Wines To Go With Pumpkin Soup

By Angela Mount

Hallowee’n is here again, and shops are groaning under the weight of vast orange pumpkins, which are strategically placed at the entrance of the stores to ensure the maximum child pester power from excited children to their frazzled parents.  I know.  I've been there. Now, I don’t wait to be asked...I buy the very biggest.

After my art-obsessed son has carved out some wondrous creation, which will have pride of place on the dining room table for precisely 6 hours, I know I’ll have litres of flavour-packed, wholesome soup the following day.  Whether you make your own pumpkin soup (and I suggest you do, it’s very therapeutic), or buy yours ready made, the next question is obviously, what wine to drink with it.  Wine with soup is always a tricky one – liquid with liquid doesn't necessarily sit comfortably together; so we need to  make sure that the tastes and flavours sing in harmony.

Sherry, be it bone dry or rich, has always been a classic pairing with soup.  The bold, tangy flavours of the wine creates a contrast with the soup, and this is something that works well – give it a go and try the bone dry, yet rich nuttiness of Amontillado Bella Luna.

Richer, creamy soups, of which pumpkin is one, can often need something softer and aromatic. Of course, it all depends what you put in your pumpkin soup.  I’ve lost count of the combinations; red pepper, chilli, lentils, coconut milk, ginger, orange, cinnamon – you name it, I've probably made it. Pumpkin is actually the easy bit, in terms of wine pairing, it’s all of the other bits that make the difference.

For a classically seasoned pumpkin soup, a good, bold Chardonnay is always a good option, but one with enough freshness to contrast the rich, dense texture of the soup.  A good bet for this would be award winning Leyda Chardonnay Reserva, skinny summer whites won’t stand a hope in hell of coping. If you’re veering towards the Middle Eastern, fruity, sweetly spiced styles, then the apricot-scented style and oily richness of Viognier tends to work – try the exotic and voluptuous flavours of Bogle Viognier 2013 from California.

However if you’re straying towards Asian spice-infused pumpkin soup this year, using chillies, Indian spices, ginger, coriander or coconut (what could be better on a cold October night than a bowl of steaming soup spiced up with a bit of chilli heat), then you need something more punchy. This is where that glorious grape Riesling comes into its own, with spicy, aromatic character, and off dry flavours.  New Zealand superstar Yealands Estate Riesling, with its lemongrass and lime zest liveliness, would certainly be a worthy match for an Asian spice-infused pumpkin soup.

Finally, if you can’t bear the thought of a chilled white wine on a cold Autumn night and relish the prospect of a glass of red, go for something soft and juicy.  The possibilities are endless – from soft, silky Italian or Chilean Sangiovese, to warm yet gentle Sicilian reds, and scented Cotes du Rhone.  However, if I decide to throw a few lentils and wild herbs into my pumpkin soup this year, my choice will definitely be the unusual, quirky, captivatingly fruity, and pepper spiced Braucol Vigne Lourac, Cotes du Tarn.

My last tip, which has nothing to do with wine – if you’re making your own pumpkin soup, don’t throw away the seeds. Boil them for 10 minutes, then toss them in oil and seasoning and roast them.  Boiling the seeds first makes all the difference.  Delicious on top of the soup itself, or very moreish on their own… alongside a glass of Bella Luna Fino, of course.