1. Les 2 Bastides Côtes du Rhône Rouge 2020:

Côtes du Rhône is a reliable style for almost any time of year, and this organic example with its medium body, plum and red berry fruit, subtle spice, and powdery tannins makes it a fine accompaniment to a warming stew.

2. Quinta Soalheiro Allo 2021:

You may be familiar with the northern Spanish expression of the same component grape in this blend (‘Albariño’), but this slightly fuller, peachier style (owing to the addition of Loureiro in the blend) from one of the top producers in the Vinho Verde region of Portugal offers excellent value for money. With its hint of sweetness, electric acidity and slight spritz, this wine pairs impressively with the suitably autumnal combination of pork in apple sauce or cider. 

3. Maison Ventenac Steph Merlot 2021:

Hailing from the Cabardès AOC in the north-western Languedoc, Stéphanie & Olivier Ramé make excellent-value wines across their range with real personality. This, their eponymous Merlot cuvée, is no different. Organically farmed and vinified with minimal intervention, this distinctly modern wine offers crunchy, brambly fruit and a gentle earthiness that makes it an ideal match to the array of mushrooms that are just coming into season. 

4. Boekenhoutskloof Wolftrap White 2020:

From one of South Africa’s most celebrated estates and incorporating its most widely planted grape variety (Chenin Blanc), this style of wine might not be the first that springs to mind when thinking of those suited to the Irish autumn! But this white Cape blend (Viognier and Grenache Blanc making up the remainder), with its quince, yellow apple, and white pepper notes, alongside a fleshy body and pert acidity, works perfectly in accompaniment to a cod and chorizo hash, as well as smoked ham and gammon. 

5. Rocca Delle Macie Vernaiolo Chianti 2021:

This is an excellent value Sangiovese from the historic Chianti appellation of Tuscany, and a fantastic introduction to the inimitable wines of this region. Its medium-body, hints of Morello cherry and thyme, and inherent savoury quality make it the textbook partner to game dishes such as venison or pigeon, as well as any dishes utilising tomato sauces or ragus.

6. Domaine Gayda Cepage Viognier 2021:

Viognier - particularly the fuller, oiler styles - can often divide a room. However, this more restrained example from the ever-enterprising Domaine Gayda in the Languedoc, offers a rich golden hue with ripe apricot, lemon curd and acacia blossom flavours, coupled with ample acidity, and is sure to find wider appeal – all the while complementing any chicken dish roasted in butter or marinated in warming, earthy spices. 

7. Mar de Lisboa Tinto 2019:

Regardless of the season, sometimes the only thing that will truly hit the culinary spot is a steak, and this corker of a red blend from the esteemed Quinta de Chocapalha stable in Lisboa, Portugal, is an absolute bargain as far as suitable accompaniments go. With its robust body, sinewy tannins, piercing acidity and dark, brooding fruits, it provides plenteous pedigree to stand up to the Saturday night sirloin. 

8. Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana Napoleon Amontillado Sherry (50cl):

For me, the autumn always conjures memories of eating handfuls of “monkey nuts” (aka raw peanuts in shells) at Halloween as a child. With its inherent nuttiness and salty tang, this Amontillado - a highly underrated style of dry sherry - is a seamless accompaniment to the staples of autumnal grazing such as nuts, cold meats, and aged cheeses.

9. Quinta De La Rosa Lot No. 601 Ruby Port (50cl):

Fortified Port wines are another style that are criminally overlooked and undervalued nowadays. Although more associated with Christmas, I defy anyone not to enjoy a tipple of this Lot No. 601 offering from Quinta de la Rosa, a cut-above the average Ruby Port, while huddled on the sofa or next to the fire as the nights grow darker and colder. Pair with your favourite chocolate and you will achieve true Hygge bliss!

10. Pajzos Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2016 (25cl):

The apple tart is perhaps the quintessential autumn sweet dish, and yet many of us may overlook the idea of a dessert wine to serve alongside it as we grow increasingly health conscious and sugar-wary, but this time why not open yourself to indulgence? This sweet style of Tokaji wine, made by the unique process of Noble Rot in the foothills of Hungary’s Zemplén Mountains, was once heralded as the most desirable wine in the world, only the reserve of the rich and the royal. This amber elixir is profuse in aromas of candied tangerine, bergamot honey and intense baking spices, with barley sugar and citrus peel accompanying on the palate that is broad and unctuous yet framed by a mouth-watering laser of acidity, balancing the wine perfectly. This once-dubbed “King of wines and the wine of kings” will propel even the most middling of apple tarts to regal heights!