This time of year, simple pleasures spell pumpkin season, first autumnal roast, last crack at the BBQ before the ashes are a distant memory – and a smooth, suave red to bring a smile to the face.
From mid-week meals to ultimate dinners, these wondrous wines – from less than £10 to a couple of super-dupers in the £20 mark – are geared to wine- lovers with a taste for the good life…
1. by Amazon Our Selection Mendoza Argentinian Malbec 2021, Argentina, £7.45, Amazon
If you’re not familiar with by Amazon’s first collection of wines from across the globe, now’s the time to explore these keenly priced bottlings, offering outstanding value. A classic style with plush purple fruits and well padded; pretty violet aromas and cassis notes complement blackberry, plums and black cherry, finishing long and so silky smooth. Bring on the steak!
2. Asda Extra Special Marques del Norte Rioja Reserva 2018, Spain, £9, Asda
With a Decanter World Wine Award Silver Winner 2023, you know you’re onto a good thing with this own-label Reserva. Inky and deep, with florals, cigar box, vanilla oak and sweet spice over rich, brambly fruits with a smooth, persistent finish, think juicy lamb cutlets or wild mushroom risotto… mmm, delicious.
With its rich, velvety red and black bramble fruit flavours, elegant vanilla oak and sweet spice, this Rioja Reserva is perfect with roast lamb or Mexican dishes.
3. Viña Errázuriz Estate Series Merlot 2022, Aconcagua, Chile, £9.99, Majestic
Who can resist a beautifully smooth merlot? Especially one with characteristic Chilean caramel and mocha overtones to lend interest. Soft, ripe fruits abound, with a kiss of vanilla from oak-ageing and smooth, satisfying finish. One for tomato-based pasta dishes or tasty pizza, topped with sausage and black olives.
4. Tesco Finest Wrattonbully Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Wrattonbully, Australia, £10, Tesco
If you’ve never heard of Wrattonbully, don’t worry, nor had we. But this up-and-coming region is firmly on the wine map – and a go-to for cab sav without the hefty price tag of its famous neighbour, Coonawarra. With textbook blackcurrant flavours, bolstered by vanilla cedar and hint of eucalyptus – one of the hallmarks of this variety with gum trees amongst the vines. Rather fabulous.
5. Domaine du Météore Van Gogh Avenue of Poplars in Autumn Rouge, Languedoc, France, £20, Gnarly Vines
More than an utterly gorgeous blend of syrah, grenache and mourvèdre, with fragrant ripe blackcurrants galore; an intriguing balsamic freshness aligned with hints of lavender and fennel, this Languedoc lovely is smooth as silk with a deliciously, soft spicy finish. A special release made in collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the wine is said to ‘represent the link between nature and art’ – aka beauty in a glass.
6. Emilio Moro Ribera del Duero Tempranillo 2020, Spain, £24.94, KWM Wines & Spirits
A wine to swoon over and awarded Decanter 91 points (highly recommended), this tip-top tempranillo hails from Spain’s dynamic Ribera del Duero, one of its top wine-producing regions – and hailed by critics as home to some of its most exciting wines. Seductive from the first sip, it balances elegance with complexity with wafts of rich, ripe red fruits; enticing hints of bark mid-palate with gently toasty oak, a wealth of concentration with refined tannins on the long, lingering finish. Think roast lamb with rosemary and garlic. Fantástico.
