How to make the most of what’s in season in September and the wines to match.
September is a plentiful month for British fruit and veg, with orchard fruits coming on stream and wild foods like mushrooms, cobnuts and game also getting into their stride. Enjoy the wealth of seasonal produce with a glass or two of the wines below to bring out the best in both.
September 1st saw the season for partridge open and this delicious, delicately flavoured bird is well-worth exploring if you want to try game but worry about where to start on the flavour scale. Whether simply roasted or in a pie or pithivier with mushrooms, both served with seasonal vegetables and potato or celeriac mash, it makes a fine partner for a bottle of red Burgundy or, perhaps, a German pinot noir which are emerging as superb alternatives to their French counterparts. A juicy Italian sangiovese will also shine here, with freshness and cherry-like fruit. For white wine options you’ll need something with a little body. An Alsace or New Zealand pinot gris would work well, particularly if the bird is served in tandoori spice (which it wears well) or with a Chinese-style treatment. If game birds are not your thing there is always wonderfully lean and flavoursome venison served with a Port and sloe or damson gin sauce – try with a porter for a change or strapping southern Rhône red.
September also sees the joys of wild mushrooms reaching our tables if picked with knowledge and care. Simply tossed in a hot sauté pan with butter, garlic, a liberal handful of parsley, a little black pepper and, if you like, a glug of sherry, they make a marvellous accompaniment to chicken or fish or a sumptuous topping for toasted bread or cheesy polenta. Add a good glug of cream and you have a sauce for all the above as well as steaks. Serve the mushroom-stacked or sauced fish, chicken or solo mushrooms with a fresh and palate cleansing white like an Austrian grüner veltliner or a blend including it. A nutty white Rioja, a semillon with some bottle age, or a white Bordeaux would work here too, as would oaked whites in general. If you choose beef for the mushroom treatment, pinot noir is a cracker here (see above), and wines that have a good deal of maturity under their belt have a savoury note that picks up the fungi well.
Pears, apples, plums, damsons, blackberries, elderberries, grapes, quince – it really is a time of mellow fruitfulness. You could mix the whole lot or a selection of them with a little syrup spiced with cinnamon, ginger and a mere pinch of cloves or cardamom to create an autumn fruit compôte. Pair them with some rich, fragrant muscats or southern French treats that are a little different but very good to drink. The same applies for crumbles or pies in which red fruits abound. If it’s apple. pear or quince with starring roles in pies, puddings, crumble or tart it’s time for a slightly lighter but still luscious touch, like chenin blanc-based stars from the Loire or beyond stickies with a touch of noble rot or late-harvest sweetness. especially if a silky custard is poured as part of the deal.
