Autumnal reds + recipes

(Notes on my new wine column!)

Every week I ignore what’s going on in the world while I waffle on about wine. Frankly, I don’t think my readers want or need any more personal opinions by totally unqualified people. And I’m happy to stay in my lane. But this week it’s especially hard to ignore. Married to an American, with a large American family-in-law including a young niece, I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. What had been joyful anticipation of our upcoming trip to Florida for Thanksgiving has now been replaced by a nauseous foreboding. As a woman, I can’t wrap my mind around what’s happening.

But I promised I was not going to get dragged away from wine by unqualified opinions. So for the next five minutes, we’re going to focus on happier topics. And if you’re feeling as shitty about this election as I am, then maybe some comfort food and drinks will make you feel a little better. At least, that’s what I’m hoping for.

First, some personal good news

I got a wine column! I’ve always wanted my own column, so this is pretty exciting for me. It’s monthly, and it’s for a publication called DutchNews – which you’ll probably be familiar with if you’re an immigrant living in the Netherlands but probably will have never heard of if you’re anywhere else. But that’s ok. I still feel like I’m writing for The Guardian.

Which is probably why my very first issue – covering autumnal red wines for cosy nights in – felt like a mash-up between

Fiona Beckett

and

Nigel Slater

, two of my favourite Guardian food and drinks writers (although Fiona recently quit to focus on her Substack).

Because I had a word limit, and because I’m not sure the readers of DutchNews are quite as obsessed with wine as I am, I tried to keep the article to a manageable length and not overdo it on the wine tips. But now we’re on Substack, I thought I’d expand on my topic and give you some more food for thought, as it were.

Autumnal wine tips

As I wrote in the original article (which you should read as I’m not going to repeat it all here), and especially when I look out of my window at the grey drabness of Amsterdam in autumn, I want a red wine that exudes comfort. Warm, rich, gently spiced, a tough of residual sweetness: the soothing bath of wines.

My three eventual wine picks were those pictured above: a good-value Primitivo from southern Italy, a juicy Grenache from the south of France, and an oaky-yet-fresh Rioja Gran Reserva from Spain. But there were several more on my short-list that would also fit the bill:

• Ulisse, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Italy (2021) – retailing at just under a tenner, this may be supermarket wine but it’s got legs. I enjoyed its jammy black fruit, cinnamon and chocolate, and think it would go great with a sweetly spiced stew or something gamey. Available from Albert Heijn.

• Prima, Toro, Spain (2021) – the Toro region is just to the west of Rioja and makes similar styles of wines (also from Tempranillo) but generally at lower prices. I discovered this Prima Toro in Gran Canaria a couple of years ago and loved it: smooth but spicy, oaky but with great acidity, it would be lovely with Middle Eastern dishes. Available from Decántalo.

• Esporao Reserva Tinto, Alentejo, Portugal (2021) – I love a Portuguese red blend, and I think the Alentejo region offers great value for money. Esporao is a big producer in Portugal, but I’ve never met one of their wines that I didn’t like. This blend of local grapes (Alicante Bouschet, Aragonés and Trincadeira plus Cabernet Sauvignon) is elegant, ripe and very drinkable with a cheese board. Available from Decántalo.

• Sella & Mosca Cannonau, Sardinia, Italy – Cannonau is what the Sardinians call Grenache, and I was a bit obsessed with it during our recent trip to Sardinia. Sella & Mosca is a producer whose name crops up consistently (and reliably) so I’d be interested to try this Cannonau that’s now also available here in Holland from Albert Heijn.

• Chateau Pindefleurs, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France (2021) – a classic Merlot-led blend from Bordeaux’s right bank. Pair with something meaty and savoury (see below). Available from Gall & Gall.

What to eat this autumn

I cook a lot anyway, but especially in autumn. The oven warms the whole apartment, and comfort eating feels like an absolute necessity rather than simply an indulgence. Various people who read my wine column asked what the dish in the photo was and whether they could have the recipe.

It’s a squash and sage lasagne by Ixta Belfrage in her wonderful cookbook, Mezcla. I strongly encourage you to buy the book as it’s awesome (and it’s important to financially support writers!), but I did also find a blog online that has published it if you want to get an idea of her recipes first. This went really well with the Primitivo in my best budget buys category.

Another recent hit for Sunday dinner was Jamie Oliver’s slow-roasted Madras lamb. Jamie uses a jar of Madras paste here (because he’s always trying to do everything in 15 minutes) but if you have more time to spare, try making it yourself. I used this recipe by Tom Kerridge, which was very easy and worked perfectly. The lamb dish went better with more savoury/spicy reds (as opposed to the sweeter ones) – we kicked off the Bordeaux blend from Saint-Emilion that I mentioned in my wine picks above.

(On a related note, if you’ve not subscribed to the Happy Foodie newsletter, do so without delay! Weekly recipes from some of the UK’s best-loved cooks, and lots of discounts on cookbooks too.)

This autumn, I’ve also been making spiced carrot and lentil soup, rack of lamb with Ottolenghi’s butter bean and leek gratin, this fab chicken, noodle and cabbage traybake slathered in gochujang, hearty sausage-and-peppers-inspired pasta bake… the comfort eating goes on. Are we feeling any better yet? Perhaps a little.