We want to help you drink your feelings on a rainy day, so on this episode of Pinkies Up, we find the perfect wine to drink on a rainy day! Our “normal” wine drinker Bridget lays out some guidelines and the question, and our wine expert Nick picks a few bottles to try. Here are the types of wines that we thought would work well for your rainy day drinking!
FULL BODIED WHITE WINES LIKE CHENIN BLANC
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If you are looking for a wine that lifts your spirits on a rainy spring day, a full bodied white wine that has some tropical fruit notes will fit the bill perfectly! They’re not so light that they feel better for beachside drinking, but they also have delicious fruit flavors to put you in the mood of a beautiful summer day.
We tried a bottle of Secateurs Chenin Blanc from South Africa. It’s a great value, and you should be able to find a great bottle of South African Chenin Blanc for about $10 – $15 that will fit the bill perfectly.
Other types of wine that would fit this bill include White Rhone varietals or blends from grapes like Viognier, Roussane, and Marsanne, or an Albariño from Spain or California.
LIGHT BODIED RED WINES LIKE GRENACHE
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Another way of trying to lift your spirits on a gloomy day could be drinking a light bodied red wine. We particularly like Grenache (or Garnacha in Spain) because the yummy red fruit flavors are balanced by a bit of spice on the backend. It’ll let you feel the rainy mood, but also be refreshing instead of heavy.
We enjoyed a bottle of Little James Basket Press made by St. Cosme in the South of France. It’s under $15 and easy to find, but you shouldn’t have a hard time finding good wines made from Grenache in the South of France or value priced and delicious Garnachas from Spain.
Other types of wine that would fit this bill include Pinot Noir (not Bridget’s favorite!) or a Gamay from Beaujolais in France.
CABERNET FRANC
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Cabernet Franc is the less well known parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. It has more vegetal notes and a ton of aromatics – particularly notes like graphite or pencil shavings. These aromatics perfectly match the smell of rain falling on concrete and if you want to have a full bodied wine to warm you up that also heightens the aromatic intensity of sitting on the patio drinking wine, Cabernet Franc is a great pick!
We drank a bottle of Zuccardi “Q” Cabernet Franc from Mendoza, Argentina that is an exceptional value. You can also find excellent Cabernet Franc from Bordeaux, France, the Loire Valley in France, California, and even Northern Italy!
RICH FULL BODIED RED WINES LIKE MONASTRELL
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If you really want to lean into the “sad” feelings of a rainy day and just want a big, bold red wine to enjoy with the rain, a Monastrell is a great pick. This is a full bodied wine with plum, blackberry, smoke, earth, and tobacco notes. It also packs a punch with wines made from Monastrell (aka Mouvedre) usually clocking in around 15% ABV.
We sipped on a bottle of Albacea Monastrell from the Juan Gil family. These wines are super values and incredibly yummy. They’re also great with BBQ in addition to rainy days!
Other types of wine that would fit this bill include a rich Malbec from Argentina, or a jammy Old Vine Zinfandel from California.
We hope this episode helps you find that perfect wine to enjoy while you soak in the beauty of a rainy day. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love it if you joined us on our weekly Dinner Plus Drinks podcast and followed us on the following channels:
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Cheers!
Bridget & Nick