Spicy Pumpkin

White · Light · Dry

Italy's everyday white — light, lemony, neutral by design. Pleasant with anything; profound with very little. The best Friuli bottles are quietly excellent.

Works with Spicy Pumpkin · Spicy Pumpkin Soup · Spicy Pumpkin Corn Bisque

White · Light · Dry

Citrus, cut grass, and a wire of acid. Marlborough makes it loudest; Sancerre makes it most refined. Either way, it cuts cleanly through goat cheese, herbs, and anything with shellfish.

Works with Spicy Pumpkin · Spicy Pumpkin Soup · Spicy Pumpkin Corn Bisque

White · Medium · Dry

The most-planted white grape and the most chameleon-like. Crisp and steely from Chablis; rich, oaky, and tropical from California. Read the label, then match the style to the dish.

Works with Spicy Pumpkin Soup · Spicy Pumpkin Corn Bisque

White · Light · Off-dry

Aromatic, racy, and shapeshifting — bone-dry in Alsace, off-dry on the Mosel, syrupy and ageless when late-harvested. The single most versatile wine for spicy food on earth.

Works with Spicy Pumpkin · Spicy Pumpkin Soup

Rosé · Light · Dry

Provence's gift to summer — dry, pale, faintly strawberry-and-citrus, with low alcohol and crisp acid. Made to drink cold, with food, in the shade.

Works with Spicy Pumpkin · Spicy Pumpkin Corn Bisque

Red · Full · Dry

The classical red blend — Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and friends — from southwest France. Black currant, cedar, tobacco; serious structure; rewards patience and decanting.

Red · Light · Dry

Beaujolais's grape and a thinking-person's Pinot. Bright cherry, banana, granite, low tannins, high drinkability. Chill it slightly; pair with picnic charcuterie or roast chicken.

White · Medium · Off-dry

Lychee, rose petal, and a touch of ginger; medium-bodied, low-acid, and unmistakable. The wine for any cuisine where the spice cabinet did the heavy lifting.

Red · Light · Dry

Burgundy's most temperamental grape, but the rewards are real — translucent ruby with a perfumed lift of red cherry, forest floor, and clove. Silken tannins and bright acid make it the most versatile red on the table; serve cool, around 58°F.

Fortified · Medium · Dry

Andalusia's fortified white — runs from bone-dry Fino through nutty Amontillado to syrupy PX. The dry styles pair brilliantly with tapas; the sweet ones replace dessert entirely.