Estates in Ribera del Duero don’t get much higher than Dominio Basconcillos’ isolated, spectacularly situated vineyards at 960 metres in Gumiel de Izán. Considered marginal just 20 years ago, they have come into their own with climate change. Made by the talented Ángel Calleja, this is a stand-alone Tempranillo that carries its 15% alcohol lightly, thanks to the freshness that comes with the territory. Stylishly wooded in French oak, it has lovely texture and acidity, a chalky undertone and a core of bramble and blackberry fruit.
Price Range: £20-25
2023 Te Kairanga John Martin Pinot Noir, Martinborough
( £21.25, 13%, Majestic )Named after one of Martinborough’s pioneers, John Martin, this is a wonderfully bright, tangy, graceful Pinot Noir from one of New Zealand’s best North Island regions. Fresh, tangy and focused, with nicely understated oak, it has a beguiling garnet hue, goji berry and wild strawberry fruit and a top note of crushed rose petal. Beautifully balanced.
2022 Domaine de la Rectorie Côté Montagne, Collioure, Roussillon
( £25, 15%, The Wine Society )Collioure is one of the most beautiful towns in the Roussillon region of southern France, as well as the source of this stunning cuvée of Mourvèdre, 30% Grenache and 10% each of Carignan and Counoise. Quintessentially Mediterranean, it’s a blend that carries its 15% alcohol lightly, with enticing aromas of tapenade and rosemary, brooding blackberry and black olive flavours, sinewy tannins and effortless concentration. The perfect winter red.
2022 Famille Cordier Saint-Véran En Faux, Burgundy
( £25, 13.5% )White Burgundy prices have spiralled in recent years, but there are parts of the region – Chablis, the Côte Chalonnaise and the Mâconnais – that still deliver impressive value for money. Christophe Cordier makes fantastic Mâconnais Chardonnays such as this one that combine richness and texture with freshness and balance. This Saint-Véran offers masses off flavour and intensity on the palate, with notes of honey, stone fruit and cream supported by stony minerality and a touch of oak spice. Delicious.
2019 Plaimont Producteurs Le Faîte Blanc Grand Vin, Saint Mont, Gascony
( £22.50, 14%, Corney & Barrow )It would be entirely fair to say that the Gers department in south-west France is not one of the country’s most celebrated wine regions, but the Saint-Mont appellation is producing some remarkable whites from local grapes such as Petit Courbu and Petit and Gros Manseng. This delicious, judiciously aged blend is every bit as good as more expensive white Bordeaux, with lots of zip and acidity, flavours of pink grapefruit, quince and white peach and a touch of oak spice.
2023 Benanti Etna Bianco, Sicily
( £22, 12.5%, The Wine Society )Etna in north-east Sicily is better known for its reds than whites, but the best examples of the latter, made from the local grape Carricante, can be spectacular, somewhere between a Burgundian Aligoté and a top Soave in style. This is totally unoaked, but draws richness from six months of lees’ ageing. Stony and intense, with notes of lime, fennel and lemon juice, steely, palate-cleansing acidity and a mineral tang. Best drunk with the Mediterranean sun on your face, but it’ll cheer you up in winter too.
2021 Emmanuel Durand Les Trois Chênes Crozes-Hermitage, Rhône Valley
( £22, 13%, Berry Brothers & Rudd )The Rhône Valley still offers great value for money if you know where to look. This is the kind of wine that belies the line that Crozes is the “poor man’s Hermitage”. It’s an intensely scented cool climate Syrah from an impressive recent vintage, with classic liquorice and white pepper aromas, textured, glossy tannins, subtle wood spices and a layers of blackberry and fennel.
2021 Domaine du Bel Air Jour de Soif, Bourgueil, Loire Valley
( £22, 13%, Berry Brothers & Rudd )Loire Valley Cabernet Francs are some of my favourite reds in the world, with just the right combination of freshness, perfume and acidity. This unwooded example from Bourgueil, an appellation which can often be among the earthier expressions of the variety, is wonderfully sappy and thirst-quenching, with aromas of violets and cut grass, bags of crunchy acidity and a palate of black cherry and raspberry framed by graceful tannins.
2021 Sierra de Toloño La Dula Garnacha, Rioja
( £21.95, 14%, Lea & Sandeman )This is the fourth vintage of Sandra Bravo’s brilliant, cool climate old-vine Garnacha from Rivas de Tereso in the high part of the Rioja Alta sub-region and it’s every bit as good as its predecessors. Aged in 300-litre clay amphoras, it’s wonderfully perfumed and intense, with engaging bramble and red cherry fruit sweetness, fine tannins and a long, energetic palate. A majestic expression of the wonderful 2021 vintage.
2021 Gallina de Piel Manar dos Seixas, Ribeiro
( £23.98, 13%, Shelved Wine, The Fine Wine Company )David Seijas was the sommelier at El Bulli, considered the best restaurant in the world at the time, for 11 years, but is now making an excellent range of Spanish wines under his Gallina de Piel label. This is brilliant cuvée of mostly Treixadura with lesser amounts of Godello, Albariño and Loureira, sourced from the granite soils of the Ribeiro region. Intense, stony and bone dry, it has flavours of lemongrass and pink grapefruit, plenty of grip and intensity and top notes of green tea, chamomile and juniper. Utterly delicious.
2022 Villard Grand Vin Le Pinot Noir, Casablanca Valley
( £21, 13.5%, The Wine Society )The best Pinot Noir yet from Chilean-based Villard père and fils, Thierry and Charlie, this is the sort of thing that should have Burgundy lovers reaching for their wallets and purses. Fermented with 10% whole bunches and aged in 20% new wood, it’s sappy and intense, with a waft of vanilla spice, subtle reduction, raspberry and black cherry fruit and a thrilling mineral core.
Planeta Mamertino, Sicily
( £20.79, 13.5%, The Great Wine Company )I have a recent podcast with Alessio Planeta to thank for introducing me to this delicious wine from northern Sicily. Mamertino was famous during Roman times – Julius Caesar was a fan – but it’s less well known today, even among Italophiles. Made from Nero d’Avola, arguably the island’s best red grape, and much rarer Nocera, this has flavours of clove and sweet spices, plum and red cherry fruit, savoury tannins and tangy maritime acidity. Quintessentially Mediterranean.