(WSJ) -  THERE ARE MANY firmly held wine-consumption beliefs. Quite a few have to do with matching seasons to colors. Rosé, for example, is considered a wine that’s suitable only for summer. Post Labor Day, the pink stuff just sits on the shelves, or so wine merchants tell me. In the winter, the wine has to be red—the bigger, the bolder, the better. Yet I believe that some of the best wines for winter drinking are, in fact, white.

A wide range of white wines are actually much better suited to a cold night in January than a warm day in May. Viscous and densely layered, perhaps even a touch oaky and higher in alcohol, these aren’t the light, bright, snappy whites of summer. Instead of warm-weather staples like New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, fizzy, low-alcohol Vinho Verdes and sparkly, unserious Proseccos, consider big, luscious California Chardonnays, off-dry Rieslings from Alsace and Germany, creamy Loire Valley Chenins and unctuous white Rhônes.

Often underrated and sometimes even actively scorned—I’ve lost track of how many times oaky Chardonnay has been decried over the years by a certain class of oenophiles—these wines are particularly rewarding to drink during colder months, when their purported liabilities turn into pluses. A well-balanced touch of oak can lend a wine increased richness and a layered texture, while a white wine that’s a bit higher in alcohol (14% versus 12%) is often more concentrated and lush.

The substantial character of these wines makes them a good match with winter’s more substantive foods. A rich white wine pairs well with fish, chicken or pork—roasted, braised or poached in a cream sauce. And, yes, they’re great with pastas, soups, stews and warm salads (such as cauliflower and barley), as well. Red wine, particularly the more robust kind often touted as ideal for the winter, has a more limited range of pairing possibilities. Try matching a tannic young Cabernet with fish in a cream sauce or a chicken stew, and tell me that this isn’t true.

Just how versatile are winter whites? I gathered a global array of possibilities—California Chardonnays, Loire Valley Chenin Blancs, Rieslings from Germany, Alsace and New York state, Rhône Valley whites, a California Roussanne (a white Rhône grape), and two Spanish whites made from the obscure full-bodied Albillo grape—and put them to the test during several recent dinners with friends.