Drinking a crisp, acidic white wine is a perfect match for a steamy hot summer day. But as the weather gets colder, most people want a bolder red wine to sip while hanging out around the fire pit enjoying the smell of marshmallows roasting over an open flame.

Plus, autumn is a great time of year to do fall wine tastings in Maryland and Virginia. As the leaves change color and the air becomes crisp and cool, sipping on a reserve cab franc is a great way to bring in the new season. Here are some notes to take with you as you shop and sample.

If you shop by taste, and are looking for cherry flavors, a Grenache has a nice spice kick to it with a bold, up front aroma. Gamay, the grapes of Beaujolais, are sweeter and will also have a raspberry and slight hint of bananas. If you want to party on Beaujolais Nouveau Day, when the 2013 wines are released, its Nov. 21, which is celebrated in France with fireworks.

The most popular are the cabernet sauvignon and the cabernet franc. These blends show hints of dark cherry, earth, and some olive. The tannins in the cabernet sauvignon blends are what give it a strong texture, almost a tactile experience on the tongue. The most famous blends in the world are the wines of Bordeaux, which, in the French tradition, don’t even list a grape type, but rather only the terroir — the place where the grapes originated.

One of the top picks at Old Line this fall is the Pine Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley 2010. The bold flavors are tempered a smooth, even silky, texture with a hint of blackberries. Wine Spectator rated gave it 92 points. Very good choice and goes well with jeans, boots and a sweater.

Benziger’s 2009 cabernet sauvignon will be priced lower but is just as delicious a blend. It’s full bodied, jammy, leathery, with a hint of spice choice. Not as exciting as the Pine Ridge, but just as appropriate. If you like currant-laced flavors to sip while sitting next to your cinnamon broom stick from Whole Foods, this is your bottle.

A safe bet would be Yangarra’s 2007 McLaren Vale Grenache. Even the most critical wine reviewers have written very positive tasting notes about this wine. Try airing it out for a couple hours or even a day to let the angular tones even out a bit. This will be more of a leopard print shoe or shirt pairing, rather than jeans, but is just as easy to drink.