Bangers and beans . . .

Whether you plan to let off a few fireworks in the back garden tonight, or you are heading to one of the bigger displays, there comes a point in the evening when the stomach cries out for hot food and there is a distinct need for some wine to go with it.
By Christine Austin
Published 7th Nov 2011, 00:00 BST

Soup in cups, sausages, chicken drumsticks and burgers are the traditional fare at most of the Guy Fawkes celebrations I have been to, usually consumed while huddled around the bonfire, but I remember the days when the children were small and it was quite enough excitement to light a few sparklers in the garden before putting the little ones to bed and settling down with friends around the table and eating a hearty supper perfectly suited to the dark, chill of a November night.

Then there was proper food – pumpkin soup with crusty bread, hot spicy stews with parkin to follow. And there was flavoursome wine too. One of the best flavour matches came from the Rhône with Châteauneuf du Pape scoring well for its rich spicy flavours complementing the food on the plate.

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Whatever you are planning to serve up this evening, here are a few suggestions for wines to pour in the glass, all offering plenty of flavour for money.

Sausages

Both types of bangers are essential at any bonfire party and if you are looking for a new kind of sausage, head to the Yorkshire sausage, recently launched by Ilkley butcher David Lishman together with Welcome to Yorkshire. Made with a special spice mix of nutmeg, mace, coriander and parsley this is one recipe which is not being kept a secret in the hope that the Yorkshire sausage will become as popular as sausages from Lincolnshire and Cumberland. Yorkshire sausages are available at Lishman’s, some Morrison’s stores and at various butcher’s shops and to match them I suggest a young Rioja with enough fruit to cope with the spice and just a little tannin that won’t conflict with the parsley. One of the stars of the recent tasting season came from Sainsbury in the form of Marqués de Montino Rioja Joven 2009 (£6.99) which is stacked with ripe raspberry fruit and soft, pliable tannins.

Also good is Gran Vendema Rioja Crianza 2008 from Majestic, normally at a slightly ambitious £9.99 but on offer at £5.99 on multibuy until the end of January. This is a fairly light style of Rioja, with bags of spice-dusted raspberry fruit and just a little oak.

Spiced Pumpkin soup

Rich and thick, this fragrant soup needs an aromatic wine. Try the new Viognier, Grenache and Roussanne blend from Charles Back in Stonedance 2011 (£8.99, Marks and Spencer) or try the fabulous spice-driven flavours of Taste the Difference Alsace Gewurztraminer 2010 from Sainsbury at £7.99. This has just an edge of sweetness which combines wonderfully with sweet pumpkin.

Chilli-spiced beef and bean stew

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A hot, rich spicy stew will provide central heating right down to the toes, even if you have to be the one to go out and light a few more fireworks. Head for the chunky, savoury flavours of Marquésa de la Cruz from Campo de Borja, (£6.99 Sainsbury) which combines Garnacha, Syrah and Mazuelo to give deep red fruit flavours with soft ripe tannins. Great value too from Marks and Spencer’s Balcón de la Villa Joven 2009 from Toro in Spain at just £6.99 for massive dollops of ripe, powerful forest fruit, balanced by supple structuring tannins.

If the price of Châteauneuf has risen beyond the reach of a bonfire night supper then head for lesser regions of the Rhône to taste the same style of spice and flavour. Sainsbury has a really good Taste the Difference Côtes du Rhône Villages 2010 (£6.99) sourced from top Rhône producer Michel Chapoutier, which really shows the dark, damson fruit of the region.

Slow roasted pork and spiced apple sauce

Put a joint of pork in the oven before you head out to the bonfire and it will be tender and tasty by the time you get back. Pour a glass of the outstanding Castillo de Molina Pinot Noir 2010 from Chile’s Central Valley (£6.99 Majestic on multibuy) which has enough pure strawberry and redcurrant fruit to cut through the pork, or trade up to the more concentrated flavours of Leyda Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010 (£9.99, Majestic on multibuy) which gathers up bright red berry fruit backed by just enough oak to cope with a jacket potato and the apple sauce.

Parkin

Does parkin really need a wine to go with it? Certainly if you just pick up a wedge and munch it then you will probably have enough on your palate. But parkin can also be used as a base for a more elaborate dessert, with serious quality vanilla ice cream and maybe a sprinkle of chocolate. That’s when you should pour a small glass of Noë, a 30-year-old Pedro Ximénez sherry from Gonzalez Byass which makes the perfect accompaniment. This is the dark sweetening wine used to add top-notes and sweetness to many sherries but on its own it combines the flavours of figs, prunes, chocolate, butterscotch and raisins. Drink it if you must but I prefer to pour it over the ice cream and let it soak into the parkin for the ultimate treat. Available in some Majestic stores at £15.99 for half a bottle, or head to Waitrose for Harvey’s Pedro Ximénez, at £21.29 for 50cl.