A rich, classically styled, medium to full-bodied Shiraz with ample richness, a softly textured supple mouthfeel, and lifted flavours of ripe dark plum, liquorice, dark chocolate and toasty vanillin oak gliding across the palate.

Sam Trimboli has been creating bestselling wonders for us for nearly 20 years, so when we asked him for an exceptional Shiraz the great man was happy to oblige. Once again this 2018 'Special Reserve' is made with Shiraz sourced from premium vineyards owned by many of Australia's leading independent growers.

A Barossa Shiraz with a difference - as colourful and dramatic as its label suggests! Dan’Jango is a lone-wolf, a maverick, a liberator, fighting his own personal war for freedom, for great wines. He personifies the dynamic RedHeads team, who have always looked to 'liberate' grapes, often destined to disapppear into big name blends.

Save the vines and enjoy a gorgeous, rich red! Poggioreale used to be an important wine village in Sicily. It was where Dino Taschetta grew up, like generations of his family before him. After an earthquake reduced Poggioreale to ruins in 1968, a new town was built further down the hill and the vineyards above the village, the highest and oldest in Sicily, were then neglected for decades. Now, with many of the island’s oldest Nero d’Avola vines grubbed up, there’s even more reason to treasure what’s left. Dino recently returned to the family estate and began to restore the vineyard. His first vintage was 2017 and he was in urgent need of a customer. Our Buyer tasted the wine and reserved it all. A year later, we’ve returned for more.

Wine Spectator calls Portugal “the most exciting wine place on the planet”, with its terrific range of native grape varieties and wines that always offer standout value. The rich, mouthfilling Lobo e Falcão fits firmly in that category. It’s made at a 17th century estate owned by the Lobo de Vasconcellos family, once the location of the king’s falconry. Special barrels of wine were kept for the king when he visited. Today, talented winemaker Joana Lopes makes this red specially for us, blending Syrah with Portugal’s exciting native grapes. Previously awarded a Wine Enthusiast Best Buy Award, the 2018 has lovely intensity of flavour due to another low yield year. Generous wild berry fruit and spice with a velvet texture – a very moreish red.

When Jose Neiva Correira first decided to make a red from pure Alicante Bouschet, a grape usually used as part of a blend, everyone thought he was mad – 'aluado', moonstruck, crazy. But a huge haul of Golds later and they've changed their minds. The velvety black fruits that are so loved by our customers can now be enjoyed tenfold with the even richer Reserva edition. José has searched out the very finest, low-yielding and intensely ripe Alicante grapes for this super cuvée, and you can taste the mouthfilling difference. Even more richness and spice, but at only 13%, it's still no heavyweight and has a lovely zip of freshness to all that blackberry, cassis and damson fruit. Enjoy with richly flavoured casseroles and red meat dishes.

The region of Cariñena is “home to some of the best value reds of Spain, if not the world” (Decanter) and this gorgeously intense, ripe fruit red is from one of the most awarded cellars there. High up and inland, the Cariñena region (confusingly it’s also the name of a grape!) enjoys a climate both Continental and Mediterranean. In lay terms, that means plenty of sunshine, but not too hot. Add in the grand age of the vines and the stony soils and it’s the perfect recipe for intensely flavoured, well balanced reds. Viña Altogrado in a nutshell. Made from old vine Garnacha grapes, this red is seriously long and brightly fruity – the ideal partner for traditional Spanish lamb dishes, grilled meats or tapas. A great choice for a barbecue, too.

With his wines acclaimed by critics worldwide, Diffonty is a household name in the southern Rhône. Fine wine expert and Rhône fan Robert Parker described the Diffonty Cuvée du Vatican Châteauneuf wines as “full-bodied, powerful, rich and oozing unmistakable Provençal character”. Comprising mostly Grenache supported by a little Syrah, the Réserve de l’Abbé is made by Jean-Marc with as much care and attention as he affords his top reds. Using grapes from just outside the Châteauneuf boundary, the wine was fermented in traditional wooden and also stainless steel vats before blending and bottling. It’s sumptuous and velvety, with warming red berry and wild herb complexity. Best decanted early, the wine’s ideal served with a hearty casserole.