BOXING DAY REDS
2019 Les Hautes de Saint Martin, Saint-Chinian, Languedoc, France
£7.75, Co-op THIS is one of the finest value southern French reds of the year. Made from Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Mourvèdre, it’s a spicy, meaty, berry-stuffed, earthy, perfectly balanced beauty.
2019 Running with Bulls, Tempranillo, South Australia
£9, Co-op THIS is an ‘Aussie Rioja’ but without the medicinal oak, gritty finish and sunburnt fruit found in legions of Spanish versions of this style of wine. It is, by contrast, bright, stunningly juicy, pinpoint accurate and drinking now. It is also less than a tenner and that makes it one of the most professional and rewarding wines made from the Tempranillo grape on the High Street.
2019 La Cascata, Passivento, Puglia, Italy
£9, M&S LA CASCATA is an 80 per cent Negroamaro, 20 per cent Primitivo blend and while it is a touch youthful and firm on the finish, as long as you are tucking into a plate of pasta, this wine will sing. The red fruit is splendidly plush and spicy and the value for a wine of this complexity and richness is undeniable.
2016 Amarone della Valpolicella, Villa Annaberta, Veneto, Italy £18, Co-op
THERE is no richer or bigger red wine style than Amarone, but with its intensity, you can be assured of juiciness and fruitiness, too, and this is what makes this kind of wine so attractive. Villa Annaberta is a great example of this raisiny, dark chocolate and spice-soaked wine and this is a great bottle to sip on the sofa while you are watching a Christmas blockbuster film.
2018 Moss Wood Amy’s, Margaret River, Western Australia
£16.95, jeroboams.co.uk, fieldandfawcett.co.uk; £16.49, waitrosecellar.com; £36.40, 2017 Magnum, goreywinecellar.com MOSS Wood is a pioneering estate and its flagship Cabernet is much collected. Amy’s is the forward-drinking version of the Cabernet and is spectacular in the 2018 vintage. This is due to arrive this week, but if you fancy a rather decadent 150cl magnum of the 2017, then contact Gorey Wine Cellar.
2018 Botham, 80 Series Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, South Australia
£11, reduced to £8 until Jan 2, Tesco SIR IAN BOTHAM is making impressive wines and this Cabernet Sauvignon, which comes from the stunning Coonawarra region, is one of the most rewarding. The red would love to spend a while in a decanter as there are wonderful spice, leather and earth notes here which need to be heard among the dark, blackcurrant and plum fruit.