Your Fall Wine and Food Pairing Guide

As summer moves into fall, temperatures dip, the fireplace sparks to life, and oven-roasted chicken finds its way back onto the dinner menu. And it also marks the beginning of when wine drinkers move away from lighter summer wines to the reds of winter. But the beauty of fall is it bridges the gap between the transition from whites to reds. So let’s dive into some of the best fall wines!

Fall Wine #1: Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc originated from south France with its name meaning “wild white.” And it’s the perfect dry white to sip during the cooler days of fall with its high acidity and medium-light body.

Sauvignon Blanc carries tastes of gooseberry, honeydew, white peach, and passion fruit – embodying a mix of late summer and early fall fruits. When choosing a Sauvignon Blanc to sip at your next leaf color-changing party, look for a wine that’s aged with a bit of oak. This will give it a fuller body.

Stunning Sauvignon Blanc Fall Food Pairings

Sauvignon Blanc pairs best with lighter meats and herb-driven dishes. Think of herbed sauces like pesto poured over pasta, chicken, tofu, or fish. Sauvignon Blanc also pairs great with turkey, a traditional fall protein. You can also pair this white fall wine with oysters, crab, and calamari. If you want something more vegetable-forward, try a cucumber dill salad, fried zucchini, artichoke, or eggplant.

It’s best to avoid fatty, protein-rich foods when thinking of food pairings for your bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

Check out Rove Estate’s 2021 Sauvignon Blanc for your next wine & food pairing.

You’ll find bright aromas of pineapple, guava, lemon verbena, and fresh green peppers. The texture is creamy with concentrated flavors of passionfruit, grapefruit, and lemon verbena. Our Sauvignon Blanc wine delivers concentrated flavors from start to finish.

Fall Wine #2: Gewürztraminer

Pronouncing Gewürztraminer may be a mouthful (“gev-OORTZ-tra-meener”) but this wine doesn’t disappoint when in your glass. The most famous sources for the Gewürztraminer grape come from Germany and the Alsace region of France – making this white wine’s cooler origin perfect for fall.

Gewürztraminer can range from dry to semi-dry and sweet with a medium to full body and low acidity. Gewürztraminer offers a combination of flavors from lychee, grapefruit, and pineapple, to rose, stone fruits, and ginger. You’ll detect aromas of rose, honey, ginger, and lemongrass.

Glorious Gewürztraminer Fall Food Pairings

Gewürztraminer pairs well with spicy and exotic dishes, like Indian food or Singapore noodles. It also pairs great with different fowls from chicken and duck to turkey – making Gewürztraminer a great addition to any Thanksgiving meal. If you want a more vegetarian pairing, try any naturally sweet vegetables like carrots, bell peppers, or squash.

Check out Rove Estate’s 2021 Gewürztraminer for your next wine & food pairing.

Our Gewürztraminer wine has classic notes of lychee, grilled pineapple, and delicate rose petals, followed by flavors of apricot, mango, and a hint of ginger. The texture of this wine is soft and silky with concentrated fruit notes.

Fall Wine #3: Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is the world’s most famous light-bodied red wine. Red wine drinkers love it for its long, smooth finish and aromas of red fruit, flower, and spice – making Pinot Noir the perfect red wine to move you from the light summer Rosé and get you ready for the fuller-bodied red wines of winter.

Though this wine is typically light-bodied, it can also become more complex with aging. Pinot Noir is typically dry with low tannins and medium-high acidity. You’ll discover flavors of cherry, raspberry, mushroom, clove, and hibiscus.

If you pick up a bottle of Pinot Noir from France, you’ll notice it won’t say Pinot Noir on the label. When grown in France, all Pinot Noirs are labeled by the region they come from (like Burgundy). 

Pleasing Pinot Noir Fall Food Pairings

Pinot Noir can be enjoyed with almost any food, making it the perfect food pairing wine partner. Pair your next bottle of Pinot Noir with duck, chicken, salmon, stews, or tomato-based sauces. For a vegetable dish, try it with mushrooms or other earthy vegetables (like root vegetables). And it can pair nicely with bright red to black fruits for dessert.

And remember to decant your Pinot Noir 30 minutes before enjoying that first sip!

Check out Rove Estate’s newly released 2021 Pinot Noir for your next wine & food pairing.

Our Pinot Noir has a long, lingering finish and balanced aromas of Michigan Cherries, baked cranberry, cocoa, and clove.

As summer turns to fall, we hope you’ve found food and wine inspiration to enjoy on those first crisp autumn days and nights.

We’ll be clicking glasses with you from Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan!

Want to learn more about food and wine pairings? Dig into our Food and Wine Pairing 101, and to get you ready for winter, check out our Winter Wine and Food Pairing Guide.