Autumnal notes

Mcguigans Black Label wine, pair it with any tomato based foods, pizza or spaghetti

Well goodbye sun it's been a good year. I don't think we can complain. Yes we've had better weather but we have had many worse without the golden orb even making a show.

So too as the seasonal vegetables turn towards beetroot, celeriac, pumpkin and sweetcorn our wine preferences adjust more towards warming reds.

There are those who will not move away from white wine. Probably because they've tried some heavy tannic reds in the past have been put off, preferring the lighter white style.

Drinking white wine all year round is like wearing flip flops through the winter, it isn't always the best match.

There is something so seductive about a cold autumnal evening and a warming glass of Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz or Malbec or Barolo or - the list goes on.

If you've been burned before on heavy reds and you want to dabble your toes in the darker side, start with a Beaujolais or a Pinot Noir or a Tempranillo that is un aged (Joven) and un oaked. What you will get here is lots of fresh red fruits, low on tannins (that mouth puckering experience).

So if you're in for the ride, here's my tip.

Mcguigans Black Label wine.

Hailing from the mighty Barossa Valley in South Australia, 36 miles north east of Adelaide. The red label is a blended wine predominantly Shiraz but with other non disclosed red grapes, potentially merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The first thing you notice about this wine is the lovely berry and spice aromas coupled with the wonderful flavours of spicy plum, cherry and blackberry. It has lots of fruit and a lovely long finish on your palette.

This is not a wine for wine snobs, primarily because it is not a single variety or even a noted blend but what is more important is that it consistently sells well year on year. In other words they have found what the consumer wants. No pomp and ceremony and it simply works.

It is a delicious segue into winter and more full bodied wines.

Pair it with any tomato based foods. Pizza or spaghetti.

Guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Especially as you can get it from as little as £6.00.

Red wine for the masses.

Food & Wine by Paul Sheerin
Pshearse@gmail.com