It is that idyllic time of year when daytime temperatures turn from dreadfully hot to a pleasant 75 degrees, the leaves on the trees are turning from green to gold and orange and red, and football dominates the weekends. Whether you are tailgating before the big game or watching at home with a pile of barbecue ribs and burnt ends, you will want to sip something that will enhance your game day snacks while being delicious on its own. Here are a handful of options that make the cut. #Cheers!

The ideal wine for pairing with barbecue ribs and brisket is a peppery, fruit-forward, luscious Zinfandel, and few are better than the Napa Valley selection from Frank Family Vineyards. The wine shows layers of blue and blackberry, toasted nutmeg, clove, black pepper, and vanilla with a lovely balance and lively freshness, providing the black fruit flavor and richness you expect from a Zin without becoming jammy.

Ram’s Gate Winery provides a dense, rich, powerful, and completely pleasing wine with its Richards Vineyard Syrah. Grown in a pocket of Sonoma Valley that experiences a long, cool growing season, the wine displays complex layers of ripe berry, fig, and plum, with woody herbs, like wild thyme and sagebrush, with balsamic and dried cranberry. This wine is not for the faint of heart, as it showcases how extraordinary Syrah can be when it is made with care and precision. Pair with grilled lamb chops or porterhouse steaks

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Benovia’s Cohn Vineyard Pinot Noir will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about the variety. This far-from-typical wine is the perfect combination of savory characteristics with succulents. The wine has a deep concentration that provides richness while maintaining freshness. The 50-year-old vineyard produces a tiny yield of fruit annually, making each sip of this special wine precious. It opens with inviting wildflowers and ripe cherry aromas that meld with woody Herbs de Provence, wild mushroom, and crushed stone minerality.

Though the French would like to claim Grenache as one of their native varieties, studies have proven the Garnacha grape’s origin is actually Spain. From Campo de Borja within Aragon, the home of Garnacha, Bodegas Borsao has been crafting earthy Old World wines from native varieties since the late 1950s. Borsao Garnacha Seleccion is a highly affordable, easy, and approachable red. With a deep purple hue and layers of ripe plum, berry, wild herb, and cherry, the luscious wine is perfect for pairing with burgers, sausages, or brats.

Blending 80% Sangiovese with 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, Carpineto Dogajolo Toscana Rosso is an Italian food lover’s ideal pairing. The Super Tuscan red is bright, fresh, and balanced, layering ripe plum, mocha, espresso, and dark cherry. The wine ages for six months in new and used French and American oak, enhancing the layers of chocolate, vanilla, and toasted spice. This aging is followed by four to six months of bottle aging, ensuring the palate is well-rounded and smooth upon release. Pair with a classic steak Florentine, grilled ribeye, or hearty cheese and charcuterie platter.

Large-format wines are ideal when you are entertaining a crowd, and Juliet is determined to elevate your typical bag-in-box wine by providing quality options from California. They say these options are also better for the environment as the packaging includes the equivalent of two bottles of wine in one. Their Juliet Central Coast Pinot Noir layers red cherry, strawberry, toasted baking spice, and oak, perfect for pairing with grilled chicken, pork, or salmon. Pick up a set of their adorable insulated tumblers when you buy to sip Juliet in style.