THE key to matching a wine to shepherd’s pie is to go for something fruity and a wee bit spicy. Syrah (or Shiraz as it's known outside of Europe) has a lovely peppery note which would be perfect with Shirley’s tasty grub. There’s definitely a lot to be said for comfort food with a nice warming glass of red on a cold winter’s night.
The Rhone valley is a great place to find good Syrah, especially in the north of the region. The south tends to feature more Grenache-based blends such as the occasionally disappointing and often over-priced Chateauneuf du Pape.
In the north, you’ll find Cornas, Hermitage and Cote-Rotie, which are amongst the finest Syrahs in the world. Unfortunately, they also come with an eye-watering price-tag, which is really not what you want to hear in January.
Happily, you can easily find a good Crozes-Hermitage from the area around the village of Hermitage which will tick all of your Syrah boxes, match the food perfectly, and not make too large a dent in your bank balance. Reliable producers include Chapoutier, Etienne Barret and Guigal.
M Chapoutier Petite Ruche Crozes Hermitage 2014 (Waitrose, £15.99). Chapoutier continues to be one of my favourite producers, making an excellent range of wines at very decent prices. This has lovely dark fruit on the palate with just enough black pepper to make it the perfect bottle to match Shirley’s shepherd’s pie. Also look out for the wines that Chapoutier makes in Australia in conjunction with Californian wine guru, Anthony Terlato. These wines represent a lovely mid-point style-wise between the old world and the new and they range from £15 to £50.
A great bargain is the Crozes Hermitage Cave de Tain l’Hermitage 2014 (Majestic, £8.99). This is a softer and simpler version of the style but definitely worth a look at under a tenner.
If you’d rather go for bigger and bolder flavours, you should try a bottle of Tyrrells Heathcote Shiraz 2013 (M&S, usually £16, currently on offer at £12). Heathcote is in Victoria in Southern Australia and the region is known for more elegant examples of the classic Australian styles. Having said that, you’ll still find a bold intensity in your glass which will certainly warm the cockles as the wind howls outside. I would suggest a glass with dinner, then take the dog out for a last walk before snuggling in front of the fire in your jammies with the rest of the bottle.
Pete Stewart is Glasgow director of Inverarity One to One, 185a Bath Street, Glasgow inverarity121.com
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