One of the best things about bright autumn days? How the dappled sunlight and turning of the leaves stirs our senses, and makes us hunger for hearty food – namely a Sunday roast.
Especially if roast potatoes and gravy haven’t graced the table since way back when, and a nip in the air makes you want to grab the basting dish and whip up a stock to make your bird soar… not to mention a glass of red to fire up the taste buds.
For weekend get-togethers, traditional sides and the main event, these are the flavoursome reds to seek and savour…
1. Des Tourelles Claret Bordeaux 2022, France, £5.49, Tesco
A crowd-pleasing, big-value claret, this perennial favourite continues to delight and deliver with lovely aromatics enhanced with floral notes; good depth with flavours of cassis and plums framed by savoury spice and fine tannins. One for roast pork with crackling.
2. Faustino VII Tempranillo 2022, Rioja, Spain, £8.75, Asda
A household name in Spain, a bottle of Faustino marks most Spanish Sunday lunches! And with its aromas of ripe red fruits, vanilla and hint of cloves, it’s warm, inviting – and testament to its 160-year winemaking history – never disappoints. With a savoury, velvety feel, think slow-roast shoulder of lamb with garlic and rosemary.
3. Extra Special Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Australia, £8.75, Asda
Think roast beef and Yorkshire puddings and a certain grape comes to mind – namely a ripe, elegant cabernet sauvignon cushioned with lots of padding. Concentrated with scents of blackcurrant and cassis, with similar flavours alongside a hint of chocolate, smooth tannins and warming lift on the finish, this wine offers real value – and a star buy from this famous region.
4. Fairview Barrel Aged Pinotage 2022, South Africa, £10.99, Waitrose
A great choice for roast chicken with all the trimmings, bags of juicy dark fruits, spicy mulberry flavours, plums and touch of smoke are at the heart of South Africa’s signature grape. This particularly delicious example offers well-integrated oak with hints of liquorice riding on the lasting finish.
5. Paco Garcia Crianza Rioja 2020, Spain, £18.50, Highbury Vintners
A sumptuous rioja with plenty of dense, aromatic fruit, the wine opens up with great intensity on the nose with sweet spice, hint of fig, caramel, vanilla and subtle toasty note from French oak. Suave and velvety smooth, a forest floor of brambly fruits underpinned with florals unfold on the palate with richness, depth and lingering finish. An ideal pairing with roast pork or leg of lamb.
6. Definition by Majestic Margaux 2020, Bordeaux, France, £27.99 (£20.99 Mix Six), Majestic
Cited as a great vintage and from a blue-chip appellation, you know you’re on to a winner when you pull the cork on this stunning red which offers easy-drinking pleasure. Utterly delicious from beginning to end, look forward to inviting notes of fragrant rose petals; raspberry, cherry and blackcurrant flavours accented by sweet spice, layers of lifted red fruits with floral accents and suave finish. Bring on the chateaubriand!
