Since its launch over a decade ago, Albastrele has amassed awards in Europe for nearly every vintage.

It shows just how perfect for winemaking the Black Sea influenced climate in Moldova really is.

No wonder that during the 18th and 19th centuries Moldova became the ‘Vineyard to the Tsars’.

Made from hand picked grapes at the Tvarditsa Estate, Albastrele is named after the cornflowers that carpet the vineyards in spring.

Winemaker Haraba Marian has crafted a smooth, blackberry rich Cabernet in 2019.

Altos de Bergasa is from Bodegas La Eralta, a family-owned winery founded in 1990. Quite young in terms of Rioja.

It proudly owns 360 hectares of vineyard throughout the three subregions, with this luscious Gran Reserva named after its first plots, planted in the village of Bergasa.

At their modern cellars, they boast 10,000 French and American oak barrels, within which they age their finest wines – from Crianza to this exceptional Gran Reserva.

For this wine, they only age their finest grapes, all Tempranillo, ageing the wine at least a year in barrel and the rest of the time in bottle.

Despite its 7 years' age, it is still fairly youthful. Delicious drinking now, we recommend early opening and decanting to release all the flavours.

But a huge haul of Golds later and they've changed their minds. The velvety black fruits that are so loved by our customers can now be enjoyed tenfold with the even richer Reserva edition.

José has searched out the very finest, low-yielding and intensely ripe Alicante grapes for this super cuvée, and you can taste the mouth filling difference.

Even more richness and spice, but at only 13%, it's still no heavyweight and has a lovely zip of freshness to all that blackberry, cassis and damson fruit.

Enjoy with richly flavoured casseroles and red meat dishes.

It comes from Casa Santos Lima, a grand, family-run property near Lisbon and the Atlantic coast.

The winery was founded by Joaquim Santos Lima in the late 19th century, and three generations later is one of Portugal’s most go-ahead cellars, with Maria João Santos Lima and José Luís Santos Lima Oliveira da Silva, granddaughter and great grandson of the founder, at the helm.

Amoras brings together four cracking local grape varieties: leafy raspberry Castelão, juicy cherry-rich Camarate, cassis-laden Touriga Nacional and plummy Alicante Bouschet.

Superb as a glass on its own or with pork-bean casserole.

Antonio Federici is a small, 3rd-generation cellar in Lazio, just south of Rome. As you'll taste here, its wines are both authentic and delicious. Normally, they only supply their meagre output to top restaurants in Rome.

But with most shut in 2020, we managed to gain a small allocation of this superb, cherry-scented red. And again, the following year. On fine limestone soils (the rocks of which were used to build some of Rome's most famous buildings) they grow some of Italy's most characterful native grapes.

From these they make a small range of award-winning wines. No doubt the skill of top Italian consultant Franco and Matteo Bernabei comes into play, as well as the commitment and passion of the family.

A silky, smooth, easy red.

Chai winemaker Mark Hoddy reserves the Belle Roche label for a red wine made from the best parcel of grapes of the vintage. In 2021 he found just the ticket in a few rows of dark, thick-skinned Cabernet, grown in high-up Languedoc vineyards close to Carcassonne. There the climate benefits both from Mediterranean and Atlantic influences, hence a wine that echoes both of the warm ripeness of the Med with the structure of Bordeaux. It's a densely flavoured red, its colour almost black – the reason he calls it his precious ‘black diamond’ of the vintage. Meticulously crafted by Mark at the cellar, Belle Roche is best decanted an hour before serving, just like a claret. It’s ideal with a juicy steak, a rich lasagne or a hearty casserole. Decant.