This fine, silky Sicilian barrel-matured blend blends a little juicy Cabernet with Nero d’Avola from high old vineyards. Nero d’Avola is one of the hero grapes of Sicily. Much of it was grown around the island’s high village of Poggioreale. One prime vineyard belonged to Dino Taschetta’s grandfather. Here he grew fruit with deep, rich flavours that greatly impressed the young Dino. Disaster struck, however, in 1968 when an earthquake hit the area. The vines were abandoned, but today Dino is restoring the vineyard to its former glory. He uses these Nero d’Avola grapes to make his much loved Tenuta Fenice wines, adding to this fine Riserva a portion of juicy Cabernet and ageing it all in barrel. Now with three years’ maturity, this Riserva has gathered complex, savoury, smoky tobacco and spice notes to flatter the dark cherry flavours. Perfect with roast lamb.

Love red wines with easy fruit and elegance? This Joven (young) Rioja is a must-try. We’ve known the Bujanda family since 1984, when they completed their state-of-the-art winery. In fact, we were the first to introduce their wines to the UK. Four decades later, their cellar remains one of the finest in Europe, with a trophy cabinet full of awards and a top winemaker at the helm – Lauren Rosillo. This Joven is from the family’s beautiful Finca Valpiedra estate, whose vineyard is nestled in a bend of the Ebro river. Made entirely from estate-grown Tempranillo and aged for a year in bottle, it’s silky with bright strawberry and blackberry fruit. Smooth enough to sip solo, or pair with tapas, charcuterie or game.

Gamay isn't local to southwest France, but was introduced there in 1970 to soften some of the beefier, tannic native grapes. And it's made itself feel right at home, as you'll notice with our lovely new-release Fluette. It's made by the exceptionally talented Jean-Noël Barrau at a multi-award-winning cellar in Gaillac. The Gamay vineyards lie on terraces perched above the River Tarn, not far from Toulouse and Albi. The sandy gravel soil there lends the wine a lovely freshness to balance the silky ripeness of the fruit. So delicious and easy is it, that on hot summer days you could cool it down a little. The perfect red to sip on its own, or share over a lunchtime chat – It'll slip down well with chicken, creamy brie-like cheeses or with noodle stir-fry.

If you ask the locals they’ll say Nero di Troia produces some of the best and most interesting wines in Puglia, lending spiced black fruit notes and fresh aromas of violet. The small portion of Primitivo adds depth and structure to this organic wine. Open a bottle and enjoy its easy-going character with tomato pasta or cheeses. The family-run team at Torrevento in Puglia like to let their vineyards run a little wild – in the best sense – for a healthy biodiversity means healthy vines. Since their beginnings in 1948, they’ve aimed to showcase the best of Puglia’s native grape varieties in the most authentic way. Purezza is their blend of Nero di Troia and Primitivo – the two most dominant indigenous red grapes in this sun-blessed area.

Many a 'big cat' sighting has been made in the cool-climate Strathbogie Ranges leading some to believe in a rare and elusive Panther. Ex-Head RedHead, Alex Trescowthick has tamed another elusive black beast of sorts –Pinot Noir. The Bogie Panther exudes wild strawberry, cherry and savoury, earthy spice.

Our range of Portuguese wines is unparalleld and has helped put dramatically raise the popularity of this great wine producing country. Vale Perdido ws one of the very first in that range, from the Grand family estate, Casa Santos Lima, The lost valley – Vale Perdido – is part of José Oliveira da Silva’s estate in the beautiful, centuries-old wine country north of Lisbon. It is a fabulous fourth-generation winery, one with the Midas touch too. It has won well over 1,000 medals – of which over 500 have been Gold. This 2022 vintage is tasting as delicious as ever., with lots of lovely ripe blackberry and raspberry fruit, and cinnamon and chocolate notes too. A subtle lick of oak adds to a satisfyingly long finish.

Rolando Nuti was the first to plant a small vineyard in the 1900s, to produce reds solely for the family table. Over a century later, brothers Luca and Flavio Nuti use the same old vines to craft sought-after reds like this silky, rich Super Tuscan. With recognition at global competitions and multiple high scores, Vallino is a testament to decades of hard work and the duo’s passionate, quality-obsessed approach. They even play special 'music' at 440hz to soothe their top wines in barrel. Mainly ripe Cabernet Sauvignon with a dash of Sangiovese, it delivers dense flavours of plum, cassis and raspberry, with notes of chocolate, tobacco and vanilla, thanks to a year in fine French oak. An impressive red – open early and decant, or cellar.

We managed to secure the last stocks of this Trophy and double Gold-medal winning vintage. In the winery: Selected bunches were hand picked in the third week of March and gently crushed into open top fermenters.In the glass: Vibrant, dense red black.On the nose: Appealing mix of super-ripe black fruit with classic mint herbaceousness. On the palate: Excellent balance with a powerful black fruit core cloaked with bright spice and herb and underlying cedary oak.