Venison is often the centerpiece of a hearty winter meal.

It's a rich, powerful, deeply colored wine around which many a hearty fall and winter meal can be built.

Late spring, summer, and autumn afforded abundance, while winter meals were more sparse.

Kalbi tang, or one of the barbecues, makes an excellent winter meal.

This big wine is made for hearty winter meals.

However, lately, the virtues of a simple winter meal are not automatically dismissed by my instinctual sneer.

It is just right for hearty winter meals.

I like to round out this hearty winter meal with steamed potatoes.

There are great buys on these wines, and I recommend them also as an accompaniment to this winter meal.

To round out this restorative winter meal, all you need are some garlicky croutons, which can be made in advance.