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| Photo: Kevin K (CCL) |
It’s that time of year when the leaves are turning and the nights are drawing in, we pull our knitwear from the back of the wardrobe and swap alfresco picnics for crisp autumnal walks and Sundays in the pub.
Welcome the
season of comfort food – of glorious game, hotpots and pies, sausage and mash
and slow cooked delights. You’ll need
some serious seasonal sips too, and we’ve got you covered.
Here’s part one of your two-part guide to the best booze for autumn; a hand-picked
selection of wine, spirits and cocktails that will help you slurp through the
season.
Wine
The chillier temperature and hearty food means embracing those wonderfully
rich, robust and textured wines.
For reds, look for more medium bodied styles with darker fruit flavours
of blackberry, plum and damson, along with sweet spice and indulgences like
chocolate. Grape varieties Merlot,
Malbec and Grenache are classics that are just made for these months.
Choose from Old World regions such as Puglia (Italy), Rhône, and Douro (Portugal) for rustic
styles, and from the New World look no further than California and South Africa
for wines with power and body.
This Merlot based wine from Italy oozes red and dark fruits and is
layered with chocolate, sweet spice and toasty, earthy notes
£11.99 at Majestic (mixed price £9.99)
Réserve des Hospitaliers Cairanne, Côtes du Rhône Villages
Rich and satisfying, this Côtes du Rhône has everything you need to pair with hearty dishes on a cosy night in - ripe fruit flavours, structure, poise and a touch of oak. £11.79, Waitrose
For whites, look for texture, body and depth as well as intensity of flavour. The benefit is that these wines can be served a touch less chilled, meaning there’s no need to shiver over your Sauvignon.
Flavours of stone fruit, minerality and a touch of vanilla spice from oak will work nicely, so look out for oily Viognier, aromatic Pinot Gris, luscious Chenin Blanc and creamy Chardonnay. White Rhône blends and white Burgundy will steal the show, as will Vouvray (Loire) and white Rioja.
Millton Riverpoint Viognier, GisborneThis biodynamic beauty from New Zealand has bags of brilliance. With an array of flavours from poached pear and spiced apple, it’s rich in mouth feel yet has refreshing minerality. A personal favourite, I promise this will blow you away.
£13.95, ND John wine merchants
This classic Loire Vouvray Chenin Blanc has expressive almond and
honey, and the off-dry style adds texture and further richness. Pair this with a bold, salted dish like pork
or a white bean cassoulet and watch it sing.
Currently £7.99, Majestic (mixed price £6.29)
Cocktails
Having so many beautiful autumnal fruits in season provide a perfect excuse to get creative with cocktails, and the drop in temperature means that
extra little kick of alcohol is perfectly acceptable– we’ve got to keep warm
somehow! These Vinspire favourites are your seasonal secret weapons.
This warming cocktail is guaranteed to take the edge off the chilly weather with fab autumnal flavours: gloriously crisp apple, rich maple syrup,
smokey bourbon and refreshing, lifting cider.
The result is a delicious medium-sweet
cocktail the same colour as the golden leaves.
Question: what’s better than scoffing toffee apples as a kid at
Halloween?
Answer: drinking alcoholic toffee apples as an adult!
This martini
style cocktail is ghoulishly good, with toffee liqueur, apple juice and real
toffee sauce, plus a splash of vodka.
Port
Not just for Christmas! While traditional ruby ports may be rich and sweet, an aged style Tawny offers a lighter, more approachable style. Find a good 20 or 30 years aged one for typical flavours of caramel, hazelnut, cinnamon and fig, often with toasted notes.
Whisky
Nothing warms the cockles like a wee dram of whisky, and with
the darker evenings and richer food, now is the time to indulge.
A delicate
style with notes of honey, coffee and sherry along with richer smokey, spiced
complexities. Great for sipping in front
of the fire.
£33.95, The Whisky Exchange
Sloe Gin
A true English favourite. Sloe berries come into season from October, so take the opportunity to get back to nature, go kick some leaves, and
forage for sloes and damsons. Making your own sloe gin is easy: simply soak the
sloes in good quality gin along with some caster sugar, shaking gently every
few days until all the flavour and colour has been extracted. Do this for
one to two months for best results – so technically not an autumn drink, but when Christmas rolls around you’ll be able
to relive your autumn fun!
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