Wines of the week: Five bottles to pair with autumnal mushrooms

Terry Kirby loves his autumn mushrooms, and here he plays that funghi music with five wines to pair with them

If there is one foodstuff above all others which signifies autumn for me it has to be the mushroom: the subtly enticing flavours are fabulous on their own in a simply sauté with garlic and parsley, served on toasted sourdough, but also enrich and complement all kinds of dishes and the wines that pair with them: whether it’s an omelette, risotto or pasta sauce or the first casseroles and pies as the weather cools down.

And while there are now cultivated "wild" and exotic mushrooms all the year round in supermarkets and farmers markets, the real magic of mushrooms comes from foraging for a free bounty in glorious autumnal woodlands.

And there are good predictions for this years’ harvest. Just don’t be foolish – use a reputable guidebook or go on an escorted trip to avoid those that can poison or even kill.

Having carted your bounty home from shop or foraging trip, what wines will best complement the mushroom?

Simple dishes with like typical supermarket button mushrooms or delicious and delicately flavoured wild blewits, oysters and chanterelles call for medium bodied reds without too much acidity, such as a cabernet franc and creamier, buttery or smoky whites – grassy and aromatic whites made from grapes like sauvignon blanc or albarino are generally less suitable; the flavours do not quite work.

So, a mushroom omelette? Pasta with mushrooms in a creamy sauce? Try the La Croix De Chaintres Saumur-Champigny 2014 (£12.79, Waitrose.com) a medium bodied, juicy, lip smaking Cabernet Franc from the Loire or, if it’s a white you prefer, try Paul Mas La Forge Marsanne, 2016 ( £10.99, Majestic.co.uk) which has a little oak, mellow, rounded fruit flavours and enough balancing acidity to keep it fresh and lively on the palate and, if you have chanterelles, some complimentary apricot notes. For more substantial "plus mushroom" dishes, such as a chicken pie or a risotto, the cabernet franc would also be fine, but if you a after a white, try something beefier, like the Oxford Landing Marty’s Block Chardonnay (£10.96, Amazon.co.uk) – again, not over oaked and well balanced.

But if you have bigger flavours with your mushrooms – if red wine sauces and bacon or any kind of red meat are involved and your mushrooms are supermarket chestnuts or you are lucky enough to have some foraged porcini – it has to be a medium to full bodied bottle. For the latter, a traditional rioja, such as the splendid, sandalwood scented, richly smooth and satisfying Rioja Vega Limited Edition Crianza (£13.99, Houseoftownend, com) will work with all such dishes, particularly a venison steak with mushroom sauce. Finally, one of the best red wine pairings for mushrooms has to be pinot noir, particularly with a bit of bottle ageing, where the grape’s distinctively earthy aromas perfectly complement fungal flavours. For a special meal, try the sumptuous, biodynamically produced, concentrated and powerful Serasin Rachel Marlborough Pinot Noir 2013 (£22.00, Thewinesociety.com; 2012 £25.99 nzhouseofwine.co.uk with fabulous, lingering flavours of dense fruit, spices and herbs.