Strange the things you learn at a time when a trip to the bins is what passes for a night on the tiles.
Stuck inside with too much time on my hands, I’ve discovered that nettles make better soup than damply greasy chips; that rice ground up in the coffee grinder is a perfectly adequate replacement for flour; and that the dregs of an old jar of sumac bring just the right edge of earthy bitterness and scarlet tint to a homemade, non-alcoholic Campari-esque cordial (made with the juice and zest of two oranges boiled down with a cup apiece of sugar and water).
More seriously, I’ve realised that times of anxious confinement lend themselves only to very moderate wine consumption – no more than a glass a day – and that each daily glass should provide the maximum comfort for the money.
By comfort, I mean flavours and textures that are soothing in themselves, whether that’s because they trigger distracting happy memories of a place or time, or because there’s something intrinsically consoling in the way they’re put together.
Everyone will have their own idea of a comfort wine, but over the past few weeks I’ve found myself increasingly drawn to red and white styles that share certain sensual qualities: mouthfilling richness, directness of flavour, and a suave smoothness.
In whites, that means ripe chardonnay (wines taking their cue from Mâcon in southern Burgundy or the warmer spots of California rather than the leanly citrussy style perfected in northerly Chablis); the fruit of Alsace pinot gris and blanc and its New World imitators, from New Zealand to Oregon and Chile; the unashamedly fat palate and alluring apricot-and-honeysuckle scents of wines made from the viognier variety; the orchard-in-autumn-scented South African chenin-blanc-based blend.
In reds, the blueprint is the sun-baked blend of grenache, syrah and mourvedre perfected in the southern Rhône valley, but available in different shades and more or less brambly-fruited, peppery or garrigue herby variations across the Mediterranean, in California, South Africa and the great old vineyards of Barossa and the Eden Valley in Australia. But I’ve found cosiness, too, in the chocolatey notes and soothing velvety-texture of Argentinian malbec, the vivid blackcurrant pastille softness of Chilean cabernet sauvignon, and the savoury mellowness of rioja – simple pleasures for complicated times.
Cave de Hunawihr Kuhlmann-Platz Pinot Blanc Alsace, France 2017 (£9.99, as part of mix six, Majestic)
Just a touch of sugar adds to the feeling of ripe juicy greengage, melon and peach in this gently mouthfilling pinot blanc, with a ripple of racy acidity and white flowers bringing a spring-like feel.
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Co-op Irresistible Viognier IGP Pays d’Oc, France 2018 (£8, The Co-op)
A textbook example of viognier from the versatile winemaker Jean-Claude Mas, with all the variety’s alluring apricot and honeysuckle aromas and a ripe, full, but not at all overbearing palate.
Viñalba Malbec Mendoza, Argentina 2017 (£8, Morrisons)
One of Argentina’s most reliable winemaking labels, Viñalba produces excellent malbec in both southern Patagonia and, as here, in the Andean Uco Valley in Mendoza: rich, velvety, dark-berried and rewarding.
D’Arenberg The Olive Grove Chardonnay McLaren Vale, Australia 2018 (from £9.95, ndjohn.co.uk; Tesco)
Beautifully judged modern Australian chardonnay that offers waves of luminous ripe golden apple and restrained nutty oak, with the necessary balancing lively acidity to work with creamy pasta dishes.
Errazuriz Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Maipo Valley, Chile 2018 (£9.49, Waitrose)
Many of us who came of wine-drinking age in the 1990s and 2000s will have a soothing nostalgic soft spot for the crème de cassis, mint and smooth richness of Chilean cabernets, such as this beautifully judged example.
Taste the Difference Saint-Chinian Languedoc, France 2017 (£9, Sainsbury’s)
Syrah plays the main part in a blend with grenache in this classic southern French red blend, which has notes of liquorice, dark brambly berry fruit and pepper, and matches so well with equally comforting roasts and stews.
