Red Wine

Pineau - a fortified wine, made from either fresh, unfermented grape juice or a blend of lightly fermented grape must, to which a Cognac eau-de-vie is added and then matured.

Pinot Noir - the classic grape of Burgundy. It's not only the place it shines but it's the place that most growers want to measure their wines against and we start this selection with a terrific wine from the famed Cotes de Nuits village of Morey-Saint-Denis. Remi Jeanniard is a 5th generation vigneron who has 20 acres of prime land, including Grand Cru Clos de la Roche, 1er Cru and village wines in Morey, Chambolle and Gevrey. He's a class act as his old vine Morey 2020 attests. We've matched it up with another non-Burgundian Pinot Noir, Danbury Ridge, from a bit closer to home. As in being from Essex, England. Our thirs wine comes from the other side of the planet, grown in the cool Central Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. Made for young and very enjoyable drinking the Ballasalla Pinot Noir is great value. This case contains: Morey Saint Denis Vieilles Vignes 2022 Dom. Remi Jeanniard Danbury Ridge Pinot Noir, 2022 Essex Ballasalla Pinot Noir 2022 Folding Hill, (Contents may vary from image - the list here is correct.)

Good value medium bodied red from Italy's Adriatic coastal region of Abbruzzo. Raspberry and plums to the fore. Not complex but very drinkable and great value at its price.

Organic and Fairtrade. This wine has a rich dark colour with a smoky and vanilla nose. Dark fruit on the palate gives the wine an all-round juiciness. Oaky tannins impart a spicy finish with good structure.

The Nero d’Avola grapes for this wine are left out to dry a little in the warm Sicilian sun. This adds a little kiss of richness to this otherwise earthy red. Dark red and black plum fruits with notes of dried fruits and slightly earthy.

Displaying an array of ripe red fruit aromas with highlights of cherries, hints of smokiness and spice add complexity to the nose. The palate has a juicy acidity and fine tannins lending to a refreshingly long finish. Super-premium estate sited in the warmest, driest corner of England, near the coast and Malden (of posh salt fame). This south-facing ridge enjoys an exceptionally long warm growing season - so rare in England. Our old friend John Atkinson, Master of Wine, who is an expert on cool-climate viticulture, is enthusiastically involved. Winemaker is Liam Idzikowski who boasts long experience in English wine-making; backed by owners the Bunker family, the winery is an astonishing no-expense-spared jewel in the crown for English wine. The Pinot is deep and svelte in the Pommard/Volnay tradition, rich of fruit and cool of spice - clove, anise etc. Young but self-evidently grand, and deeply impressive.

Hacienda Lopez de Haro continues to rack up awards for being one of the best quality best value Rioja brands, and this Crianza is its flagship. It's a no brainer delicious wine with lovely pure flavours and 18 months ageing in French and American oak barrels.

Classic, cool Cabernet Franc. Herbal aromas with blackcurrants, oak, cream and brambly fruit and lively acidity combine in a wine that is ready to drink. An emblematic property of Anjou, the Château de Fesles and its wine estate were built in the 11th century at the top of the 4th highest point in the Loire Valley. Its exceptional geographical position as well as its proximity to the Layon river allow it to produce wines with a distinguished and complex character.

Rich, fruity and intense, it is loaded with raspberry and black cherry aromas, cedar chips and pretty violet notes and a hint of vanilla. The vanilla pops back again on the palate with caramel and supple grapey flavours.

From a single vineyard from the San Pablo Estate, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina - one of the coolest climate Uco Valley sub regions. . "This wine has a deep ruby red color and complex aromas, characteristic of violets, raspberries, wild mint and spicy notes. Medium-bodied with remarkable elegance and balance, leading to delicately sweet and subtle tannins". Tim Atkin 92/100 This wine was also the OUTRIGHT WINNER in Decanter Magazine's vast "American Cabernet Franc" feature and tasting in September 2023. The wine was the only bottle from North or South America to achieve the very highest score of 96/100 - beating some huge names and price tags along the way. This bottle, Ladies and Gentlemen, is a real winner. Grab some now, before it is too late.

Deep ruby red in colour with a purple hue, this wine displays intensely fruity red berry aromas of raspberries and cherries, floral notes and a touch of spice and chocolate. Well structured, fresh and fruity on the palate with soft, rounded tannins and a long velvety finish.

Red with violet tones, bright and very expressive. Red mature fruits like plum and cherry and black fruits like dry figs. A spicy aroma characteristic from the Malbec of Cafayate. Vanilla, chocolate and caramel aromas from the oak aging. Palate: with a sweet and harmonic entry and a balanced acidity. Firm tannins, long finish and persistence

Huge-Seller, old vines, so natural, purple and juicy. Matthew Jukes of a previous vintage: "mind-blowing, fine-value red... might be one of the finest-value red wines of the year... You must taste this wine..." Most of the grapes come from ancient low-yielding bush vines (not trained on wires) grown around Maduria - the zone 'inside the heel' of Italy, recognised as the best for Primitivo. Wine-making in this region is also ancient: long-predating the Roman era. As we know, Primitivo is Zinfandel of Californian fame. Except that you'd never find a Zinfandel this delicious at the price! This might be one of the finest-value red wines of the year

The nose on Larry Cherubino's Cruel Mistress Pinot Noir shows graphite and minerals, juicy black cherries & a hint of spicy oak plays a supporting role. The palate is softly textured, fresh and vibrant, the flavours of black cherry and earthy beetroot carried along by a fine long acid finish. Larry Cherubino Wines was only established in 2005, but have already achieved significant success not least with Larry Cherubino Cruel Mistress Pinot Noir. Named ''Winery of the Year 2011'' in James Halliday''s Wine Companion and ''Producer of the Year'' by wine writer Matt Skinner in the same year.

Delicious, pure, pale and elegant Garnacha from old vines close to Valencia on the family-owned estate run by Lucia Serratosa and her team. Pale ruby, floral and fruity nose, juicy soft tannins and ripe berry fruit. Very moreish.

An absolute classic Roussillon 'house' blend from the master Daniel Laffite (the hardest working man with the hands to prove it!). The classic Soulanes recipe of richness, purity of beautiful fruit, freshness and seamlessness. Delicious and underpriced. This wine never lets you down.

Long-standing single-vineyard classic from the outstanding Allegrini family. I've always loved this wine. Somewhat like a 'deployable' version of Amarone, but so much more interesting than most Ripasso. Plays a sexy line between juicy silky, lush and chewy tannin and oak. Intriguing notes of blossom and ripe citrus fruits.

A nose full of black and red fruit combined with spicy aromas. Very fresh but rounded as well with elegant fruit and acidity. An excellent example of Malbec from the Uco Valley.

Outstanding Chianti Classico Riserva from the cooler north west of Chianti. Grown on soils very similar to Felsina's vineyards in Berardenga, this cooler terroir in Argiano helps produce a wine of great energy, elegance and inherent harmony. La Vigna di San Martino ad Argiano is the personal project of Giampaolo Chiettini. Giampaolo spent a good number of years working alongside Paolo di Marchi at Isole e Olena where he fell deeply in love with Sangiovese and honed his skills and became a very highly regarded winemaker of the region. Antinori and Ca' del Bosco have also used Giampaolo's services over the years. He still consults and makes wine for the outstanding Castagnoli and brilliant newcomers Ejamu amongst others. This personal project comes from a beautiful, tiny (1ha!) vineyard in Argiano in the San Casciano Val di Pesa commune. Organic Sangiovese grapes are destemmed and gently crushed then undergo wild fermentation with natural yeasts. The wine is bred in used tonneaux. Giampaolo's trained, light hand in the cellar has helped produce a really rather wonderful Chianti Classico Riserva. This 2021 knocked us out. Immense energy and focus to the wonderful fruit and character. Only 2,000 bottles produced. This wine proves utterly marvellous drinking now, but shall age gracefully and beautifully for many years. We can't wait to follow the evolution! The Chianti Classico Riserva 2021 was one of only a handful of wines to scoop the score of 17.5/20 from Walter Speller on jancisrobinson.com in the "Chianti Classico Riserva 2021" section of his full report on 2021 and 2020 Riserva and 2021 Gran Selezione, published earlier in 2024.

Ibizkus Wine, founded in 2007, has now established itself as one of the finest wineries on the island of Ibiza. They produce wine from nearly half the island’s registered vineyards, all originally planted for auto-consumption, of which the vast majority is the black grape, Monastrell. Seen as one of the founding and iconic grapes of Ibiza’s long winemaking past, Ibizkus use it to produce fine reds and flagship rose. About 40% of its production is dedicated to national and export markets, and to promoting its fabulous wines, quality and winemaking potential of this famous Balearic Island across Europe. The grapes are destemmed, inoculated with indigenous starter yeasts and fermented in concrete then aged in second and third use 500 l. French oak barrels for 5 months. The Can Basso Tinto is an brilliant, intriguing wine with savoury, smoky aromatics and a touch of florality reminiscent of Nebbiolo. Full-bodied but not heavy, with lots of dark black fruits and spice, with a wonderful earthiness and well-defined but soft (surprising for Monastrell) tannins.

First planted in 1860, the ‘Hill of Grace’ vineyard has been in the Henschke family since 1891, with Cyril Henschke producing its first single-vineyard Shiraz in 1958. Planted at 400 metres above sea level, this 4-hectare vineyard is named after the Gnandenberg Lutheran Church opposite (‘Gnadenberg’ translates to ‘Hill of Grace’ in German). The site’s original ‘Ancestors’ vines are now approximately 160 years old and remain at the heart of the ‘Hill of Grace’ vineyard, alongside a small selection of ungrafted ‘Centenarians’ (vines over 100 years old), ‘Survivors’ (vines over 70 years old) and ‘Old Vines’ (over 35 years old). The 2019 vintage was aged for 18 months in oak hogsheads, of which 20% was new and 80% seasoned (90% French and 10% American). 19.5+ points – Matthew Jukes, March 2024,MatthewJukes.com 97 points – Sarah Ahmed, March 2024,Decanter.com 19.5 points – Jancis Robinson MW, March 2024,JancisRobinson.com 97 points – Erin Larkin, April 2024,WineAdvocate.com 99 points – Dave Brookes, April 2024,WineCompanion.com.au 97 points – Huon Hooke, February 2024,The Real Review

An excellent example of the high-quality viticulture of Maipú, Mendoza, this Baudrón Hormiga Negra Malbec comes from one of the most fascinating wine regions in the world. Located to the east of the Andes, Maipú is a privileged terroir with a desert climate ideal for growing grapes. The marked temperature variations between day and night, together with the well-drained, mineral-rich soils, give the wines a unique concentration and complexity. Made from 100% Malbec grapes, this vine is known for its ability to produce deep, full-bodied wines with intense aromas and a robust tannic structure. After the grapes are crushed and destemmed, the must undergoes controlled fermentation at temperatures between 25º and 29ºC, which preserves and enhances the fruity aromas without compromising the structure. Periodic pumping over during fermentation ensures optimal extraction of polyphenols and tannins, contributing to the smoothness and complexity of the wine. The result is a dark red wine with ruby highlights. The nose reveals a complex bouquet of red fruits, such as cherries and currants, with delicate notes of spices and vanilla. In the mouth, it is soft and velvety, with well-integrated tannins and a balanced acidity that supports the wine's freshness and structure. Although it is rich and structured, it maintains a balance that makes it enjoyable even when young. Perfect with cold cuts and red meat dishes, it is a wine that enhances rich and intense flavours. Its fruity notes and velvety structure go well with the fattiness of cured meats and red meats.

This is lovely, gluggable Primitivo from a sustainable winery in Puglia that is making excellent value wines for everyday drinking. Lots of Puglian celebration here. Redcurrants and ripe cherries on soft velvet. nice spice and supple tannins at the end. Medium to full body and very moreish.

Kate McIntyre is the queen of Mornington, consistently turning out the most critically acclaimed wines from this famous area near Melbourne. "A real treat of a wine, with rhubarb, beetroot, strawberry and spice flavours. A showboater, and while the stemmy character is a strong influence, I think it works brilliantly." 17.5 jancisrobinson.com (2014 Vintage)