Music and Art

Amazing autumn wines to fall for!

Autumn is the season of change. The wine industry also changes this time of the year as wine enthusiasts stow their crisp white and rosé wines, replacing them with bolder, richer reds that pair well with hearty autumn dishes.

Spicy, subtle fruit and silky acidity is exactly what you need for autumn drinking. You don’t have to stick to red wine - a lot of the best qualities found in spicier reds can be found in some tasty white wines.

Waitrose Blueprint Côtes du Rhône Villages £7.99 This gorgeous wine made by the talented winemaker Véronique Torcolacci in the southern Rhône is a characteristic Côtes du Rhône-Villages blend of grapes: 60% Grenache, 35% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre. Rich and spicy, yet beautifully smooth, Côtes du Rhone reds can be paired with any type of meat - grilled, roasted, braised or stewed - and are also perfect paired with a wide variety of soft and hard cheese. This wine is vegetarian and vegan.

Earth Vine & Sun Sauvignon Blanc Semillon £6.99 The combination of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon makes a wine with more depth than you’d normally expect from either variety by themselves. This gorgeous blend from the Western Cape has a lovely balance of gooseberry, tropical and grassy aromas while retaining subtlety.

Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends pair well with many foods - salads, poached chicken, white fish as well as prawns, scallops or even mild curries. A Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blend is a versatile wine which is also great with cheese, such as goats and other alpine-style cheeses.

Summer Road Old Vine Grenache £8.49 This is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain, parts of France and the New World.

This tantalising tipple from the Barossa region of Australia is fresh and elegant - yet the flavours of strawberry, cranberry and bramble are still powerful, glossy and smooth. The wine finishes with notes of violets and cinnamon. Grenache pairs perfectly with grilled, stewed and braised meats like beef, veal, pork, chicken and game. Grenache holds up well to hearty dishes like cassoulet and it’s a good match for less spicy styles of Asian cooking. This wine is vegetarian and vegan.

Fenaroli Pecorino Superiore £9.99 The flavours in this wine are like autumn in a glass; all sweet spice and apple - the perfect middle ground between Pinot Grigio and slightly oaked Chardonnays. The grapes are chosen from the best vineyard sites in the central eastern region. Pecorino Superiore has elegant citrus and wild flower aromas, while delicate exotic fruit flavours on the palate add lovely weight. Ideally served with risotto dishes and classic Italian tomato dishes, but works brilliantly with poultry cuisine and many types of sheep cheeses, especially the softer styles.

Laurent Miquel Nocturnes Viognier £9.39 Laurent Miquel produces elegant wines in the family vineyards high in the Languedoc hills. He harvests at night when cooler temperatures ensure the grapes are gathered under perfect conditions.

This delicious white made from voluptuous Viognier grapes boasts a floral nose leading to a soft and fruity palate full of peach and apricot notes.

This wine is un-oaked to retain the fresh fruit character and lends itself well to mild creamy curries like kormas or spicy South East Asian curries or chicken, pork or rabbit in a rich sauce. This wine is vegetarian and vegan.

Jason Mules, Waitrose Okehampton

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E A G L E H O U S E D I S T I L T H E L E R Y C O R N W A L L

Lime Drizzle Tray Bake

At the Dartmoor Ice Cream Co, we’re huge lovers of cake, which we often serve up with big dollops of lovely vanilla ice cream. If you’re a fan of lemon drizzle cake, then you’ll love this twist on an old favourite. This cake has a delicious, summery zing, which combined with its moreish topping makes it an ideal treat for a summer afternoon in the garden. Method Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a rectangular baking tray (22cm x 30cm, at least 2cm deep) with greaseproof paper.

To make the zingy bottom crust, mix one third of the chopped nuts (about 50g) with an equal amount of sugar and sprinkle this in a layer on the bottom of the tray. Sprinkle the juice of two limes over the layer to moisten.

To make the sponge, whisk the butter, sugar and lime zest until pale and fluffy and then add the eggs one at a time until they are well mixed.

Add the flour, ground almonds and milk to the mix, and fold

Ingredients list

Tray bake 200g butter (softened) 320g caster sugar Zest of 4 limes 4 medium eggs 290g self-raising flour 80g ground almonds 200ml milk Top and bottom layer 150g chopped nuts (pecans, in carefully until pistachio, macadamia) everything is well incorporated. 150g caster sugar Juice of 6 limes Spoon the mix into the prepared baking tray and sprinkle the remaining sugar and nut mixture to create a crust across the top.

Bake for 50mins; if it looks like the nuts are going to burn, cover loosely for the final 10 mins with foil or greaseproof paper.

While the sponge is baking, make the syrup. Heat the juice of 4 limes together with 150g sugar until the sugar has dissolved.

Once cooked and golden in colour, remove the sponge from the oven and pierce all over with a thin sharp knife. While still warm, carefully pour the syrup over the top of the sponge.

Allow the sponge to absorb the syrup, then cut into squares and leave in the tray to cool. When cool, serve with a dollop of cream or a scoop of beautiful vanilla ice cream.