Autumn Reds

A Lay & Wheeler favourite for years, what's not to love about this St-Emilion, part of the Durantou family of wines. Silky and fine, with loads of savoury tannins, and long and pure finish. Buy this in bottles, and magnums, and make sure you've always got both to hand over the years to come.

Le Volte is a quintessential Super Tuscan at unbeatable value. A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese, this shows Tuscan exuberance and Bordeaux structure. There’s notes of dark cherry and plum, and then a bright acidity and plenty of herbal lift. This is utterly delicious, with loads of energy and fresh yet ripe fruit.

Wild strawberries, cherries and bramble fruits are supported by complex layers of liquorice, leather and coconut. There is a vibrancy on the core and the fine grained, yet firm tannins provide great structure to this delicious Rioja.

The Kumeu Village Pinot Noir is a combination of fruit from the limestone based vineyard at Ray's Road, Hawkes Bay and Pinot Noir from the clay based vineyards in Kumeu. It's one of the best value New Zealand Pinots we know. Full of bright red cherry and juicy raspberry flavours, a chalky edge, soft tannins, and a long finish.

A staple of Pieter’s range, and a brilliant value wine, this is a blend of all sorts: Swartland Grenache, Wellington Grenache, Breedekloof Cinsaut, Elgin Pinot Noir, Swartland Chenin Blanc, Swartland Fernao Pirez, Stellenbosch Chardonnay and Stellenbosch Pinotage. The name refers to the fact that working with 38 grape varieties from 60 vineyards, it’s impossible to be a master of all. Rather, Pieter and his team are happy to tell stories, and be Master of None. This is a delicious wine, with tons of energy, floral top notes, and a core of crunchy red fruit. There’s spice on the mineral finish. The perfect everyday red. Try this at cellar temperature.

This is juicy, lightly peppery, bright and elegantly smooth Cabernet Franc which is wonderful in its youth. The fruit comes from the bottom part of the slope, hence 'Pied' - foot. This is in contrast to the mid-slope fruit goes into the age-worthy, denser 'Mi-Pente' cuvée. Some vines at the bottom are as old as 80 years, so although the wine is juicy, upfront, and invitingly drinkable, the finish is sustained and persistent with old vine intensity taking this above a simple easy-drinking wine. It’s got a wonderful sour cherry note, with lightly smoky notes.

For Lukas, a good glass of Cinsaut should be like jumping into weightlessness, shouting Geronimo. This comes predominantly from 40+ year old vines on the Helderberg, and is one of our favourite Cinsauts from South Africa. Floral and fine, with citrus lift and real salinity, it's an absolute beauty. Slightly chilled, it's ready to go right away - but it will surely age brilliantly, too.

This is the emblematic cuvée of the Rostaing domaine, which blends 15 lieux-dits from around Côte-Rôtie. It showcases the Rostaing signature style: rich, dense fruit, with bold tannin structure. The 2021 has wonderfully open fruit, and this will drink well from early on. Savoury and highly appetising.

Bodegas Frontonio is an exciting project in Aragón that focuses on old vines, high altitude plots and regenerative viticulture. This red is a blend of Garnacha, Garnacha Peluda, Mazuela (Carignan) and a small percentage of Macabeo that is planted at 600 metres altitude and to 50 year old+ vines. The wine demonstrates incredible balance and freshness with bright red berry fruits and wild flower perfume. The tannins are fine grained and beautifully integrated into the wine's silky core.