I love the foods of autumn most of all. We still have the great vegetables of late summer like tomatoes, corn, squash, eggplant, beans and beets, and we begin to cook the root vegetables that sustain us through mid-autumn and winter. I cook differently in the fall. I think about it more and spend more time at it. The dishes are richer, heartier and more complex. When it starts to get cold outside, and I can find a free day, I like nothing more than to spend it in a warm kitchen making great food for people I care about. And, of course, I like finding great wines to help the cooking and eating processes. Having a sip of good wine while you are cooking can be conducive to the creative effort.
The wines I found for this column span a broad range of geography and grape varieties and can sustain a number of different types of meals and keep you well fortified through the process of cooking them. They are wines you and your friends will enjoy, and they won't break your piggy bank. All can be found for under $15. Here are some ideas for how I might use them, which you can adapt to your own taste.
I love stew, the heartier the better. There is something primal about taking tough but tasty cuts of meat and game and some root vegetables and slowly cooking them for hours over low heat with a little wine or beer--in you and in the dish. Cassoulet is my favorite. Beef or lamb and duck and sausage and beans and tomatoes and a little wine and a lot of heaven. Drink the Mas Carlot with this, an almost perfect pairing. Or try the Gallo Cabernet or the Kendall-Jackson Meritage with this or other red meat stews. I also like chicken stews like coq au vin or simple chicken and rice dishes. I might drink the Sebastiani Pinot Noir with the coq au vin or the Domaine De Pouy or the Semi Chardonnay with the lighter chicken stews. I also like fish stews, particularly bouillabaisse with a spicy, garlicky rouille on French baguettes. Drink the Sauvignon Blancs or the Riesling with this and either will make you happy.
Pasta is comfort food no matter what your ethnic background. I love to cook it, especially in the fall. Simple pasta like spaghetti with onions, arugula, black pepper and parmesan or rich bolognese sauce with penne, or bucatini with sausage, peas and a touch of cream, or the elegant, delicate ravioli con zucca, a delicious pumpkin filled ravioli served in brown butter. Try these wines with those dishes as an example of what you might do: the Alois Lageder Pinot Bianco with the spaghetti; the Masi Campofiorini with the penne, the Sophia Rose with the bucatini and the Liberty School Chardonnay with the ravioli. Or choose any wine you think you might like with any of the dishes. You are the boss of your own palate.
I like to roast meats. Big hunks of meat like marinated leg of lamb or beef prime rib with just salt and cracked black pepper. Drink the rich reds like the Pinot Noir with the lamb and the Shoo Fly Shiraz or the Cabernet or Meritage with the beef. A roast duck is fabulous and marries well with almost any of the red wines below. Thanksgiving is around the corner, and I will have a Zinfandel or Zin blend like the Folie à Deux Ménage à Trois with my turkey and dressing. But the dish I will cook most often and eat with the greatest pleasure is a simple roast chicken. No sauce, crispy skin, fresh, warm sourdough bread slathered in butter and not much else to disturb the reverie. I drink that chicken with whatever I feel like, usually a big red. But I would be happy with any of the wines below, red, white or rosé. So much great food, so much great wine, so little time.
Enjoy your foods and wines of autumn.
White Wines
2005 Liberty School Chardonnay, Central Coast, California
It is so nice to find a great bargain in California Chardonnay, and this is one. It looks good: light gold with a greenish tint and some viscosity. The nose is fabulous, redolent of butterscotch and apples. On the palate there are delicious soft flavors of apples and pears sautéed in butter with a touch of cardamom. About $10.
2006 Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
Fresh squeezed grapefruit! That's the first impression that hits your nose with this lively, well-balanced wine. The wine softens in the glass and yields notes of pear, quince and freshly mown grass. Enjoyable and different. About $10.
2006 Alois Lageder Pinot Bianco, Alto Adige, Italy
There is a delicate straw color and a tart, short nose of citrus and light stone fruits. It tastes of apples and green gage plums with a squeeze of lemon and a touch of cinnamon cream. It is an interesting, gentle wine that won’t offend anyone. About $12.50
2006 Simi Chardonnay, Sonoma County, California
The nose suggests mashed pears with a drop of vanilla. On the palate there are flavors of apple, peach, pear and toast. This is a nice sipping wine and will go well with light foods. About $14.
2006 Domaine De Pouy Vin De Pays, Côtes de Gascogne, France
This is an attractive sun-bleached straw color with a delicate nose of green plums with spice. It is a crisp, fruity wine with lime and apple flavors. It had substance and is well worth seeking at a bargain price of about $7.
2007 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Private Bin, Marlborough, New Zealand
A vibrant nose of fresh crushed grapes and grapefruit juice will beckon you. It is slightly tart with floral notes and flavors of lime and green apple. Not as wild and crazy as some New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, but still unusual and delightful. About $12.50.
2004 Friedrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium Bernkastler Badstube Riesling Kabinett Halbtrocken, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany
It is worth trying to pronounce and find this wine. There's a gorgeous nose of apricots and peaches. It has just a touch of crispness on the palate with vibrant honeysuckle and mashed peach flavors. It is a great sipping wine and lovely with a wide variety of appetizers and light entrées. About $15.
Rose
2006 Sofia Rosé, Carneros, California
This is Francis Ford Coppola's homage to his daughter, and a worthy one it is. It is a beautiful wine, a stunning dark pink housed in a lovely decanter-shaped bottle you will want to keep. It's made from Pinot Noir and has hints of strawberries and tea leaves on the nose with delicate, bone-dry flavors of cherries and strawberries. Try it with light hors d'oeuvres or just to sip with friends. About $12.
Red Wines
2005 Folie à Deux Ménage à Trois, Napa, California
This is a rich blend of Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet and a good candidate for your Thanksgiving turkey wine. The color is purple red, and there is a perky nose of fresh dark berries and tea. There is a lovely enveloping mouthfeel and a sweetly fruity palate impression of black cherries, blackberry extract and a touch of chocolate cream. About $10.
2004 Gallo Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma Reserve, Sonoma, California
It has medium purple-red color and strong nose of coffee, dark cherries and spice. The wine is soft and velvety on the palate with lush flavors of blackberry and black currant. This is an easy wine to like. About $8.
2005 Sebastiani Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California
It's hard to find a good, inexpensive Pinot Noir, but this is one. The nose is lively with fresh red fruit and hints of coffee and smoke. It is gentle on the palate with rich flavors of dark plums, black cherries and a drop of vanilla. About $15.
2005 Shoo Fly Aussie Salute, South Eastern Australia
This is a blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Viognier, and it is enjoyable for its pure simplicity. Soft and luxurious flavors of pressed dark berries assault both the nose and palate, and there is just a touch of tartness with few complications. About $10.
2004 Masi Campofiorin, Verona, Italy
This is a light-bodied, juicy wine made from the Corvina grape indigenous to Verona. It shows a nice, deep red color and has a tart, lively nose with scents of red fruit and earth. The flavors are an inviting blend of raspberries and strawberries with a hint of licorice. About $14.
2005 Mas Carlot Les Enfants Terribles, Costières de Nîmes, France
This is a deep purple-black wine made from old vine Mourvèdre and Syrah grapes. There is earth, tar and dark fruit on the nose. The flavors are a complex and gamey mix of coffee, blackberries and bittersweet chocolate. This is an aficionado's drink that improves with an hour in the glass. About $10.
2003 Kendall-Jackson Meritage, California
This is a Bordeaux-style blend with rich purple-red color and a sprightly nose of dark fruit and coffee. It has wonderful balance and mouthfeel, with dark cherry and berry flavors and a touch of cinnamon. Distinctive. About $12.50.
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