Best Wines for a Dinner Party in September

In September, the kids have gone back to school and everyone is anticipating the start of the fall season. As for foods, the selection moves from summer themes like barbecues and fresh summer fruit to fall themes like pumpkins, squash and apples. The tone begins to be set for cooking indoors, rather than outdoor grilling. With the coming change in season from summer to fall comes the need for different wines to serve up with dinner. This article will explore some wines that will go well with food served for a late summer dinner party in September.

Think about what foods will be served in September. As for fruits and vegetables, you will serve raspberries and blueberries, apples, pears, cranberries, gourds, squash, and pumpkins. Green peppers and red peppers are also in season. Spiced cider and spicy foods are a big part of the fall menu. You might find spicy Mexican dishes or Thai dishes.

Pasta comes back into style in the fall. Pasta might have been too heavy for a summer meal, but now it's just right. Pasta dishes would include lasagna and spaghetti and meatballs.

Fall also brings the return of the steak and meat and potatoes. You're ready for hearty meals that help you unwind and relax after a day back at school or in the office. You need your energy for fall sports activities after enjoying your leisure time during the summer.

So what wines are going to go with the berry flavors and apple cider? What wines pair well with spicy Mexican dishes? How about pasta dishes and meat and potatoes? You want wines with an oak or wood undertone for some of these dishes. Fruity wines with berry or cherry flavors go well. Light wines that give a contradictory flavor to the spicy dish are also soothing. Here are my top choices:

Overall, a sweet or spicy food with protein goes well with Chardonnay, White Zinfandel and Riesling. Red wines would include Zinfandel, Merlot and Shiraz. Acidic foods go well with fruity wines, like sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio and riesling. Red wines would include dolcetto, merlot and beaujolais. Meat and potatoes dishes that are both salty and sweet go well with sauvignon blanc, gewurztraminer, and chardonnay. Red wine examples would include merlot, shiraz and zinfandel.

1. A spicy wine like Gewurztraminer. The name means spicy grape. Washington Hills Gewurztraminer is spicy with a taste of honeysuckle. This wine will go well with any spicy dish, with spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. This is a red wine.

2. Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Bosche'. This cabernet sauvignon has hints of berry, cedar, clove and cinnamon. The dish would serve well with any meat and potato dish that is served with baked apples or other berry fruits.

3. Beringer 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. This is a red wine with an oak and spicy flavor. It also features hints of plum and black cherry. Pair this wine with any meat and potatoes dish served with berries, apples and pumpkin.

4. Bella Serra Pinot Grigio. This Pinot Grigio is a dry wine, with hints of honeysuckle, apples, pears, apricots and pineapples. It goes best with pasta dishes like spaghetti and meatballs.

5. Sutter Home White Zinfandel. The Sutter Home White Zinfandel is crisp and has a strawberry and watermelon flavor. It goes well with spicy dishes like Mexican or Latin, as well as Asian dishes such as Thai food.

As you try out different wines, you will realize that wine and food pairing is really all about your personal taste. You may find that wines most people would never eat with pasta are your personal choice. Learning about food and wine pairing can give you a general guide, but tasting the foods and wines together will over time become your best guide.

Sources: http://www.trywine.net/pages/October%20newsletter.html, http://www.beringer.com/beringer/catalog/view_product.jsp?product_id=1561, http://www.winewebcentral.com/winesite/PinotGbsr.htm, http://www.thewinebuyer.com/sku20805.html.