 at wine.com

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2012 Acinum Amarone Della Valpolicella

Because the grapes used for Italian Amarones are dried before fermentation, the wines are  innately potent, typically 15 percent alcohol or higher.  But that process also gives them  distinctive dried-fruit and baking-spice characteristics and  a velvety texture, as in this layered example.  Buy: $57 at wine.com

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2012 Allegrini Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico

Courtesy of E. & J. Gallo Winery

If you need a no-holds-barred splurge for a cold day, this red is it. Allegrini is one of the great names in Amarone, and its complex, flavor-saturated 2012 vintage shows  exactly why. The wine’s intense tannins are just asking for  a Flintstones-worthy rib eye. $85

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Top 10 Red Wines for Winter

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2014 Terra d'Oro Amador County Zinfandel

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2013 Tait The Ball Buster Shiraz

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2015 Thorn-Clarke Shotfire Shiraz

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2014 Dry Creek Vineyard Heritage Vines Zinfandel

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2014 Ridge Vineyards Three Valleys Red

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2014 Tenuta Santa Maria Valpolicella Ripasso

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2014 Kay Brothers Basket Pressed Shiraz

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2014 Robert Biale Black Chicken Napa Valley Zinfandel

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2012 Acinum Amarone Della Valpolicella

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2012 Allegrini Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico

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Top 10 Red Wines for Winter

1 of 10

2014 Terra d'Oro Amador County Zinfandel

1 of 10

2 of 10

2013 Tait The Ball Buster Shiraz

2 of 10

3 of 10

2015 Thorn-Clarke Shotfire Shiraz

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2014 Dry Creek Vineyard Heritage Vines Zinfandel

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2014 Ridge Vineyards Three Valleys Red

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2014 Tenuta Santa Maria Valpolicella Ripasso

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2014 Kay Brothers Basket Pressed Shiraz

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2014 Robert Biale Black Chicken Napa Valley Zinfandel

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2012 Acinum Amarone Della Valpolicella

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2012 Allegrini Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico

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