Anna Spooner / 01 October 2019
Anna Spooner from our Tastings & Events team shares some ideas for wines to crack open over the coming months
Autumn is a great time of year for
entertaining. I love having friends to stay
for the weekend, going for long walks and
warming up afterwards with drawn-out
dinners bursting with seasonal ingredients
and the excuse to pair these with
intensely flavoured wines. Although I'll
miss the long summer evenings and sitting
out late on the patio, the six autumnfriendly wines I've picked have me actively
looking forward to the nights drawing in.
'Les Prélats' features in my wine-rack
all year round but October seems to
be the month when I drink it most. If
we are lucky enough to have an Indian
summer, I can't think of anything better
suited to evenings in the garden: fresh
enough to sip with some nibbles but rich
enough to cope if you are braving the last
barbecue of the year.
Enjoy The Society's White Rioja with a home-made fish pie with a touch of nutmeg in the mash.
This is a relatively new wine for The Wine
Society, and from the moment I tasted it
I knew I had my 'house white'. It's rich,
spicy and unctuous – all the things you
need in autumn. I like to serve it with
home-made fish pie with a touch of
nutmeg in the mash. Comfort food and
a wine that will set the tone for a night
in with close friends.
Serve Bogle Vineyard California Chardonnay 2018 for the perfect accompaniment to roast chicken
For me, stocking up on
comforting California
chardonnay is about as
cyclical as the leaves
turning gold and the
winter wardrobe
coming back down
from the loft. The
savoury notes in
this wine mean
it punches well
above its price
point and I love
surprising friends with a California chardonnay
for under £15. Although, be warned! If
you serve it with roast chicken you'll
struggle to get people to leave, so choose
your guests wisely!
Last year I was on holiday in South Africa
and was lucky enough to tag along with
Jo Locke MW on her buying visit to
Newton Johnson. I was bowled over by
the approachable but top-quality nature
of the wines and in particular their pinot
noir (for which they're famed). Autumnal
brambles, cherry and a touch of forest
floor practically fall out of the glass. For
me, this is a Sunday lunch treat wine:
ideal after a long dog walk when you've
worked up an appetite.
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is a great
weapon for your vinous arsenal at this
time of year. Herbaceous, fruity and not
too tannic, it can go with a whole host of
foods from takeaway pizza with friends
on a Friday to roast beef with extended
family on a Saturday. If you're after a
crowd-pleasing bottle at a purse-pleasing
price then look no further. It's wise to
have a case on standby at all times, in my
view!
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is a great weapon for your vinous arsenal at this time of year. Herbaceous, fruity and not too tannic, it can go with a whole host of foods from takeaway pizza with friends on a Friday to roast beef with extended family on a Saturday.
I will rave about Ventoux wines to anyone
who will listen. The only problem is, those who listen (and taste) are universally
converted so my secret is out. Ventoux
wines have the classic rich, fruit and spice
flavours we associate with southern
Rhône but thanks to the cooling influence
of the mountain, they're often fresher
in style than the likes of Châteauneufdu-Pape. For that reason they're great
with food and make for sophisticated but
quaffable wines. Oh, and they're a fraction
of the price of their famous neighbour
too so you won't mind opening another
bottle.
Anna Spooner, Tastings & Events Co-ordinator