Red Wines

Pitted with deep valleys and sheltered by the Aragonese Pyrénées, Somontano offers protection from bitter northerlies, Zaragozan dryness and Mediterranean humidity, natural advantages exploited by the Otto Bestué family, resident in Enate since 1640, and now owners of sizeable Tempranillo and Cabernet vineyards. A year in American oak has added toasty, spicy overtones to this fleshy style, with its rich plum and cherry flavours. One for red meats and strong cheeses.

Mainly Garnacha but with addition of Cabernet which dominates with its blackcurrant flavours. Vigorous and fruity balanced by an oaky backbone.

The Great Zorbel. Youthful Traslepuy proprietor Frédéric Z. has the attention-grabbing skills of a circus ringmaster. Hearing we were in the southern Rhône he waylaid us with an invitation to taste and we're glad he did. In 2000 he took vineyards around Roquemaure and Lirac, began cultivating organically and built his own winery. This big, ripe Grenache-based red has well-structured tannins supporting velvety black fruit flavours. Great with Suffolk sausages.

Lively purple-red. Bright and vivacious with soft, ripe plum and summer fruit flavours.

Bruno Fina spent the 1990's running Sicily's experimental cellar at Alcamo, applying radical techniques to Sicilian varieties in pursuit of their true vocation. He advised growers making plantings - so he knows where the best grapes are, and what they can do. His cellar, near Erice, was ready for the superb 2005 vintage. Nero d'Avola is also known as Calabrese, given its apparent origins in Calabria. Big, rich blackberry and dark cherry flavours make this a great wine for game.

A dashing blend of traditional Douro grape varieties. Rich, ripe and spicy.

Crozes-Hermitage, on a fertile plain encircling the stony hill of Hermitage, offers less heroic styles for sooner drinking. There is much to admire in these elegant northern Rhône Syrahs: spicy smokiness evoking bacon, black olives and thyme. At his estate in Mercurol, Philippe Desmure and daughter Emilie preserve essence of Crozes with minimum intervention methods. With its supple red fruit and roasted ham aroma, this is perfect with slow-cooked pork.

There's nothing lean, mean or green about the Loire Cabernet Francs of Frédéric Mabileau. As wife Nathalie (mother of two dimpled boys) says "He knows how to make chubby babies. " Frédéric lovingly tends his Bourgeuil vineyards, ploughing between rows to aerate the soil, and pruning and training to expose bunches to maximum sunlight. His perfectly-ripe grapes produce soft, fleshy wines like this, full of juicy red berry flavours. Delicious with poultry or delicatessen meats.

Classic claret. Mellow, complex, mature aromas and flavours. The perfect match for traditional roast beef.

Supple, spicy Cinsault meets juicy blackcurrant-scented Cabernet Sauvignon in this soft, generous Cape style. Peppery notes make it a great match for steaks. Revitalised management at this 60-year-old co-op winery in the Western Cape's idyllic Franschhoek Valley has rallied the number of crush-contributors to 50, including historic Huguenot estate La Motte. Dynamic, Cape- and California-trained Jolene Calitz has proven that Franschhoek can be red wine country.

The town of Andosilla, at Rioja's northern edge, has prospered by its proximity to vineyards set among the fertile plains of the rivers Ebro and Ega in the beautiful valley of Baztan. Bodegas Bagordi was born of the enthusiasm of several local grapegrowers who united in 1995 to produce organic wines. Their success is evident in releases like this smooth, well-structured Tempranillo with its warm berry fruit flavours and supple, spicy tannins. Roast lamb wine.

Revitalised management at this 60-year-old co-op winery in the Western Cape's idyllic Franschhoek Valley has rallied the number of crush-contributors to 50, including historic Huguenot estate La Motte. Dynamic, Cape- and California-trained Jolene Calitz has proven that Franschhoek can be red wine country. French oak-aged for 5 months, this supple, juicy red blend suits light meats, pâtes and pasta.

Given Southwold's proud seafaring tradition, it was hard to resist bottles from Tuscany's Barbanera ('Black Beard') family, based near Montepulciano. Fitting, then, that the wine we liked best was this hearty Chianti Riserva made from 100% Sangiovese: 'sanguis Jovis', the blood of Jupiter. Sourced from old, low-yielding vines and oak-aged for two years, it's ripe, ready and vital, a treasure trove of rich spicy red cherry flavour. Swig with garlicky steaks.

Easygoing yet satisfyingly complex, this lovely wine, with its aromas of raspberries and cherry-stone elegance, is at its best with roast duck or soft cheeses. Based in Lantignie near the 'cru' village of Regnié, the Joubert family operate from a charming chalet-like wooden winery. It sits in a mini-crevasse formed by the village's towering church walls and a precipitous slope of vines. This wine hails from Juliénas, one of 6 'crus' in which the Jouberts own vineyards.

Inky richness of wild berries and cooked plums with a fine and lingering oak edged finish.

Tannat is a grape variety native to the Gascony region of southwest France. It is by nature a producer of darkly-coloured chewy reds, but in this case thoughtful modern winemaking has brought out the softer fruit flavours. Made by the ultra-reliable Plaimont winery, who have an admirable focus on polishing the finer characters of the region's local grapes, bringing intriguing styles to a wider audience. Le Fâite is a recreation of an old wine found in Plaimont's cellars, hence the wooden tag.

Complex, Merlot-rich claret, with hints of damsons and chocolate, an ideal partner for stews and casseroles. Pure, unadulterated, unoaked essence of St-Emilion from Isabelle Visage, who believes passion is central to winemaking: you must enjoy what you do and relish drinking the result. "Pleasure is everything." She and father Régisse work 4 parcels of vines around their chateau in Jupille, near St. Sulpice de Faleyrens, bought three generations ago from the Carillon family.

You'd think naming an appellation after a Roman god would give it a head start in the prestige stakes. But Mercurey struggles because it's south of the Côte de Beaune and dismissed by those who drink labels instead of wine. Since the '60s Jean Maréchal (whose family has grown grapes here since 1570) has raised standards at his 10 hectare estate, making Burgundies genuinely worthy of respect.

Strong. Rich black fruit with liquorice undertones. The character of the Syrah shines through in exemplary fashion on the finish. Textbook stuff with added pleasure.

Big, full-bodied and loaded with ripe blackberry fruit. Benchmark Aussie Shiraz.