Our Buyer for Bordeaux, Jean-Marc Sauboua, praises this wine as "Lovely mellow maturity to this well-aged Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, a sibling to Château Plaisance", their flagship Grand Cru.

The 65-year-old vines are planted on prized gravel and sandy soils in the southwest of Saint-Émilion, which means they are very well drained and the grapes at harvest time are exceptionally concentrated. The fruit is hand-picked and meticulously selected.

This opulent Gold-winning Grand Cru is a Merlot dominant blend (80%) with the balance made up of Cabernet Franc (10%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%). A careful hand in the vineyard and the cellar, along with 14+ months' ageing in new oak, ensure pretty fruit with enough power and structure to age. Indeed, it’s rare to obtain a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru with over 10 years’ age and at such a sensible price!

Enjoy aromas of mature red fruits, tobacco, earthy undergrowth, as well as tertiary elements of leather. Over 10 years cellaring has resulted in a silky palate of mellow red fruit, earthy tobacco and gentle spice oak notes. Stand the bottle upright a few hours, so that any sediment there is will drop to the bottom. Then carefully decant. Serve with simple dishes to show it at its best – roast duck or crisp pork belly works best.

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.

It’s a rarely known fact that the Languedoc was the first French region to be introduced to viticultural practices by the Romans. This balmy red wine country took a hit in the 1980s when it became known for high volume wine, which lacked quality. But today, that quality is back thanks to passionate and dedicated Languedoc enthusiasts, such as Laurent Guillot. Born into a fourth generation Burgundian wine family, Laurent decided to head south and create an estate of his own. A north meets south style is evident in this spicy, supple red. With this wine he won Gold, crafting an authentic expression of the wild, sun-blessed terroir. Syrah based, it’s laden with blackberry and peppery spice, with a pep of fresh red fruit from Négrette.

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.