Southern Hemisphere · Mar · Apr · May

Autumn on the table.

The braise comes back. So does the oven. Pears firm up, pumpkins pile up in greengrocers, and a glass of something with tannin finally makes sense again. This is our favourite season to cook for.

Why we cook like this in autumn

Autumn in Australia doesn’t do subtle. One week it’s summer and the prawns are on ice, the next the market stalls are stacked with pumpkins, quinces, the first apples worth eating, and a chill that says put the shoulder on at 3pm. The kitchen swings back toward the oven. The glass swings back toward red wine with weight.

What to pour

Grenache, barbera, a Hunter semillon with age, or a Yarra pinot in a chilly snap. For the bar: negroni, boulevardier, old fashioned. The wine section on the Bottle Shop has the full list.