13. THE RHÔNE VARIETIES

GRENACHE, SYRAH (SHIRAZ) AND MOURVÈDRE

A mighty class of wines which follow either single grape varietal or blends of grapes found in the Rhône Valley. This model, or recipe, is employed all over the world, famously in Australia – no surprise then that the Aussies edged France here with a score of 2-1!

2016 Kilikanoon Grenache Shiraz Mataro SOUTH AUSTRALIA (£10.99,

Waitrose) This blend is 50 per cent grenache, 40 per cent shiraz and 10 per cent mataro (a synonym to the French grape mourvèdre). It spends ten months in old French oak hogsheads (double-sized barrels) and has one of the most knockout flavours of the year. Velvety-smooth, ever so long and perfumed with violets, tar, pepper, leather, sweet, juicy plums and pipe smoke, this is an awesome wine and you’ll have to sprint to the shops to secure your stock because this is a favourite style in the UK. 2016 Yalumba, Galway Barossa Shiraz BAROSSA VALLEY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA (£12.99, Waitrose) Another South Australian red, but only using the great shiraz (syrah in France) grape and this is from the legendary Yalumba winery. Massively rich and heady with structure, power and depth, this is one of the biggest reds in these awards and it’ll age brilliantly.

2016 Les Cardinaux, Famille Perrin RHÔNE, FRANCE (£10, reduced to £8 from 12 December until

3 January, Co-op) Made from the same recipe as the Kilikanoon wine, with slightly different percentages in the blend. This 80 per cent grenache, 15 per cent syrah and 5 per cent mourvèdre wine comes from the famous Perrin family, owners of the most renowned Châteauneufdu-Pape of all – Château de Beaucastel. This is smooth, smoky and densely packed wine and it sums up the splendour and history of this region.