DW Wine Club Member Price: $129

Awarded 98pts by a top Italian critic for the previous 4 years and with over 400 top customer reviews, Saracosa Governo is a gorgeous, rich Italian red. Black cherry intensity, mocha and spice, turbo charged by dried Sangiovese and Merlot grapes.

Rated third among the top 10 wineries of Chile and Argentina by The Wine Report, Zuccardi are hugely impressive. Several years ago, their vineyard manager stumbled upon a very old vineyard in Mendoza. The owner, smoking a pipe under a tree, described his small, nuggety grapes as Cachibaché, meaning they were of little value to him (barely bringing in a profit) but potentially of great interest to someone else.

This was because old, low-yielding vines can produce very intense, complex, deeply coloured wines, albeit in tiny quantities. So Zuccardi winemaker Rubén Ruffo got to work. His Cachibaché 2021 is a blend of Shiraz and Malbec, all from this ancient vineyard. Dark fruit and spice, it's superb with lamb shanks and hearty pasta dishes.

He’s been making this gloriously mature treasure exclusively for us for nearly 20 years, and only ever ships La Cantera when it’s been aged to smooth, mellow perfection. Javier works under the radar in Cariñena, where wine has been made for 2,000 years. But the region is overlooked in favour of world famous neighbour Rioja, so you enjoy superb value for money here (and, in the case of La Cantera, Rioja style quality). This is made from old vine Garnacha and Tempranillo and has rich, deep red berry flavours softened by years in barrel and bottle.

For over 30 years, Le XV has delighted fans with its velvety smoothness, decadent richness and sheer generosity of flavour. Originally made by a rugby-mad bunch of winemakers in deepest southern France, its beating heart has always been luscious old-vine Grenache, packed with dark fruits, jammy ripeness and lashings of spice. To celebrate decades of 5-star fandom, Mark Hoddy joined forces with Vincent Gourdon, the visionary behind the original XV, to source extra special parcels of grapes.

Vincent is so well respected in the Roussillon region he’s fondly nicknamed Obi Wine Kenobi! In this deluxe edition, Mark added wild-herb, black-fruit Syrah to the century-old vine Grenache grapes. Dense and warming, it's best paired with hearty dishes.

Finding a parcel of 2010 claret nine years after this 5-Star vintage was a coup for our Buyer Jean-Marc Sauboua. Critic Michael Schuster described the wines of 2010 on release as “massively elegant, fresher, firmer, more tannic”, Suckling praised them for being “very precise, focused and fresh to taste”, “dangerously good” said Jancis Robinson MW.

Médoc wines that year proved particularly good value too. The 40 hectare estate Château Carcanieux has very gravelly soils, hence its original name Carcanieux Les Graves. This encourages superb concentration and ripeness in the wines. Cabernet with Merlot, and aged in barrel, this silky claret has a fine balance of fruit and maturity, with spice from the oak. Decant and serve with steak au poivre.

A fear of heights is a non-starter for those working in the vineyards of Vallée du Paradis. They perch perilously on the slopes below Peyrepertuse, an ancient Cathar fortress some 800m high in the Pyrenees. So collecting the intensely fruity, aromatic grapes is not for the faint-hearted. Luckily, winemaker Benjamin Andrieu is willing to put fear aside to tend them.

?The result is a really appealing red, with bright fruit and seductively spiced notes. Syrah brings ripe blackberry, herbs and liquorice notes, while juicy Grenache and peppery Carignan add even more depth and body. A top choice for those who love smooth, silky reds with the warmth of southern France. Great with grilled meats, pasta with pesto, aubergine bake or on its own.

There are documents showing that wine was made at this beautiful property as early as 1172, when it belonged to Ermengarde, Countess of Narbonne. We don’t know the exact style and quality then, but today it is exemplary – Corbières at its sensuous best! The estate has been in the same family now since 1803 – seven generations of women and now Guillaume Allien, the eighth generation. Despite being in his final year as a medical student, Guillaume gave it all up to restore the family estate and learn winemaking.

He works with consultant Gilles Dejean to make this luscious, dark-fruited red, which speaks clearly of its stony soils, the herbal-scented garrigue and its Corbières provenance. A warming red that’s perfect for a rich casserole.