WONDERFUL WINES

M&S El Duque De Miralta Rioja Reserva 2015, Rioja, Spain (£12, Marks & Spencer, in-store)

This blockbuster was crowned International Wine Challenge (IWC) Great Champion Red 2020, IWC Great Value Red between £8 and £12, as well as romping home with the Rioja Reserva Trophy. Beyond the vibrant nose and impressive array of cherry, liquorice, vanilla and spice, this tempranillo temptress ends with a warm, mellow, caressing finish.

Rapaura Springs Marlborough Pinot Noir Reserve 2018, Marlborough, New Zealand (£21, Laithwaite’s)

A plush, elegant pinot with all the bells and whistles. It’s soft, fresh and inviting, with wonderful floral overtones, succulent dark cherry, blackcurrant fruits, plum and cassis, as well as a gentle, spicy, oaky influence lingering effortlessly against fine, silky tannins.

Yalumba Organic Cabernet Merlot 2019, South Australia (£10, Tesco)

A red with excellent green credentials, Yalumba have been championing sustainability since the mid-1990s. Inexplicably delicious and deftly-blended, expressive flavours of black cherry and blackberry fruit are entwined with a leafy, minty note, ending with hints of fennel on the finish.

No 1 Foundation Cederberg Syrah 2018, South Africa (£10.99, Waitrose)

If you want to go for gold, without having to blow the budget, this starry South African syrah (shiraz) was awarded a Gold medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2020. With a beguiling bouquet of mulberry, blackberry and spice, a velvety, plush palate of sweetly spiced, ripe forest fruits, it’s smooth, sumptuous, and impressive enough to run the course. Serve with glazed ham.