If you are looking for a treat yourself or for the wine lover in your life, here is a Spanish red that will surprise and please in equal measure. 

This full bodied wine has the dark fruit flavours of a Mediterranean wine but is beautifully balanced by the naturally high acidity of the Mencia grape, which provides a sense of freshness to the wine. This fascinating blend of five grapes is mostly Mencia which makes up 90% of the wine with the remaining grapes being Brancellao, Mouton, Souson and Garnacha Tintorera. The wine was aged for 12 months in old French oak barrels. 

Spain is known for its wealth of old vines, mostly grown en vaso (in the shape of a vase) and low to the ground to keep them anchored since there is no trellis they can rely on for support.

These sturdy vines have hefty trunks and, impressively, produce grapes even when they are 100 years of age and older. The fruit tends to taste extremely concentrated and is not exactly plentiful on these old vines, which can yield as low as one to 1.5 kgs of grapes per vine but the results are worth retaining these beautiful, noble and commanding old plants. 

An elegant floral and citrus driven wine with great purity, made with 100% Albarino from Rías Baixas in Spain's northwest. A perfect match for most seafood.

Burgundy-trained Stéphane Ogier is a northern Rhône wunderkind, says Master of Wine Jancis Robinson. He makes this full bodied, fresh southern Rhône blend of about 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah from vines substantially grown in Violès on Le Plan de Dieu supplemented by some from Visan. Soils are a mixture of limestone and blue clay. Average vine density is 7,000 vines per hectare with the average age a very heartening 30 to 50 years. Vines are hand-harvested – yields averaging 40 hl/ha – before being sorted in both vineyard and cellar.

 Ogier joined his father Michel in 1997 to work the family vineyards and built a glamorous new winery just south of Ampuis overlooked by the steep Côte Rôtie terraces. And he has now built a second winery in the southern Rhône to make wines like Le Temps est Venu without having to ship the grapes too far.

The Domaine des Espiers is located in the heart of Vaucluse, between the banks of the Ouvèze and Dentelles de Montmirail. This is an excellent value Cote du Rhone with smooth tannins, warm berry fruit flavours and a medium body. 

A fruit forward wine with just the right amount of tannic structure, backed up with spice and some firm toasty wood flavours in the background.

Grape 50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon

Food match pepper steak, duck salad, game dishes"

14% ABV

Established in 1901 in Haro, Bodegas Bilbaínas is a benchmark for traditional Rioja winemaking.

Vina Pomal, a Rioja icon, sees 18 months in oak.

Single estate, Tempranillo-led, matured in American oak for depth and spice.

A great new southern Italian red made entirely from the Aglianico grape, which makes wines that are often referred to as the Nebbiolo of the south. 

96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec from Margaret River, Western Australia

Generosity, layers and contours surround the palate. Density of dark forest fruits combine with cacao, cracked coffee and anise. Vibrancy and energy is underlined with a mineral and graphite acid line and delicate elegant finish.

This is an elegant and vibrant Chardonnay from internationally renowned Leeuwin Estate. The Prelude Vineyards wines are made from the most expressive fruit, with the intention that they will drink well soon after release. While being excellent to drink young, they retain great ageing potential. 

The nose is fragrant, with citrus and orchard fruit notes. On the palate, the wine shows ripe stone-fruit and gentle floral notes, with a light touch of vanilla. This is a juicy wine with bright, juicy acidity and a zesty finish. Given time, this wine will build in complexity and texture.

A charming fruity and florally scented wine whose fine minerality and elegant acids make this Tokaj Muscat the perfect refreshing wine for summer evenings and long friendly conversations.

Residual sugar: 6.5 g/l
Acid: 7 g/l

Accolades:
90/100 - James Suckling
91/100 - Bob Campbell MW

"The nose here has attractive, deep-set blackberries and plums that follow on the palate with assertive, mocha-flavored oak that builds on the finish. Drink or hold." James Suckling

"From the Jumilla region in central Spain from grapes grown in certified organic vineyards. Rich, flavoursome red with dark berry, savoury/new leather, spice, baked earth and vanilla flavours. Gutsy red with a pleasingly rustic edge. Best with food." Bob Campbell MW

Tasting Note: Deep-red coloured wine with purple edges, with an extremely intense aroma of red and ripe fruit, pleasantly creamy, accompanied by touches of toasty oak. It is fruity and flavourful in the mouth, meaty and gamey with smoked charcuterie notes and soft, ripe tannins. Vanilla and cinnamon accent the finish.

Winemaking Notes: The harvest is done by hand at the optimum ripening time. Each grape variety was separately fermented and macerated with their own peels during 15/20 days at a controlled temperature no higher than 28?C. Ageing: 4 months in American oak barrels.

Certification: Organic

Alcohol: 14.5%

Varietal: Monastrell, Syrah and Petit Verdot

Region: Jumilla, Spain

The Gere Tamás & Zsolt Gentleman Kékfrankos 2017 is a red wine from Hungary's Villány region, a Kékfrankos (Blaufränkisch) known for its elegance, red fruit (plum, cherry), spice (pepper), and minerality, often with vanilla notes from oak aging, reflecting a focus on finesse over heavy extraction. Praised for its complex, refined style