Pinot Noir: Christine Austin's best Pinots from Waitrose, Marks and Spencers and Asda

With savoury silkiness and memories of summer fruits in mind, Christine Austin picks the perfect Pinot Noirs to stock up with for misty evenings and dark nights.

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Autumn is meant to be the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, but this year we seem to have marched straight into a season of cold winds and wellies.

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As temperatures drop it is always tempting to reach to the far end of the wine rack for some Shiraz or Cabernet. Their big flavours leap out of the glass and wrap themselves around your tastebuds, matching meaty foods and casseroles.

But there is an alternative for these dark nights, and that is Pinot Noir. This is the grape that gently releases its magical aromas of light strawberry scents and dark earthy complexity.

James and Catherine Kinglake make delicious Pinot Noir wines in the hills of LimouxJames and Catherine Kinglake make delicious Pinot Noir wines in the hills of Limoux
James and Catherine Kinglake make delicious Pinot Noir wines in the hills of Limoux

Its flavours are on a spectrum that starts simple and easy and evolves through regional differences to heart-stopping, savoury silkiness with a finish that can last until next week.

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Light enough to enjoy with fish, especially when there are mushrooms, a sauce or even some roasted vegetables on the plate, it is big enough to match with pheasant and duck, and it easily can take roast lamb, still pink in the middle, in its stride.

Naturally thin-skinned, Pinot Noir is essentially a cool climate grape, although it needs good sunshine to ripen properly. Too little sun and it remains pale and anaemic; too much and it goes hot and soupy. It demands the right site, soil and slope and that is why is challenges winemakers so delightfully.

In short, growing Pinot Noir is like navigating a matrix of pitfalls, so it is no wonder that the rarest and most exclusive wines are so expensive. But there are bargains out there.

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Here are some of the best Pinot Noirs on the shelves, from great value to rare treats.

LFE Signature Series Pinot Noir 2023, Rapel Valley, Chile, Majestic £7.99 on a mix six deal: A splash of Cinsault and Malbec in the blend add extra weight to the cherry and strawberry fruit. A great value wine.

Extra Special Pinot Noir 2023, Valle de Leyda, Chile, Asda £8: Remarkable value for money in this juicy, strawberry, cherry and plum filled wine with a hint of spice on the finish and a rounded silky style. Perfect with chicken, roasted fish or light pasta dishes.

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French Pinot Noir 2023, PET bottle, The Wine Society £8.25: A lovely juicy soft Pinot Noir from the Aude valley that comes in a lightweight, slimline recyclable PET bottle that is just the right shape to slip in the inside pocket of your Barbour coat. Perfect to pour at a shoot lunch.

Specially Selected Australian Pinot Noir 2023, Aldi £8.29: With 10% of Merlot helping fill out the corners of the palate, this wine has delicious deep red fruit flavours of black cherry and plums with a backbone that can partner roast lamb with ease.

Palataia Pinot Noir 2023, Pfalz, Germany, Marks and Spencer £10: M&S employ their own winemakers to make sure that all their wines are made to the highest standards. Gerd Stepp used to be one of these winemakers until he decided to go home and look after his family vineyards. This is his wine, made to M&S standards. The style is soft and gentle with strawberry fruit backed by enough weight, balance and freshness to go alongside fish or chicken dishes.

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Elephant in the Room Palatial Pinot Noir 2023, South Eastern Australia, Waitrose £10.99: Bigger and bolder than many Pinots this has dark plum fruit, a hint of spice, soft tannins and a mouthful of flavour – a Pinot with punch.

Errazuriz Wild Ferment Pinot Noir 2021, Aconcagua, Chile, Roberts and Speight £12.99: Why use wild yeast to ferment grapes? Because the fermentation has to start slowly, rather like making sour dough bread. During that slow start all kinds of flavours are produced so the wine has complexity, without taking away from the ripe strawberry and crushed cherry fruit. There is a light streak of spice and savoury complexity, a touch of woodland earth and a long, vibrant, sustained finish. This is an elegant wine, perfect to team alongside duck or lamb.

Finest Central Otago Pinot Noir 2023, New Zealand, Tesco £14: Produced for Tesco by Villa Maria, this is a definite step up from the regular Tesco New Zealand Pinot. It is fuller and more positive in style with chunks of dark cherry fruit, a lush, full palate and a long, savoury finish. Big enough to partner game or even coq au vin.

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Domaine Begude ‘Esprit’ Pinot Noir Organic 2022, Majestic £15.99 on a mix six deal: Last time I spoke to owners James and Catherine Kinglake, they had just bought a punch down machine to improve the quality of their Pinot Noir, and that quality jump is clear to see in this wine. This estate is in the hills of Limoux, so the style is light, with red cherry and raspberry fruit and a fresh, bright style.

Balfour Pinot Noir 2022, Kent, England, Marks and Spencer £22: This Balfour wine shows just how far English winemaking has progressed. Ripe, lovely red cherry and strawberry fruit, with a silky texture and generous style, rounded off with a clear, defined freshness.

Escarpment Pinot Noir 2021, Martinborough, North Island, New Zealand, Tesco £25: I have aways loved wines from this estate which pack more elegance, complexity and depth of flavour than many others. This is a fabulous wine, and will probably sell out, so buy lots and tuck it away. Layers of red and black fruits, a touch of grip and a finish that is already balanced and persistent.

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Rockburn Pinot Noir 2022, Central Otago, New Zealand, Hic! Wine Merchants, £33: Rockburn is a relatively new estate but is already winning global medals for its wines. This wine is the first rung on the quality ladder, offering great flavours for money, although it isn’t cheap. Red and black cherry fruit, layered with mocha from oak aging in French barrels, this is supple, complex and balanced.

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