Since you asked what your readers thought about that particular question I'd like to throw in my two cents. I agree with all your examples for classics in such or such season, like rosé in the summer. It was most likely for lack of space that you didn't mention Beaujolais nouveau. I simply wanted to mention that my friends and I, hopefully like many others, still try to hold on to seasons in the ecological sense and so do not eat cherries in the winter for instance. In that respect, and unless we drink wine on its own, our choice of wine is conditioned by the natural availability of the produce we think would be a good match for the wine because we think that fresh produce should be consumed locally. It would be a pity to waste a good bottle with the wrong produce, and it would be a shame, or one could argue a sin, to be greedy enough to buy off-season produce from half the world away instead of waiting for the right moment, making it all the more enjoyable. Thank you for your work in the world of wine!
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
Thank you, first, for taking this further and raising some very interesting points. One fundamental about seasons I failed to mention is that they vary tremendously around the globe. Most obviously, seasons are flipped in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Then there are places with marked variations from winter to summer, and those which are more constant. How does that change the discussion?
I agree, Beaujolais nouveau might be seen as a seasonal wine in the sense that it is released each year in November. This is driven by harvest date and the desired style (which aging in the cellar would only diminish). It does suggest the wine is first drunk as winter arrives (in the Northern Hemisphere, that is). Yet, I'm sure fans enjoy drinking Nouveau into spring as well. I also wonder if Nouveau fits our theoretical seasonal profile as its delicate fruitiness seems more in tune with warmer weather, particularly if the bottle is served lightly chilled?
I am with you in trying to eat fruits and vegetables in season, if I can. But that, too, is rather more complicated since - again thinking of inverted seasons - stores are stocked with much of the same produce regardless of local season. They are just grown in different locales (or even hot houses).
Because this subject has many unexpected twists, it makes for an engaging and stimulating conversation. Thanks for setting it all in motion!
