Grão Vasco always reminds me of my late friend Salvador Guedes, who once ran Sogrape in Portugal, as we drank it together watching a third-division football match in the Dão region, where it comes from. Always a reliable quaffer – and a little bit more – it’s a smooth, full-flavoured blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Alfrocheiro and 10% other local grapes with bramble, raspberry and summer pudding flavours and a nip of chewy tannin.
2022 Taste the Difference Barbera d'Asti, Piedmont
( £9.75, 14.5%, Sainsbury's )I often think of Barbera as a wine for Nebbiolo drinkers on a budget, as it has some of the tannic structure of its more famous Piedmontese partner, if not quite the same perfume and nobility. This excellent example comes from the excellent Araldica co-operative and is appealingly juicy and intense, with lovely plum, damson and blackberry fruit flavours, lots of racy acidity and a backbone of sinewy tannins.
2022 Wave Crest Mount Benson Shiraz, Limestone Coast
( £10, 14%, Majestic )Sourced from Australia’s evocatively named Limestone Coast, this is a wine for people who like a bit of zip and freshness in their Shiraz. Sappy, tangy and very lightly wooded, it has aromas of clove and Asian spices, a palate of plum and red berries, supple tannins and an appropriately chalky finish. A perfect pizza night red.
2021 Zulal Areni Red Classic, Vayots Dzor
( £16.50 until February 9; £19 thereafter, 14%, The Wine Society )The Wine Society is never afraid to buy wines from little-known countries, such as Armenia, which is one of the reasons I love their list. On offer until early next week, this is a welcome opportunity to try Areni Noir, thought to be one of the oldest grape varieties in the world. Sourced from high-altitude vineyards over 1,500 metres on volcanic soils, it’s an unoaked delight, showing impressive zip and freshness, racy plum, bramble and redcurrant fruit and textured, fine-grained tannins. Delicious.
2018 Taste the Difference Rioja Gran Reserva, Rioja Alta
( £16, 13.5%, Sainsbury's )A nice combination of the modern and traditional styles of Rioja, this blend of Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo was made for Sainsbury’s by the talented María Larrea of CVNE in Haro. Aged in a combination of French and American oak barrels, it’s a structured, focused, well-balanced red from a cooler, more Atlantic-influenced vintage, with flavours of blackberry, plum, liquorice and vanilla spice and enough tannic backbone to age further in bottle.
2024 Sons of Sugarland Syrah, Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch
( £30, 14%, The Wine Society )Almost ridiculously good at the price, this comes from an unoffocial Grand Cru Syrah parcel on the Karibib estate in the Polkadraai Hills and is as good as a top northern Rhône red. Fermented with 100% whole bunches in concrete tanks, it has amazing depth and focus, aromas of clove and Negroni spices, layers of tapenade, oregano and blackberry, granite-derived freshness and a lingering, herbal finish. Effortless brilliance from Reenen Borman.
2024 Tesco Finest Greek Assyrtiko, Northern Florina
( £11.95, 12.5%, Tesco )Yields are notoriously small on the volcanic island of Santorini, the best place in the world to grow Assyrtiko, while the price of land is high because of tourism. So you can’t blame Tesco for looking to the north of Greece instead to source their Finest* bottling. As it happens, it’s very tasty as well as good value, with a hint of spritz, peach, citrus and nectarine flavours and the zesty acidity that’s part of the grape’s DNA.
2023 Vasse Felix Filius Chardonnay, Margaret River
( £16, 13%, Sainsbury's )Aussie Chardonnays have undergone a transformation in the last decade or so, moving towards greater freshness and less obvious oak. This beauty comes from Vasse Felix, one of the leading producers in Margaret River, where Virginia Willcock is making some very impressive reds and whites. Tangy, bright and sappy, it has a sheen of subtle vanilla spice, flavours of lemon zest and cardamom and a racy, lingering finish.
2020 The Society's Exhibition Côtes du Jura, Jura
( £19.50, 13.5%, The Wine Society )It’s rare to find a Jura white of this quality under £20, which makes this equal blend of Savagnin and Chardonnay is the ideal introduction to a unique style made close to France’s border with Switzerland. Best drunk with the local Comté cheese, although it’s heavenly with onion soup or a plate of wild mushrooms, it’s textured, racy and appealingly salty, reflecting the three years it spent “sous voile” (under a film of the flor yeast). Not unlike an unfortified Sherry, albeit with Alpine acidity, it reveals layers of citrus, almond and liquorice and a tapering finish.
2022 Azienda Agricola Cortese Vanedda Bianco, Terre Siciliane IGP, Sicily
( £18.95, 13.5%, Aitken Wines, Hoult's, Love Wine, Magnum Wine, Market Hall Wines, ND John, Reserve Wines, Slurp, Yorkshire Vintners )One of the most exciting whites I’ve tasted from Sicily in ages, this is a finely judged, organically farmed cuvée of the local grapes, Catarratto and Grillo. Fermented on skins for a couple of days – which gives the wine extra weight and backbone – before ageing in large barrels called botti in Italian, it’s a rich, tangy, nutty delight, with loads of racy acidity, citrus, nectarine and pink grapefruit flavours and a waft of juniper and wild thyme.
2023 Dominio Basconcillos Finca de Altura, Ribera del Duero
( £20, 15%, Tanners )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.
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.