Hervé Sabardeil, our winemaker with limitless talent, has been making Cabalié, the big, ripe Catalan red, for over 15 years. He added the old-vine (Vieilles Vignes) edition in 2011, originally as a one off, but it was so popular we insisted he did it again. And again! The magic to this punchy red is really in the vines. At 60 to 100-years-old, yields are minute (about half of a Grand Cru claret). As a rule of thumb, the smaller the yield, the more concentrated the fruit, the more flavoursome the wine! That’s why we call it Cabalié’s Big Brother. Still made in the same style that was beloved by the Roman centurions and now our customers too, it packs even more flavour than the original. Ideal with garlic-roasted lamb, rich stews or cheese.

As Robert Parker says, “Spain leads the world for sensational wine bargains of character and soul”, none more so than its mature reds. Nowhere else produces mellow, barrel-aged wines of such remarkable quality and price. Take Palacio del Conde – a gorgeously complex, oaky 2015 from Valencia. Part of this region is close to the coast, while the more southerly part is inland, up in the hills, and dry. It’s there that winemaker Marta Martínez selects the finest, hand harvested – from 50 year old vines – Tempranillo grapes for this Gran Reserva, then ages the wine for three years in oak barrels. A wonderfully fragrant, silky red with mature redcurrant and strawberry fruit and a rich, toasty character. Sublime with roast lamb or tapas. Its three recent Gold wins show its drinking beautifully now.

Aged for 12 months in French oak barrels. Deep dark red core with black tinged edges and a dark red hue. Spicy red to dark cherry aromas mix with hints of stalky cedar, earth and meaty notes. On the palate generous dark cherry fruits are intertwined with strawberry, earth, spicy dried meat characters and dried herbs. Good flesh with slightly grainy tannins and a savoury medium length conclusion. Drink over the next 3-4 years. Alc. 13.5%

Lovely fresh Riesling from the pioneering Seifried family estate, who set up in the super-sunny coastal region of Nelson in 1973 (way before most of Marlborough next door). In the 1970s Hermann Seifried, then a fresh-faced Austrian wine nut seeking adventure, travelled to New Zealand. It was a final stop-off on a world tour, mainly to see where the All Blacks came from. There he fell in love with a local primary school teacher, Agnes, and has never left. In 1973 the couple realised their shared dream – to plant a vineyard – and have since racked up a host of awards. Today their three children, Chris, Heidi and Anna, help run the property in Nelson – a region with over 2,400 hours of sunshine, it's the sunniest in New Zealand.

Jeff and Vicky Dewar established Willow Bridge Estate after acquiring a spectacular 180ha hillside property in the Ferguson Valley. Under winemaker Kim Horton, many of its wines offer exceptional value for money. This Solana Tempranillo has loads of plum and raspberry fruits. A style that exudes vibrancy and complexity. Distinctive generosity of dark berry fruits with mouthwatering tannins which match perfectly to food. Aromatics of rose hip, licorice and black jube, blueberry fruits with dark plums. Powerful, long and lingering, loads of plum and raspberry fruit, spice and minerality, sitting neatly with savoury tannin and licks of vanilla.