​An Occasional Tipple: The power of plums and positive drinking

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Autumn, gently falls upon us once more. My darling wife, the enigmatic Madame G., greets its return by buying a big bag of small, juicy plums from a local East European store. And I bake a delicious plum and almond pudding while wondering why we rarely get such sweet plums in our own greengrocers and supermarkets anymore. Thank goodness for our Poles, our Lithuanians and, most of all, our lovely Latvians. I hope they all stay here, however this protocol shenanigans pans out.

Now, back to the plums. Red wine doesn't contain actual plums, dear tipplers, though it may have strong plum notes on its palate. Stepping forward into the yellow warmth of the Autumn sun is today's WINE OF THE WEEK, the superbly structured, intriguingly complex and wonderfully balanced 2015 Chateau Fonpiqueyre (£11.49, Lidl). An opulent palate is brimful of ripe, concentrated plum, cherry and red fruit flavours alongside backnotes of oak and vanilla before a magnificently lengthy, deeply satisfying finish. This Bordeaux red is one to pair with a fabulous homemade curry like the magnificent lamb Jalfrezi I made for my darling wife, the redoubtable Madame G., and myself to enjoy at our lovely home, Rose Cottage, last Sunday. See how great a husband I am!

Should you be planning to roast some beef or lamb yourself this Sunday, you may like to consider the powerfully flavoured yet very elegant and approachable 2021 M&S Collection Ebenezer and Seppeltsfield Barossa Valley Shiraz (£14). An impressive bouquet with hints of fruit, black pepper and leather leads to an exuberantly juicy palate with pronounced plum, cherry and blueberry flavours which are nicely countered by gentle tannins before a lengthy finish with hints of oak and vanilla.

As the evenings begin to wind in during this melancholic time of year I find myself drawn to sombre, contemplative reds but those of you who can still maintain a sunny disposition may enjoy a glass or two of the fabulously fresh, fragrant and summery 2021 Jean Cornelius Pinot Blanc (£9.99, Lidl). This delightfully dry, lemony French white has an abundance of ripe stone fruit and green apple flavours which mingle with hints of almond on its smooth, buttery palate before a brisk, discreetly acidic finish. It will go wonderfully well with creamy, spicy chicken or seafood dishes. One of many excellent bottles worth checking out in Lidl’s ongoing French Wine Cellar promotion.

Growing older, the changing of the seasons can make one more acutely aware of the transience of everything, including oneself. So it's even more important to have fun and enjoy yourself while you still can and, in this respect, outside of a dog a bottle of wine is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, you can never find the bloody corkscrew! You see, candy is dandy, folks, but liquor makes quipsters of us all. That's the power of positive drinking! Till next week, tipplers, sante!