There is a particular week in autumn when everything shifts. The light goes earlier, the jumpers come out of the drawer, and the idea of an evening in with something warming suddenly sounds better than any alternative. October at Wine Rack is built for exactly that.
This month brings a proper Oktoberfest beer selection, some of the deepest spirit savings of the year, a sparkling range that runs from a nine pound prosecco to a bottle of Taittinger, and a cocktail of the month that tastes like the first cold evening of the season. Whether you are hosting, gifting or settling in, it all starts here.
Oktoberfest is less about the festival and more about the beer, and this month the German selection is as good as it gets.
Franziskaner 500ml, Krombacher Pils 660ml, Warsteiner 660ml and Erdinger Weissbier 500ml are all 3 for £7, which covers the three styles you actually need. Krombacher and Warsteiner give you the crisp, dry pilsner end. Franziskaner and Erdinger bring the cloudy, soft weissbier character, all banana and clove from the yeast, which is the style that converts people who think they do not like beer.
If you are buying for a longer session, Staropramen 4x440ml at £5.49 (was £6.25) brings a rich Czech pedigree, Madri 4x330ml at £5.49 (was £5.99) covers the crowd, and Veltins 4x500ml at £6.25 is a clean German pilsner that punches above its price.
A quick word on serving, because it makes a genuine difference. German lager is best at 6 to 8 degrees, cold but not ice cold. Pour into a tall glass at a 45 degree angle, then straighten up at the end to build a proper head. The foam is not waste, it carries the aroma and it is how every bar in Munich pours.
October’s cocktail of the month is the Bavarian Bramble, an autumn twist on the classic Bramble that swaps blackberry for cloudy apple, cinnamon and honey. It is built straight in the glass, which means no shaker, no straining and no reason not to make one.
Ingredients
Garnish
Method
The cinnamon and honey syrup is the ingredient that makes it, and it takes five minutes. Warm equal parts runny honey and water in a pan with two cinnamon sticks until the honey dissolves, take it off the heat before it boils, then leave it to cool with the cinnamon still in. Strain into a jar and it keeps in the fridge for a fortnight.
Use cloudy apple juice rather than clear, because it has the body to stand up to the gin. Use dry ginger beer rather than ginger ale, because the drink needs that heat to balance the honey. Get those two right and the rest looks after itself.
Sipsmith London Dry Gin is the right choice here. Its juniper-forward, citrus-bright profile cuts cleanly through the apple and cinnamon rather than getting lost in them, and it is one of this month’s top line spirit savings below.
If there is one month to buy a bottle you would not normally reach for, this is it.
Laphroaig Select 70cl at £26.99, down from £42.49, is the standout. A £15.50 saving on one of Islay’s most distinctive single malts, all peat smoke, sea salt and a long, warming finish. For anyone curious about smoky whisky but put off by the usual price, this is the moment.
Belvedere Vodka 70cl at £29.99 (was £41.99) is a £12 saving on a Polish rye vodka with real character, smooth enough to sip over ice and clean enough to make an exceptional Martini.
Ciroc Vodka and Ciroc Red Berry 70cl are both £28.99, down from £37.99. Distilled from grapes rather than grain, Ciroc has a distinctly smooth, slightly fruity profile that works beautifully in long serves. The Red Berry expression is a natural with lemonade and fresh mint.
And Sipsmith London Dry Gin 70cl at £22.99 (was £29.99) completes the set, a £7 saving on one of the bottles that helped restart the British craft gin movement.
The sparkling range this month covers every possible reason to open a bottle.
Freixenet Prosecco and Freixenet Sparkling Rosé 75cl are both £9.99, down from £14.99. A £5 saving takes these firmly into everyday territory, and there is a strong argument that a good prosecco on a Wednesday is one of life’s more sensible pleasures.
Moving up, Baron de Marck Brut Champagne 75cl at £21.99 is remarkable value for genuine champagne, crisp and clean with a fine mousse. Charles Mignon Brut 75cl at £28.99 (was £34.49) is a grower champagne with more depth, biscuity and precise with a long finish.
At the top end, the savings are the sort that do not come round often. Taittinger Brut Reserve NV 75cl at £37.99 (was £49.99) is a £12 saving on one of the great chardonnay-led house champagnes, elegant and beautifully balanced. Moët et Chandon Brut Rosé NV 75cl at £44.99 (was £63.99) is a £19 saving on the most recognisable rosé champagne in the world. And Taittinger Prestige Rosé NV 75cl at £45.99 (was £59.99) is its more refined counterpart, delicate red fruit with a mousse so fine it almost disappears.
With Christmas gifting on the horizon, these are the sort of bottles worth buying now and putting somewhere safe.
A handful of new arrivals that lean into the season.
Sourz Toffee Apple 15% 70cl at £9.99 is a limited edition that tastes exactly like a toffee apple at a bonfire. Serve it over ice, top it with lemonade, or use it as a shot at the start of the evening. When it is gone, it is gone.
Jim Beam Black Cherry and Jim Beam Pineapple 70cl are £16.99 each, both brand new to the range. Black Cherry is made for cola over plenty of ice. Pineapple is surprisingly excellent with ginger ale and a wedge of lime.
Alize Peach 70cl at £15.99 is smooth, fruity and versatile, equally good topped with prosecco for a quick peach fizz or lengthened with lemonade.
And Kraken and Cola 330ml at £2.49 brings the dark spiced rum classic in a ready-mixed can, ideal when you want the drink without the effort.
The shift from outdoor drinking to indoor drinking is one of the more underrated pleasures of the year. Warmer spirits, richer flavours, a glass that takes longer to finish.
If you are building a cosy night in, the formula is simple. One good whisky or gin for sipping. One long cocktail for something with a bit more occasion to it. Something sparkling in the fridge for when the mood shifts. Add a cheeseboard, a decent film and the heating on slightly earlier than strictly necessary, and October starts to look like the best month of the year.
Whether you are pouring a weissbier into a tall glass, opening a Laphroaig for the first time, building a Bavarian Bramble as the light goes or putting a bottle of Taittinger somewhere safe until December, Wine Rack has the range to match.
Pop into your local store, explore what is new and discover more with Wine Rack.
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What German beers are available for Oktoberfest at Wine Rack? Franziskaner 500ml, Krombacher Pils 660ml, Warsteiner 660ml and Erdinger Weissbier 500ml are all 3 for £7. Staropramen 4x440ml and Madri 4x330ml are £5.49, and Veltins 4x500ml is £6.25.
What is the Bavarian Bramble cocktail? A warming autumn gin highball made with 50ml Sipsmith London Dry Gin, 20ml cloudy apple juice, 15ml fresh lemon juice, 15ml cinnamon and honey syrup and 60ml dry ginger beer, built over ice and garnished with an apple fan and a cinnamon stick.
How do you make cinnamon and honey syrup? Warm equal parts runny honey and water in a pan with two cinnamon sticks until the honey dissolves, without boiling. Leave to cool with the cinnamon in, then strain. It keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks.
What champagne deals are available at Wine Rack? Baron de Marck Brut at £21.99, Charles Mignon Brut at £28.99, Taittinger Brut Reserve NV at £37.99, Moët et Chandon Brut Rosé NV at £44.99 and Taittinger Prestige Rosé NV at £45.99, with savings of up to £19.
What is the difference between weissbier and pilsner? Weissbier is brewed with a high proportion of wheat and a yeast that produces banana and clove flavours, and is cloudy and soft. Pilsner is brewed with barley malt, is clear and pale, and is crisper and more hop-forward.