Ex-hurricane Ophelia was less than welcome last week. It seemed rather poorly named – after all, such meteorological events are far from the one-dimensional Ophelia of Hamlet.

While that just about exhausts my knowledge of Shakespeare, one thing I do know about is wine. And in a beautiful twist of fate, among the negativity and sadness much of the news has brought, I came across a sparkling shiraz called Pamelita from a little vineyard in Spain,

named after its creator, Pamela, one of three Scottish female winemakers in the world and an inspirational figure within the industry.

I was hoping the joy of sparkling red wine might allow me to cling to the thoughts that an Indian summer might yet happen, but the storm officially ushered in the dreaded autumn feeling. However, with Scottish shellfish in abundance I looked to create a hearty shellfish stew, rich in tomato and fennel and paired with Pamelita, with the traditional seafood and fizz pairings of summer replaced by the colours and flavours of autumn. Thing is, Pamelita was delicious. Too delicious. It was gone before the food arrived.

Luckily, a second wine had been chosen, this time a pinot noir from Gladstone winery in New Zealand. This one comes from Christine Kernohan, owner, winemaker and managing director of the winery, and the second the those three Scottish winemakers.

By the end of the meal I had lost most motor functions through sheer gluttony, and resigned myself to the fact I would have to save the third winemaker's wares for another day. I slipped into a seafood and wine-fuelled coma, no doubt mimicking Christine’s husband, whose self-appointed title of head of quality control sounded good to me.