Maison Ventenac Réserve de Jeanne 2021:

The Languedoc is a reliable source of characterful, good value reds for almost any time of year, and this organic example from our longtime collaborators Maison Ventenac exemplifies just that.

A blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Syrah – typical of the Cabardès appellation - this wine’s medium body, black plum and red berry fruit, peppery spice, and powdery tannins make it a fine accompaniment to a warming stew.

Bodega Jesús Romero Rubus 2023:

Hailing from an obscure, mountainous corner of the Teruel province of Aragón, Spain, Bodegas Jesús Romero focus on dry-farmed, high-altitude viticulture, aiming to preserve the traditional winemaking heritage of their local region. Focusing on familiar varieties such as Garnacha, Tempranillo, and Syrah, as well as less familiar ones in the indigenous Miguel de Arco, these vines are farmed up to 1000m in altitude and the resulting wines vinified with minimal intervention to preserve their honest, ‘garagista’ approach. ‘Rubus’ is their estate wine, blending 70% Garnacha and 30% Tempranillo, and offers crunchy, brambly fruit and a gentle, liquorice-tinged earthiness, making it an ideal match to the array of mushrooms that are just coming into season.

Höpler Zweigelt 2019:

A cross between Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent, Zweigelt is Austria’s most widely planted red wine variety. Weingut Höpler are perfectly situated to in the warmer terroirs of Burgenland to produce ample, fleshy renditions of this variety, further emboldened through partial ageing in oak.

Its medium-body, hints of Morello cherry, violet, and allspice, as well as its inherent savoury quality make it the textbook partner to game meats such as venison or pigeon, as well as any dishes utilising tomato sauces or ragus.

Château Pech de Jammes Cahors Malbec 2019: Regardless of the season, sometimes the only thing that will truly hit the culinary spot is a steak, and this corker from the classical homeland of Malbec – Cahors, in southwest France – is an absolute showstopper as far as suitable accompaniments go. Made by the excellent Château Pech de Jammes, this wine hails from the highest vineyards in the appellation planted to clay-limestone soils on the perfectly exposed amphitheatre of the ‘Causse de Cahors’. Aged for a considerable time in French barrique like the best wines of Bordeaux, before bottle ageing prior to release, this complex Malbec reveals an inky black colour, robust body, sinewy tannins, mouthwatering acidity, and dark, brooding fruits wrapped up in wafts of leathery spice and sweet tobacco. After a good decant, this wine will provide plenteous pedigree to stand up to the Saturday night sirloin.

Pajzos Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2018: The apple tart is perhaps the quintessential autumn sweet dish, and yet many of us may overlook the idea of a dessert wine to serve alongside it as we grow increasingly health conscious and sugar-wary, but this time why not open yourself to indulgence? This sweet style of Tokaji wine, made by the unique process of Noble Rot in the foothills of Hungary’s Zemplén Mountains, was once heralded as the most desirable wine in the world, only the reserve of the rich and the royal. This amber elixir is profuse in aromas of candied tangerine, bergamot honey, and intense baking spices, with barley sugar and citrus peel accompanying on the palate that is broad and unctuous yet framed by a mouth-watering laser of acidity, balancing the wine perfectly. This once-dubbed “King of wines and the wine of kings” will propel even the most middling of apple tarts to regal heights!