Our Favorite Fall Natural Wines

Posted by Niclas Jansson on October 02, 2019

Fall is in the air back home in New England. Not quite as much here in Spain, but we've still got fall foliage, apple cider, frosty mornings, and all the other lovely things fall brings on the mind.

Another one of the things we love about fall is pairing our favorite natural wines with our favorite fall activities! Coming from summer where our focus is on light rosé and chilled reds (although we do love a bottle of heavy Shiva Rosso in the summer as much as the next person), we look forward to opening a slightly different profile of wine in the fall. Here is a list of some of our favorite fall natural wines, and some tips on when we love to drink them!

apple picking 2018

1. For that fall pumpkin dish, you’ve been dying to make

Megalodon | Le Petit Domaine

This is a 100% Syrah from our friend Aurelien Petit at Le Petit Domaine (check out our blog post about visiting Le Petit Domaine back in August!). It's incredibly smooth and balanced and would be a perfect pairing for pumpkin ravioli or other variations of this fabulous fall food. Pro tip - if you're making your pumpkin dish from a whole pumpkin, save and roast the seeds for an awesome snack!

2. For the big football game

Les Tondeuses | Domaine Mamaruta

Whether your a big NFL fan like me (Brady GOAT), or a college football fanatic like Holly (Boomer Sooner!), you need something to pair with your tailgate food. Sure, beer is the classic choice, and if I had to choose a beer that was easy to find it would be an easy-drinking Session IPA like Founder's All-Day IPA, but wine can work just as well if you're in the mood to switch it up.

Les Tondeuses is another delightful easy-drinking red from Marc Castan! 100% Grenache with a round but tense mouthfeel and explosive notes of red fruit, berries, spice, and more. It's a perfect pairing for tailgate-style food with a little grease.

Get all these wines: Fall Natural Wine Kit

3. For your fall leaf-peeping picnic

Saignee Rosato | Aldo Viola

A picnic in the fall still counts as a picnic, and we're always going to recommend a rosé for that! This is an extended skin contact blend of Nerello Mascalese, Perricone, and Syrah. It's so dark you could even mistake it for red wine, but trust us, it's still a rosé. Perfect natural wine for fall! No need to serve this one super chilled, just bring it along and open it up when you're ready!

4. To pair with your favorite homemade apple dessert

Oracular | Domaine Mamaruta

This is a pet-nat with the perfect amount of bubbles makes it a perfectly natural pairing with your favorite fall desserts. It's also great for any occasion where you want to make a toast or generally celebrate the season!

dog apple picking (Bonus photo of apple picking with Norman last fall)

5. For the turkey

Le Vin de Ma Cocotte | Domaine Mamaruta

Carignan and turkey have got to be up there with our favorite combos out there. This is a refined Carignan from 100+-year-old vines in the Fitou region of France (read about our visit with Marc Castan here). We'd recommend decanting this one for 15-20 minutes before drinking. It makes a great gift too - it's Holly's grandma's favorite wine, so gift it to red wine-loving grandma's to be the favorite grandchild this year!

6. That special occasion with your closest friends

Shiva Bianco | Aldo Viola

Last, but never least, an extra special orange wine to open only with the people you care about most - it's not cheap! It's a perfect deep orange wine with dried fruit, smoke, and anise undertones. Dry, refreshing, and absolutely stunning, this isn't one to miss for a special occasion.