Hailing from Cariñena, neighbour to Rioja, in northeast Spain, picked at peak of ripeness, it's bursting with silky ripe cherry and summer berry fruit. One of the oldest wine regions of Spain, Cariñena lies just southeast of Rioja, a land of ancient low-yield vines. Most of its vineyards nurture native varieties Garnacha, but this red shows its winemakers can excel equally well with international stars, including Merlot. This grape ripens to perfection in the arid rocky soils and hot sunshine. Mirlo Merlot is a smooth, full-of-fruit red for easy sipping. Served at a cool room temperature, it's a great party wine, and tasty with chicken, veggie kebabs or frittata.

A Gold, 92pt beauty. Château La Clarière is blessed with 50 different vineyard plots, all ideally situated on the superb limestone plateau from where both Saint-Emilion and Castillon’s finest wines hail. However, the grapes from the Enclos single vineyard, literally five metres from Saint-Emilion’s priciest Grands Crus Classés, have always been kept separate. It’s a vineyard surrounded by hedgerows, shrubs and dotted with trees – its most biodiverse; farmed organically too. All Merlot, carefully fermented on the estate, with regular plunge down and a year’s ageing in part new and part seasoned French oak barrels, it’s a very fine, velvety claret. Open early and preferably decant. It will make a very handsome partner to roast red meats or a cheeseboard.

This Great Value Barossa Merlot – with Gold and high points galore – is a treat to savour. .”… It's got the fleshiness you'd expect from the variety with an array of fine spice and hints of blueberry pie, dark chocolate, vanilla bean, earth, black cherry compote and purple flowers. Truth be told, it's a lovely drink and there's some great value to be had here. 92pts. Great Value.” (Dave Brookes, The Halliday Wine Companion). For Sam Kim, Wine Orbit it’s: “Splendidly fruited and inviting…” and ”… displays succulent fruit intensity with plump mouthfeel and polished tannins, finishing long and robust.94pts.” The Schild Estate can boast Shiraz vines planted by Ann Jacobs back in 1847! The Schild's first arrived in Australia in 1866, and the family moved to the Barossa and purchased vineyards here in 1952. They did not make their first 'Schild' branded wine until 1998, but the estate's reputation grew steadily. Although no longer owned by the family, the estate's vineyards are all still under the family's control.

Savour a silky, ripe and utterly charming, fine-dining Saint-Emilion Grand Cru. Surrounded by extensive parkland blessed with century-old trees, Château Montlabert is a grand, imposing, 18th-century estate. It lies within the lieu-dit Grace Dieu that lends the property its name. Its vineyards comprise 13 hectares, all in one block, planted on deep sandy, gravelly soils with deep-lying clay to help retain moisture in the drier years. Their wine is a charming, silky red made mostly, as you’d expect, from Merlot, with a little of both Cabernets to lend cassis notes to the deep plum flavour. 14 months in French oak barrels, half of those new, lend layers of complexity and subtle oak nuances. Let the wine breathe for an hour or two before serving with boeuf bourguignon, confit de canard or a wild mushroom risotto.