Not only has this family estate won 60 Golds in a decade, but also 'Best Wine in the World'. That was for their 2005 Shiraz in 2008! The secret to this weighty, spice packed red is the sandy soils, which hold little rain for the vines, plus the unrelenting hot sun. The result is a modest yield of small berries crammed with juicy flavour. With this style of wine, award winning winemaker Jaime Quendera is now forging a reputation for Setúbal's rich, bold reds. Mostly Shiraz along with a splash of local variety Alicante, Jaime finished the wine in expensive oak barrels to add a gorgeous spicy vanilla lift to the blueberry, blackberry and peppery fruit. A fine treat to serve with spicy chorizo sausages, a hearty stew or the Sunday roast.

Big Red El Bombero has been a top choice with customers for many years. And in seriously good vintages, like 2012, winemaker Javier Domeque crafts a sophisticated Gran Reserva version using the pick of the crop from his oldest vines. To qualify for Gran Reserva status, the wine was aged in oak for three years with further time in bottle prior to release. It's made entirely from Garnacha, an important component of many full bodied Spanish reds, and also of Châteauneuf du Pape from neighbouring France. At 14% vol, it's a touch less powerful than El Bombero itself but full of rich berry flavour and with delicious spicy complexity from American oak. The 2011 is perfect right now. Just decant for an hour and serve with roast shoulder of lamb.

The word 'Nacional' is reserved for treasures that fly the flag for Portugal. Touriga Nacional certainly does that. Ten years ago the Freitas family planted the grape on their acclaimed Fava vineyard. In 2015 it produced a wine so special that it was bottled under the vineyard name for the first time ever. It won a string of Gold on its debut - making over 60 Golds in 10 years for this fine family estate. The 2016 won Grand Gold, and the 2017 here has won Gold, Double Gold, Grand Gold and Best in Show ... ! Dating back to 1920, Casa Ermelinda Freitas is run by fourth generation Leonor Freitas, who has been awarded a 'Comendadora' (equivalent to a Dame) for her services to Portuguese wine. Her daughter Joana follows in her footsteps. Aged in barrel, this rich red is packed with spicy berry, herb and mineral character. A top match with slow cooked beef or lamb.

Spain’s Navarra is full of surprises, producing styles from traditional and oaky to the most modern and fresh. Flor de San Martín is certainly in the latter camp, a brilliantly zippy fresh white made only from grapes grown in high altitude vineyards in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Little rain and these dizzy heights mean lovely intensity of crisp fruit and lifted herbal aromas – flavours that are unique to the region. This white will really get the taste buds tingling! It’s from winemaker Gonzalo Zelayeta, who works his magic at the modern San Martín de Unx winery, founded back in 1914. From hand-picked (impossible with machines) grapes and cool fermented, this is a refreshing glassful. Tops with seafood, salads and lighter dishes.

A frequent Gold medal winner, Stones & Bones is so-called because it’s grown in a landscape littered with ancient boulders and dinosaur fossils. In the modern Portuguese tradition, the wine is a blend of local and international grapes. Touriga Nacional, the backbone of vintage port, joins forces with Syrah, Tinta Roriz and Alicante to produce truly mammoth, rich fruit flavours. Equally impressive is the winemaker, Diogo Sepúlveda, who relaxes after work by cycling or playing football, or, more unusually, bull wrestling! Having worked in Pomerol, then in the Barossa with heirloom Shiraz vines, his credentials for making this rich, old vine Portuguese red are second to none. For maximum enjoyment, decant and serve with a rich beef casserole.

From vineyards planted 2,000 years ago, this rich, dark, velvety black red is only made in the best years. One sip and will take you back in time to the first century AD where vineyards were planted to serve the ruling elite at the thriving Roman port of Troia. Here, on Portugal’s windswept Atlantic coast, the only grape that thrives in the dry, sandy soils and under 300 hours of super-hot sun a month, is local star Castelão. This small, dark-skinned grape boasts fathomless depths of flavour – if you know how to unlock it. Enter Gold-medal maestro at Portugal’s most awarded winery, Leonor Freitas – nicknamed the “Dame of Castelão”. Baía di Tróia delivers an immensely concentrated, black red – rippling with ripe plums, red berries and black fruit, laced with chocolate, spice and toasty oak. At 15.5% smooth power, it's not for the faint-hearted! A rich casserole ideal.

Santa Cristina offers a red colour with purple highlights. The nose shows notes of ripe cherries, typical aromas both of Sangiovese and of Syrah well integrated with the balsamic sensation of mint which characterize merlot. Pleasurable sensations of vanilla and coffee complete the bouquet. The palate is soft and ample with a fruity finish and aftertaste. The grape varieties were fermented separately. After destemming and a soft pressing, the grapes were macerated on their skins for approximately one week in stainless steel tanks. During this phase, the wine finished its fermentation at a temperature held to a maximum of 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees centigrade). The wine was then racked and terminated its malolactic fermentation by the end of the year. The wine aged for a few months in small oak barrels and began to be bottled in November of 2018. Antinori is a name synonymous with wine in Italy, the equivalent of the royal family of wine in the country. Intimately involved in the wine industry of Italy since 1385, initially in Tuscany, but in more recent years their influence has grown seeing them involved in wine-making projects across the country. They were instrumental in the renaissance of Chianti and their portfolio of wines includes some stellar names such as Tignanello - the Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc blend that was most influential in the Super Tuscan movement, Solaia - the Cabernet dominant blend also from the Tignanello Estate and the beautiful Peppoli Chianti Classico.

Enjoy catch-ups with friends over a bottle of Freixenet Prosecco Rose. This glittering pink beauty contains vibrant flavours of fresh red berries with a touch of floral. Light and effervescent, this is a wine made for good times and best enjoyed with great company.

This Squealing Pig Tempranillo is fantastically drinkable, with verve and minerality. With bright cherry and forest fruits lifting out of the glass, this wine is medium -bodied and bursting with red fruit flavours.