I always tend to drink more southern Rhône reds at this time of year. This one caught my eye at the recent Sainsbury’s press tasting, partly because it was every bit as good as the supermarket’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which retails at nearly twice the price. Syrah based – unusual in this part of France – with 22% Grenache and 4% Carignan – it has aromas of tapenade and mountain herbs, a palate of mulberry and blackberry and impressive texture, grip and palate weight. Perfect with a winter stew.
Red Varietal: Syrah
2022 Marquês de Borba Vinhas Velhas, Alentejo
( £13, 14%, Majestic )Something to drink while you’re listening to my recent podcast with João Portugal Ramos, who makes this wine alongside his son, João Maria, Marquês de Borba  is a wonderful, richly flavoured southern Portuguese blend from the Alentejo region, produced from a medley of Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez (Portuguese Tempranillo), Castelão and Syrah. Foot-trodden in traditional fashion before ageing in older wood,  it’s a plush, ripe, inky delight that would work equally well with a summer barbecue or a winter stew, showing flavours of blackberry, bramble and plum, smooth tannins , stony intensity and well-integrated tannins.
2022 Carinus Family Vineyards Syrah, Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch
( £14.95, 13.5%, The Wine Society )Over the last decade or so, the Polkadraai Hills in Stellenbosch have emerged as one of the best places in the world to grow Syrah. It’s a region that produces wines that can go toe-to-toe with the best of the northern Rhône. This wine from Danie Carinus’ own vines, vinified by superstar winemaker Lukas van Loggerenberg, is crazily good value for money. It has enticing clove, lavender and white pepper aromas, tangy blackberry and tapenade flavours and a whisper of oak. Delicious.
2024 Arbousset Tavel Rosé, Rhône Valley
( £13, 13.5%, Tesco )Tavel tends to make rosés that appeal to red rather than white wine lovers. As such, they are richer, denser and fuller-bodied than the much paler Côtes de Provence style. This wine from Domaine d’Arbousset is a case in point, a serious, savoury, richly coloured cuvée of mostly Grenache with lesser amounts of Cinsault, Carignan and Syrah. Wild strawberry, hibiscus and rooibos tea flavours are framed by subtle tannins and racy acidity.
2023 Château Tanunda Grand Barossa Shiraz, Barossa valley
( £15 on offer at £12 until January 1, 14.5%, Sainsbury's )Château Tanunda is one of the grand old names of Barossa Valley, dating batch the end of the 19th century, so it’s great to see this intense, well-balanced Shiraz on the shelves here, especially at the offer price until the end of the year. Curated in new and older French and American oak barrels,  this is smooth, glossy and intense, with supple tannins, layers of plum, blackberry and sweet aromatic spices and enough acidity to lift and freshen the palate. An Aussie Shiraz with a nice combination of elegance and concentration.
2020 Reyneke Biodynamic Syrah, Stellenbosch
( £14.95, 13%, The Wine Society )The Polkadraai Hills in Stellenbosch are one the best places in the New World to grow Syrah and no one does it better than Johan “the vine hugger” Reyneke. Fermented with 30% whole bunches, this has enticing aromas of pine and lavender and a vibrant, spicy, grippy palate of fig, white pepper and barbecued meat. An amazing bargain at under £15.
2021 Marques de Borba Vinhas Velhas, Alentejo
( £12.99, 14.5%, Majestic )It’s good to see João Maria Ramos working alongside his father João Portugal, one of the leading lights of the Alentejo region, these days. The pair have made a very tasty old-vine blend in 2021, partnering Alicante Bouschet, 20% Aragonez (aka Tempranillo) and 15% each of Castelão and Syrah. Intense, grippy and full-bodied, it’s just the thing for a cold November evening, preferably accompanied by a good stew. Spicy, muscular and intense, with aromas of spicy oak, thyme and liquorice and a core of damson, fig and blackberry fruit.
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.
2023 Gérard Bertrand Le Chouchou, Vin de France, Vin de France
( £12.99, 11% , Waitrose )So pale it could almost be sold as a rosé, this is a perfect end-of-summer red from Gérard Bertrand, something to serve straight from the fridge. Made with an unoaked combination of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault from the Languedoc, but sold as more lowly Vin de France, this is juicy, floral and lipsmackingly fresh, with flavours of pomegranate, raspberry and red cherry, subtle tannins, plenty of acidity and a twist of clove spice. Lots of fun.
2023 Mythral Côtes de Provence Rosé, Provence
( £11.99, 12.5%, Majestic )Good value by the standards of some Provence rosés – surely one of the most profitable wine styles in the world – this is an appealingly packaged, lip-smacking pink from Les Grands Chais de France. Based on Grenache, with the remaining 40% made up of six other red and white grapes, it has good focus and intensity, redcurrant, watermelon and rosehip flavours and a refreshing, chalky finish.
2021 M&S Collection Ebenezer & Seppeltsfield Barossa Shiraz, Barossa Valley
( £14, 14.5%, Marks & Spencer )The kind of thing that made me fall in love with Australian wine back in the 1980s, this is a classy, full-bodied Barossa Valley Shiraz from the Langmeil winery. Combining grapes from two vineyards, Ebenezer and Seppeltsfield, on different soil types, it has plenty of texture, structure and concentration, blackberry, summer pudding, liquorice and five spice flavours and some vanilla and coconut sweetness from ageing in French and American oak.
2022 Finca Sandoval Fundamentalista, Manchuela
( £19.95, 13%, Noel Young Wines )Originally founded by a Spanish journalist, Finca Sandoval has been one of the driving forces behind the revival of the high-altitude Manchuela denominación de origen, located close to the Mediterranean on the slopes of the Cuenca mountains. Based on Bobal, the most important local grape, with support from four other rare varieties and a splash of more international Syrah, this is juicy, vibrant and entirely unwooded, with understated old-vine concentration, raspberry, plum and strawberry flavours, granular tannins and a fresh, chalky finish.