A wine that tastes as good as it looks, this is made by my fellow Master of Wine, Giles Cooke (we passed in the same year), who donates all of the profits to charity. Sourced from the Ebenezer sub-region of the Barossa Valley, it’s rich, but well balanced, with subtle oak, refreshing acidity, fine-grained tannins and sweet bramble and bluberry fruit. Long and refreshing with a savoury tang.
Food Match: Barbecue
2014 La Loba, Ribera del Duero
( €16.20, 14.5%, Desoutter & James )Serious, youthful, good value Ribera that’s at the lower end of the scale in terms of oaking. Sourced from century old vines in Matanza de Soria, this is part of a new wave of balanced, elegant Tempranillos with lovely freshness and poise. Scented, floral and complex with notes of bramble and balackberry and a refreshing finish.
2013 Famille Perrin Les Cornuds, Vinsobres, Rhône Valley
( £8.99, 13.5%, The Co-operative )Made by the Perrin family, who also make the world-famous Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, this is one serious southern Rhône blend for less than £9. Inky, brambly and well structured with notes of liquorice and thyme, it’s a classic, unoaked Syrah/Grenache blend.
2012 S.C. Pannell Grenache, McLaren Vale, South Australia
( £31.99, 14%, Liberty Wines )Steve Pannell was making great Grenache in McLaren Vale before the variety began to enjoy its modern renaissance as the so-called “Pinot of the south”. This combines plum and raspberry fruit sweetness with a backbone of tannin and refreshing acidity, supporting the concentration of the old vine fruit. The oaking is almost imperceptible here.
2013 Domaine Jones, Les Perles de Jones Carignan Vieilles Vignes, Vin de France, Languedoc Roussillon
( £18.50, 14.5%, www.domainejones.com )Carignan is one of those under-rated grapes that can make fantastic wines if the vines are old and grown in a propitious terroir. This is on the ripe side, but it’s not top heavy in the slightest. Damson and blueberry fruit flavours are complemented by minerality and acidity and a wild herb-like note. Surprisingly refreshing for a wine of this ripeness.
2014 Domaine Brunet Les Chabriles Vieilles Vignes, Cairanne, Rhône Valley
( £10-£15, 13.5%, Vinconnexion )A concentrated, yet lighly oaked, unfiltered, old vine blend of Grenache and Syrah from one of the best domaines in the village of Cairanne, this is my kind of southern Rhône red. Spicy, mineral and focused with youthful red and dark berry fruit, hints of pepper and clove and firm but beautifully integrated tannins. Great value, too.
2015 Château Gassier, Le Pas du Moine, Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire, Provence
( £13.95, 13%, Great Western Wine )By the standards of some celebrity-endorsed or consumed Provençal rosés, this is positively great value. It’s a crisp, refreshing, bone dry pink with notes of red cherry and rosehip, tangy acidity and a long, palate-cleansing finish. Just the thing to quaff on the beach or in the garden this summer.
2013 Domaine Jones, Fitou, Languedoc Roussillon
( £13.50, 14.5%, The Wine Society )Once upon a time, I used to own a bit of vineyard land in Fitou. I just wish I’d done something as useful with it as Katie Jones has. This blend of Carignan, Grenache and Syrah is all about perfume and dark, sun-kissed fruit, constructed around a core of freshness and stony minerality. One of the most exciting Fitous I’ve tasted in years.
2015 Diemersdal Estate Grüner Veltliner, Durbanville
( £11.99, 14%, Majestic )One of those wines that you’re just dying to slip into a blind tasting, this comes from cool (for the Cape) Durbanville and wouldn’t be outclassed by many Austrian Grüners at the same price level. Spices, green apple and bay leaf notes are underpinned by zesty, crunchy acidity and plenty of mid-palate texture. Promising stuff.
2012 David Reynaud, Beaumont Crozes Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Rhône Valley
( £16.33, 12.5%, Liberty Wines )This is my kind of wine. In fact, I could drink a bottle of this almost every day and never get bored. Classic, perfumed Crozes, with violet and rose petal aromas, textured tannins and lovely, gluggable flavours of blackberry, black olive and liquorice. The tannins are silky smooth, the oak beautifully integrated and there’s enough tannin to add some backbone.
2013 Kosi Bay Selection Shiraz, South Eastern Australia
( £5.99, 14%, Wine Rack )The dip in the value of the Aussie dollar has made it easier to source wine like this again, which is great news for UK consumers. Spicy, soft and just off-dry, with smooth tannins, a hint of spicy oak and juicy brambly fruit. A great party red.
2008 Contino Reserva, Rioja
( £19.99, 14% )Contino is one of the properties that launched the single estate movement in Rioja, a superb wine that develops beautifully in bottle. 2008 was a late, cool vintage in Rioja, giving this blend of mostly Tempranillo with Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano a refreshing, low key elegance. Sublte and refined, with red fruits, subtle oak, some plummy tannins and deftly integrated oak.