‘No wimpy wines’ was the famous mantra of one Californian Zinfandel producer. These are full-bodied reds with tons of flavour. Think Cabernet Sauvignon and wines from its heartlands in Bordeaux, Napa, Chile and Australia. Or Shiraz, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Carmenere, Ribera del Duero, Barolo, Malbec – the list is long and distinguished.
What to drink them with? A flaming BBQ or a wintery day – these wines warm the cockles whatever. Dark meat like lamb, beef and venison are classic matches. Slow cooking, oven roasting and barbecuing give intense flavours to match the wines.
Find out more about matching food to these wines and the key wine styles in this category. Meanwhile, below are our top tips in the Big Smoothie category.
Vik 2019, Millahue, Cachapoal, Chile, 14.5% (c £100-115, Slurp has the 2015; also internationally for other vintages - find Vik in Winesearcher) Cabernet Sauvignon is the workhorse of Chilean wine. It accounts for nearly a third of the entire vineyard. So it's not surprising there's a fair...
Château Cheval Blanc 1949, St Emilion This isn't an attempt to grandstand. I was lucky enough to try this very special wine during a recent visit to 'The Fort Knox of wine', 100 feet underground in Octavian's Corsham Cellars, and I thought it would be interesting to...
Leeuwin Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Margaret River, Western Australia, 13.5% (£47, Stannary Wine) One of the five founding wineries of the Margaret River region back in the early 1970s, Leeuwin estate has built an enviable reputation as one of Western Australia’s leading lights. In a region famed...
Exquisite Collection Organic Argentinian Malbec 2019, 13.5% (£6.99, Aldi) This juicy, fresh, easy-going red will give a lot of drinking pleasure. It’s worlds away from the body-builder reds that have fallen out of fashion in Argentina lately. This is upbeat, friendly stuff that also happens to be organic....
Neyen Malbec 2016, 13%, Apalta, Chile (c £50) I wasn’t supposed to taste this wine. The producer was supposed to send another wine. But somehow it was this very particular Malbec – just one of 762 bottles made – that ended up being despatched. Serendipity, I guess you’d call...
Ventoux 2017 Rémy Ferbras, France, 14% (£8.79, Waitrose) How’s about this, then? A mini Châteauneuf-du-Pape under a tenner. A fine way to warm the cockles and delight the taste buds during the winter season ahead. It’s a blend of mainly Grenache with 20% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre, grown on...
Château Tayet Cuvée Prestige Bordeaux Supérieur 2015, France (£38.50, Private Cellar) Last week saw The Bunch’s annual tasting at which Private Cellar (new to the group) showed this magnum of Château Tayet. It's a blend of 55% Merlot with 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot, described as...
Salicornia Dão Reserva 2016, 13%, Portugal (£6.99, Aldi) This was my pick of the bunch from a recent Aldi tasting (Sept 2019). As the nights draw in and we all start to crave characterful, comforting reds to sink into, this one ticks all the boxes. It’s Portuguese (made from...
Nero Oro Appassimento 2017, 14%, Sicily, Italy (£8.99, Majestic) For those who like their reds a bit smoother and richer, this is for you. It makes a really versatile drinking partner for many dishes – partly because the appassimento (drying the grapes) gives a bit of richness and...
Naoussa Single Vineyard Xinomavro 2016, Apostolos Thymiopolous 13.5%, Greece (£15.50, The Wine Society) The Greek grape variety Xinomavro literally translates as ‘sour black’. So this gives you some idea of the kind of punch it can pack. (Susie describes it as, ‘like Nebbiolo on speed’.) This rendition is pretty...
Mas Martinet Bru 2016, 14.5%, Priorato, Spain ($39, €18-22, £18.68 Justerini & Brooks) Catalonia is one of our favourite wine regions on the planet. It’s such a beautiful part of the world. Amazing food and wine. Wonderful people. A Mediterranean coastline that veers from the tourisy to the...
Robert Mondavi Winery Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1976, Oakville, California, 13% (Not commercially available) California’s Mondavi Winery is owned by Constellation Brands, a principal supporter of the Institute of Masters of Wine and sponsor of the IMW’s Robert Mondavi Winery Award. This award is given each year to...
Château Lynch Bages 2014, Pauillac, Bordeaux, 13.5% (c £70 per bottle in bond, BBR, Farr Vintners etc) This was a standout wine at a big tasting of 90+ Bordeaux wines from the 2014 vintage held at Vintners Hall by the Institute of Masters of Wine. Also impressive were the...
Chateau de Bel Franc de Bel NV, Bordeaux, France £23.90-29, Jaded Palates, Queen's Park Wines or via Wine Searcher This is Bordeaux, but not as we know it. Olivier Cazenave has a broad smile and big ambitions. He's going against the grain in Bordeaux, one of the most...
Familia Deicas Massimo Deicas Tannat 2013, Uruguay Right at the end of a short but intense visit to Uruguayan wine country, I stopped at Familia Deicas winery. Their consultant, the well known international winemaker Paul Hobbs, also happened to be visiting, so it was a great chance...
Pisano RPF Tannat Family Reserve 2013, 13.5% (£19.50-22, The Wine Reserve or globally via WineSearcher) It was shortly before I headed out to Uruguay that I realised how little I really knew about it. The learning curve was fast and fascinating. After all, it was one of the...
Château La Conseillante 2005, Pomerol, Bordeaux, 13.5% (Peter, 8-8.5/10, March 2018) The 2005 vintage is one of our all-time Bordeaux favourites from the modern era. The 2009 and 2010 were labelled great but all too often the top wines are overblown, borderline egotistical. With the 2005s, there’s...
Changyu Noble Dragon Cabernet Gernischt 2013, China, 12% (£8.50-£10, Sainsburys or via Wine Searcher) Susie writes: This Saturday Kitchen wine is a particularly significant one – because it’s a glimpse into the future. For a start, it’s from China. This vast nation now boasts the world’s second largest vineyard,...
Nero Oro Appassimento 2016, Italy (from £8.99 on multibuy, Majestic or via WineSearcher) I must admit I'm a huge fan of Vivek Singh's cooking - and when he's on festive form, it's a joy to partake. Witness his roast goose breast mappas with aloo podimas in this Christmas...
Finest Viña del Cura Rioja Reserva 2012, Spain (down to £6.80 from £8.50 on offer, Tesco) It's always nice to be original and find quirky wine matches but sometimes it's best just to stick to the absolute classics. The lovely José Pizarro was cooking rack of lamb with...
Sadie Family Wines Treinspoor 2016, Swartland, South Africa (c. £35, Lay & Wheeler, Noel Young, Uncorked, Hedonism, Handford, Philglass & Swiggot & more via WineSearcher) First things first: this is a wildebeest of a wine. It's wild - no domesticated decorum here. It has almost animalistic tendencies...
Tapa Roja Old Vines Monastrell 2015, Spain (£9, Marks & Spencer) When you've got a chef who looks remarkably like Wolverine - then you need to pull a wine out of the bag that will put hairs on your chest. So to speak. Tomer Amedi was cooking a beautifully heart-warming...
Pietradolce Archineri Etna Rosso 2014, Italy (from £27.55, Armit Wines, Oxford Wine Company or via Wine Searcher) I first came across the rugged, uncompromising wines of Sicilian producer Pietradolce at our wine festival and have followed them with interest since. I tried the full range at the recent Italian tasting...
Château Angélus 2012, 14%, Saint-Émilion, France (c £270+ per bottle in bond, BI and other sellers, see Wine Searcher) Angélus is not a wine to shy from the limelight. It commands superstar prices. It features in James Bond movies. Its grandly renovated chateau in Saint-Émilion boasts a...
Château Pontet-Canet 2007, 13%, France (c. £600 per case of 12 in bond, BI – but widely available, see also Wine Searcher) The 2007 vintage in Bordeaux wasn’t particularly memorable. As we noted when we last tasted the vintage in November 2011 (Bordeaux 2007 in stereo), the challenging...
Lava Beneventano Aglianico 2012, Italy (£8, Tesco or via Wine Searcher) I recommended this hearty, seductive Beneventano Aglianico to partner a delightfully hedonistic beef fillet with cabbage and truffled mash by chef Fernando Stovell on Saturday Kitchen. The dish itself is like a deconstructed beef wellington - and...
Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle 1990, 14%, France (£350-500+, see Wine Searcher) ‘As a winemaker, you have to be humble in front of a wine like this,’ muses Caroline Frey, whose family took over historic Rhône producer Paul Jaboulet Aîné in 2006, of the estate’s iconic Hermitage...
Taste the Difference Rioja Reserva 2010 Cepa Alegro, Spain, 13.5% (£7, Sainsbury's) We're big fans of Ben Tish in this household and his Saturday Kitchen dish this weekend made his stock rise even further. I mean, who couldn't love roasted partridge with caramelised chicory, orange, honey and...
Taste the Difference Barbera d'Asti 2014, Italy, 13.5% (£7, Sainsbury's) This own-label Barbera from Sainsbury's is really good value - and very autumnal in feel, with a heart-warming touch of spice to an otherwise silky dark-fruited style. It made a fantastic Saturday Kitchen match for a very autumnal dish...
Villa Borghetti Valpolicella Ripasso 2013, 13.5% (£10.99 when you buy 6, Majestic or via Wine Searcher) So what to choose with a classic bolognese ragu with focaccia by the delightful Italian maestro Gennaro Contaldo? There are plenty of options, from Bardolino (in a lighter style) to Chianti (in a...
Domaine André Perret Merlot, Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes 2014, 13% (£9.95, The Wine Society) It’s fair to say both the label and style of this southern French red are a bit funky – edgy even. Not for everyone, maybe. But part of the reason it’s so...
Domaine de la Grange des Pères Rouge 2013 IGP Hérault, France (£45 Yapp Brothers or use Wine Searcher) An extraordinarily delicious blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Counoise that will blow you away this autumn. Domaine de la Grange des Pères has achieved iconic status. This red...
Sesti Monteleccio 2014, Italy (£15.99 per bottle for case of 12, Armit Wines - or use Wine Searcher) This Monteleccio is a fabulous value wine from one of Montalcino’s most celebrated wine estates, Sesti. We visited not too long ago and were captivated by the stunning scenery...
La Grange des Combes 2013, France, 14% (£9.99 when you buy 6, Majestic) If you like your reds a bit funky, this is a bargain. Strictly speaking, this Grange des Combes is AOC St-Chinian-Roquebrun, a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre. It’s peppery, meaty and full of...
Parker Favourite Son Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Australia (£7.49, Waitrose) What to recommend when the great Pierre Koffmann is cooking venison with raspberry and bitter chocolate sauce on Saturday Kitchen? I went for the hedonistic rather than the classic option. Both had their merits (the classic being a...
The Exquisite Collection Rioja Reserva 2009, 14% (£8.99, Aldi online) Pretty spot on Rioja Reserva at a fair price. It's very classic and there's plenty of wine for the price here. It's a dense, creamy and juicy red with hints of coconut and orange rind to complement the...