Richard’s Favourite Wines for Autumn 2022

Autumn is a wonderful time of year with all the bounties of the harvest available to us. Here are some of Richard's recommendations for autumn... 

Grillo Terre Sicilian La Mura Organic
Since this Organic project was set up a number of years ago we have seen the quality of this wine increase year on year and when I tasted this recently I was really impressed with it. The Grillo grape variety is indigenous to this part of Italy and loves the abundance of sunshine and cooling sea breezes in this part of the world. As well as drinking well above its price point it offers a fresh, vibrant and crisp style that can be drunk as an aperitif or with fish or shellfish dishes. Grab yourself a bargain and try it for yourself.

Muscadet Sur Lie Selection Vieilles Vignes Chateau de La Ragotiere
This was a wine you used to see on every restaurant wine list back in the day, but as it became very easy to sell the overall quality dropped and the wine ended up being a very disappointing glass of wine. This is not the case here and Chateau de la Ragotiere have always produced wonderful wines from their own vineyards in Vallet, which has a really mineral soil and so gives great character to the wine. This is a selection of old vines which is also matured on its lees (Fine Sediment) to give extra complexity to the wine which has a lovely freshness and depth to it. I had a bottle of this wine in a local restaurant a couple of weeks ago and it was delicious.

Pinot Blanc Tradition Domaine Sipp Mack Alsace France
At this time of year as the weather gets colder, we tend to eat slightly richer foods than we do in the summer. If you are ever unsure as to which white wine you can drink with the slightly richer dishes then Pinot Blanc always springs to mind. This is a wine from the Alsace region of France where the gastronomy is very important to the local community and Pinot Blanc has been produced in this region to work with a wide variety of food and is really flexible. It is floral with a citric freshness and very well balanced on the palate and is never disappointing, so why not try something a bit different?

Ronan By Clinet Bordeaux Rouge
This is a new and more modern style of Bordeaux wine which is made from 100% Merlot Grapes predominantly from the region of St Emilion. Produced in a brand new cellar and overseen by the Chateau Client wine-making team this is a lovely, well-balanced and juicy red wine with a lot of flavour and character. This is another wine that drinks above it’s price point and will not disappoint at all and is an ideal wine to be drinking at this time of year. It is warming and full flavoured with great red fruit flavours and a soft complex finish from ageing in oak barrels. It has also just been voted as one of the best Bordeaux wines under £20 by decanter magazine which has really put it on the map.

Brouilly Cuvee L’Optimum Didier Desvignes Cru Beaujolais
I love drinking red wines of this style and Didier Desvignes’ wines are always well-made and a joy to drink. The Gamay grape grown properly produces fruity and easy-drinking wines but with plenty of red fruit flavours with a lovely silky finish and this wine is a great example of that. Brouilly is one of the fruitiest styles of Cru Beaujolais coming from the southern most part of the region and also Didier Desvignes is using the minimum amount of Sulphites to control the wine, which also adds to its fruitiness. Great with autumn casseroles as well.

Lirac Rouge Cuvee Confidentielle Chateau St Roch Rhone Valley France
This has long been a favourite wine of mine from this little-known appellation just over the river from Chateauneuf du Pape, where Eve Brunel produces this amazing wine from some really old Grenache vineyards they have on their estate. This gives great concentration and complexity to the wine, which also has a lovely spicey style with a rich long finish so this wine ticks every box. This would be a great wine to pull out at home when you have friends round to impress them with a wine they will probably never come across before! Also perfect with red meat and game dishes which we tend to eat more of at this time of year. Highly recommended.