Autumn is clearly in the air … time for some warming red wine!

Autumn is clearly in the air: as the nights draw in and the temperature begins to drop, it won’t be long now before the leaves start turning colour and it’s time to put on a warmer coat. As we head towards Halloween and Bonfire Night, here are a couple of comforting reds to tempt your palate:

Piccini Memoro Red (Italy)

This is an interesting blend of four grape varieties – Primitivo, Montepulciano, Nero d’Avola, and Merlot from the Puglia, Abruzzo, Sicily, and Vento regions of Italy, respectively. The intention was to create a wine that brings together these distinct grape varieties to represent the country as a whole. It has worked very well; so well in fact that it was awarded a Decanter Gold Award in 2019.

The wine has medium tannin, medium acidity and a long finish. It’s a smooth, refined wine with aromas of plum, fig and blackcurrant, and intense flavours of black fruit, and a hint of coffee and spice.

A great match for an Italian meat dish or a rich pasta, and a steal at £8. Available from Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

1000 Stories Zinfandel 2018 (USA)

If you are looking for a rich, bold wine (14.5%) to accompany your steak, try this. This is a Zinfandel from California, made from grapes grown in Mendocino County, Lodi and Paso Robles vineyards. It’s a wine with a story, and I love a wine with a story …

As the winemaker, Bob Blue, himself says, “Years ago, when I was just starting out as a winemaker, it was almost unheard of to get French oak wine barrels, and American oak barrels were for whisky, not wine. But we still needed barrels to age our wine, so we purchased new and used Bourbon barrels. Today American and French oak wine barrels are commonplace, so the inspiration for 1000 Stories is a nod to the way things were.”

I was intrigued … and very impressed with this wine.

This is a well-balanced, full-bodied wine with medium tannin, medium acid and a lingering finish. It has aromas of plum, blackberry and black cherry, and a hint of smokiness on the nose, and flavours of black fruits, vanilla and caramel on the palate. A perfect match for steak.

Available from Tesco and Sainsbury’s (£15)