Hygge night in? Montepulciano is the red wine your Tuscan stew deserves

Grown across more than 30,000 hectares in Italy, montepulciano is one of the country’s leading red wine grapes, producing exceptional bottles. It’s a bold, red fruit and pepper-forward wine that holds up beautifully to rich, unctuous, slow-cooked Italian dishes; much like this peposo. A classic Tuscan stew, the beauty of this recipe is its simplicity. Using just six ingredients, its flavour comes from quality meat, lots of time over a low heat for everything to slowly work together, and, crucially, delicious wine like this Molí Rosso Di Majo Norante montepulciano.

Dating back to the 19th century, Molí Rosso Di Majo Norante makes all its wines organically, across 120 hectares in Molise, a small region between Abruzzo and Puglia near the Adriatic. Largely grown in clay soils, the wine is rich and balanced, with red berries, pepper, and black tea on the palate, alongside finishing hints of chocolate. Much like how the peposo takes time, so does this wine – with four years of bottle age, it has started to mature to its full potential. Not just a perfect partner to sip alongside the stew, the montepulciano also helps to tenderise the meat and adds depth of flavour to your dinner.

There are many reasons to be sad about the end of summer – but also a fair few to be excited about the incoming autumn, too. As the nights get cooler, there are more excuses for hearty meals like this, and warming glasses of red wine. So invite your friends around, let the pot bubble throughout the day, and toast to the impending hygge.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1kg of braising beef – cut into small chunks
• Olive oil
• 1 cup red wine
• 3 tablespoons ground pepper
• One tin of tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 500ml chicken or beef stock
• Polenta
• Parmesan
• Butter

Method

1. Add oil to a large pan over a medium heat – ideally a dutch oven – and brown the meat.
2. Add the garlic and fry off for a few minutes, being careful not to let it burn.
3. Add the wine and let it bubble away for around a minute, before adding the tinned tomatoes, stock, pepper and a healthy pinch of salt.
4. Cover and slow cook over a low heat for at least 3 hours, or until the meat is tender and falling apart.
5. When the stew is ready, cook your polenta as per packet instructions and add a bunch of salt, a good wedge of butter and grated parmesan to make it creamy, cheesy and indulgent.
6. The stew and polenta go particularly well with lemony braised greens to cut through the richness. Enjoy with a glass of rich montepulciano red wine.

Molí Rosso, Di Majo Norante (2308), 120kr