HOGMANAY REDS

2018 Il Sarmento Nero di Troia, Puglia, Italy

£5.75, Co-op MY BUDGET red this year is this cheeky little Nero di Troia. Packed with black fruit and spice, the label looks smart, the price is rock bottom and there is nothing but fun to be had with this wine on the palate. Of course, it loves Italian food but it’s also an accomplished all-rounder.

2019 Valpolicella, Rocca Alata, Cantina di Soave, Veneto, Italy

£7, Tesco VALPOL encompasses every style of red wine from this little beauty, at the lighter end of the range, up to the Amarone mentioned in the Boxing Day selection. Rocca Alata is willowy, slender and easy to enjoy without food, or with lighter canapés up to medium-weight main courses. The red cherry notes and crisp finish make it a lively choice.

2019 Morrisons, The Best Margaret River Shiraz, Western Australia

£7.50, Morrisons HERE is another great red wine and it has twice the intensity and power of the Rocca Alata Valpolicella (left). Dark, deep, black cherry-drenched and rather spicy, this is a muscular, brooding wine and it even manages to involve a whisper of oak in the mix, which is rather impressive at this price.

2017 Wente Vineyards, Sandstone Merlot, Livermore Valley, California

£16.49, baythorne wines.co.uk; £16.99, liquoricewine.co.uk; £13.99, reduced to £11.89, thegeneral wine.co.uk WE RARELY see greatvalue Californian Merlot here, as most have sky-rocketed in price. But Sandstone is unique, given that it crams in plummy, juicy, super-smooth fruit and manages to stay grounded pricewise. This big, rich red is also velvety smooth.

2018 Pazzia, Primitivo di Manduria, Puglia, Italy

£11.99, Waitrose PRIMITIVO is a very powerful variety and this version is bristling with energy. Drink it with densely flavoured meaty dishes and be sure to decant it, too. A macho wine for lovers of big reds.