A southern French wine from the Corbieres appellation in Languedoc-Rousillon. Expect a nose of blackberries and damsons and a savoury palate with bitter cherry fruit. Good structure and strong acidity.

A Lebanese red with exotic fruity aromas, supple tannins and liquorice notes. Chateau Ksara has been adding new grape varieties to the vines of the renowned Bekaa Valley and Le Prieurie is composed of 25% Carignan, 20% Cinsault, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Mourvedre and 15% Syrah. A perfect supping wine or an ideal companion for lamb or a stew.

The Chateau is owned by the Lurton Family and the vineyards enjoy a warm and sunny location helping the fruit to ripen.The backbone of the blend is Merlot with a smaller percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. 2007 was a fairly good year and the junior Bordeaux reds are already drinking very well. A classic match would be a roast lamb or beef.

A really enjoyable Chianti from a very forward looking co-operative – Cantine Leonardo da Vinci. This Chianti is 85% Sangiovese with some Merlot and other local red varieties. It has ripe cherry fruit with the characteristic savoury herbaceous lift of Sangiovese along with its trademark high level of acid - which makes it the perfect foil for tomato based pasta dishes. Supple, ripe and ready to drink now.

Listed as one of the top 100 best value wines in the world in 2008. An intense aroma of ripe dark fruits and vanilla from the American oak barrel ageing. Light on the palate, although not lacking in body and full in flavour leading to a very pleasant and rich finish.

"This is an intense Sicilian of delicious originality," says Malcolm Gluck. We say it is a truly classy wine, with honeysuckle and citrus flavours,a full mouthfeel and dry, powerful finish.

Lovely quaffable stuff - good balance of fruit and oak.

A 100% Cabernet Sauvignon offering from the Raats winemaking family of Stellenbosch in South Africa. A medium to full-bodied wine with black and red fruit flavours and olive notes.

The big gutsy and you guessed it...tannic grape varietal "Tannat" is mellowed out and given a fruitier edge by the addition of Merlot

A delicious wine - a cross between Rioja and Bordeaux from the foothills of the Pyrenees in North-East Spain. It's very silky, medium-bodied with pure fruit and a lick of oak. Great value from a lesser known part of Spain.

A delicate and off-dry rose made in Germany from Pinot Noir by the great Dr Loosen. Refreshing and seriously gluggable.

This wine won a Gold Listing at the Sommelier Wine Awards 2008 and it is easy to see why. Using the dominant grape for port production this wine has bundles of sweet ripe port-like characters on the nose, a dark and brooding red but with such appealing,juicy black berry fruit to make it approachable. Complemented by sweet, spicy, vanilla and chocolate notes and finishing with structured yet ripe tannins. This wine has good concentration and complexity and offers something really different for those who enjoy a full bodied wine.

The Gamay grape from which all Beaujolais is made really benefits from a warm vintage and all the wine writers have been waxing lyrical about the 2009 wines from Beaujolais. They are best drunk a little cooler than most reds and work brilliantly with picnic foods, charcuterie and antipasti where the sappy red fruit and crisp acid are really refreshing. This particular Beaujolais –Villages is very good value.

This straw-coloured Pinot Grigio is rich and round with distinct floral notes on the nose. On the palate it shows honeyed, nutty flavours balanced by crisp, lemony acidity. Good weight and texture sets this apart from the majority of other Pinot Grigio's.