The Datebook datebook_autumn2019_digital_ARTWORK | Page 20

VINTNER’S TALES
By Richard Household
Wonderful Red Wines to Enjoy
through Autumn and Winter
wonderful lunch that about 10
of us enjoyed for several
hours, eating, drinking and
putting the world to rights.
As we head into autumn it is time to change
our wine diet away from light whites of Italy
and summer rosés of Provence and move to
rich, warm, satisfying and bold red wines.
These are the sort of wines you can enjoy
curled up by the fire in front of your favourite
Netflix box set set, or with friends and family
sharing a rich, flavourful meal or out at your
favourite restaurant.
T
he best wines are
remembered not
because of some fancy
tasting note (‘richly
perfumed with lashings of
pressed plum, sweet spice
and finely textured tannins’)
but rather where you were
and who you were with when
you enjoyed the wines. That
is what makes them special.
I’m going to guide you through
some of my favourite red wines
and describe them as I
remember them – where I was
and the company I enjoyed.
Sometimes these vinous
memories are very simple and
other times they were more
elaborate, so sorry in advance
for some of them.
Let’s start in Spain. I travel to
Spain quite a bit. This year I’ve
been back to Rioja having
already spent quite a bit of
time exploring the Basque
Country as well as Andalucía,
drinking sherry but that’s
another story! One of the
18
THE LONDON & UK DATEBOOK
reasons I love Rioja so much is
that it ticks a lot of boxes for
me: wonderful fruit flavours of
raspberries in syrup, bramble,
soft and rich with layers of
vanilla and cinnamon spice
with ripe tannins.
A trip I have never forgotten
was about 25 years ago – my
first visit to Rioja and I went to
a good but not famous winery
in Alavesa (where some of the
very best Tempranillo is
grown). The views from high up
on the hill over-looking the
plains below and the Ebro
River are magnificent and,
after a very good morning
tasting, we went to the only
restaurant in the village. It
looked like nothing. A small
non-descript door opening up
to reveal a very simple kitchen
to the left with hanging meats
and a simple charcoal grill. The
seating area was upstairs and
it was all very, very basic …
almost spartan. I did not have
high expectations because in
those days I hadn’t got a clue.
Now I know that often – less in
more! It ended up being one of
the best meals I have ever
enjoyed. Simple cured meats
with asparagus to start and
then large sections of sizzling
lamb, carved on the table. The
smell was divine and married
with the Rioja to perfection.
Ever since then, whenever I
enjoy Rioja (which is regularly!)
I am taken back to that
Rioja is a wonderful wine.
These days the fruit is superb
and takes the oak ageing
really well. Don’t be alarmed
by the amount of time some of
these wines spend in oak
(often American to give the
wine some vanilla character).
If the fruit is good enough then
the wine can take it. You can
buy superb Crianza or Reserva
for under £15 per bottle. If
you want to go mad and enjoy
a real treat then search out
Rioja Alta. I have other similar
stories from Navarra and
Pamplona – you should go!
Let’s jump to South Africa and
the amazing Cape Winelands.
What an extraordinary wine
adventure this is every time I
visit. These days I manage to
travel there every 2 or 3 years,
to visit winemaker friends and
to spend time in one of the
most beautiful places on
earth. My first visit was almost
comical in how excited I was
at every vineyard visit. Each
one I thought was the best
place – with wonderful wines,
immaculate vineyards and a
backdrop of stunning
mountain ranges. Then you
would go to the next winery or
wine farm and it would be
even more spectacular. From
Franschhoek to Stellenbosch
and then to Paarl and
Wellington or across to Elgin
One of the many vineyards Richard has visited.