You love red, but sometimes the food, mood or moment calls for white. Or maybe you’re a devoted white wine drinker feeling a little red-curious. Either way, these great wines will meet you in the middle. They blur the borders, balancing weight with freshness. So you can safely cross over with ease. Who knows, you may find a favourite on the other side.
2023 Fontanafredda Briccotondo Piedmonte Barbera DOC Organic, Italy
Don’t be fooled by Barbera’s depth of colour. It’s actually a lighter-bodied, notoriously smooth wine. So it’s sure to please white and red wine drinkers alike, while the price makes it accessible, too. Here, the fragrance bursts with bright, muddled blackberry fruit laced with soft leather. Then, it sweeps in smooth as silk. No rough edges. Just a juicy glug of easy refreshment that floods the senses with dark berry goodness. Doesn’t linger but keeps you sipping. Marvellous for pizza and pasta nights. (13.5% alc., 2 g/L sugar)
2024 Henry of Pelham Baco Noir, VQA Ontario
From Ontario, this Baco Noir is deeply coloured but smooth and lifted. So it appeals to both white and red wine drinkers. Each swirl of the glass releases robust aromas of homemade black cherry jam followed by a satiny rush of crushed berries with a long, blueberry pie finish. Just a delicious little wine that’s sweet-fruited but well-balanced. Just the wine for those who avoid red for fear it will be too tannic, dry or bitter. This Baco Noir is none of those things. Bargain. (13% alc., 15 g/L sugar)
2023 Cave de Lugny Bourgogne Pinot Noir, France
For white wine drinkers with sophisticated palates craving complexity, restraint and elegance, Burgundian Pinot Noir is the answer. This widely available, well-priced expression delivers on all those fronts. The scent is subtle — a delicate perfume of violet and plum with a touch of dried thyme — followed by a sheer wash of seamlessness. Think red-fruited, quietly earthy vinosity threaded with underbrush, pink peppercorn and bay leaf. This light-bodied French with lovely resonance can delight white and red wine drinkers with ease. Just a gem. (12.5% alc., 3 g/L sugar)
2023 Boschendal 1685 Chardonnay, Western Cape, South Africa
(Vintages Essential 367698, $17.95)
This full-bodied, oaked Chardonnay is sure to please red wine drinkers looking for weight and substance. First, it draws you in with buttered toast and apple crumble aromas — warm and welcoming. Then, it rolls in slowly, unfolding with open-handed generosity. Toasted pastry, baked apple, lemon zest and sweet cream flavours cascade and linger. The mouthfeel seems to gleam, tasting polished to a high sheen. And each sip leaves the palate seasoned with buttered toffee and orange peel. Easy win for everyone — with great weight for autumn evenings. (13.5% alc., 2g/L sugar)
2024 Camino del Puerto Verdejo DO Rueda, Spain
This Verdejo delivers the volume and texture that red wine drinkers appreciate — at a low price. Each glassful delivers a bold, pure, peachy-apricot hit of luminosity on the nose and palate, tempered by almost coating concentration. It’s not complex at first but, as it recedes, notes of tangerine zest, fennel and cool minerals emerge before leaving an intriguingly textural finish that’s like sucking on an apricot pit. Native to Rueda, Verdejo is a wine to know because it can deliver freshness and depth at reasonable prices. (13% alc., 2 g/L sugar)
2024 Domaine des Carteresses Tavel AC, Rhône, France
(Vintages 739474, $20.95)
Then there’s rosé, a wine many red wine drinkers avoid for fear it will taste too light. But Tavel can be the exception. This deeply coloured, structured, bone-dry rosé from the Rhône often drinks like a red wine — and this bottle is a fine example. A blend of Syrah and Grenache, it shines translucent ruby in the glass and opens with a rich, ripe raspberry bouquet before saturating the palate with more of the same, along with white pepper, blackcurrant and stone. Just gorgeous but sure to sell out fast. (13% alc. 2 g/L sugar)
