Red Wines
We offer more red wine than white on our website… Well, there is a view that a meal without red wine is like a day without sunshine…
As a general rule red grape varieties tend to perform at their best in warmer temperatures than white. So whilst one could argue that the very greatest reds of the world come from marginal zones where the local vines need to be coaxed to full ripeness - for example Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux, Pinot Noir in Burgundy and Syrah in the northern Rhône - there is abundant decent red wine available now from countries or regions enjoying a Mediterranean climate; in particular the south of France, Italy, Spain, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, California, etc.
While certain grape varieties are associated with particular countries or regions (for example Sangiovese with central Italy, Tempranillo with Spain, Malbec with Argentina, Carmenère with Chile, the home-grown Pinotage with South Africa, Zinfandel with California), it is the varieties best known for making top French wine - Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Syrah (Shiraz), Pinot Noir, and, to a lesser extent, Grenache and Mourvèdre - which have been widely planted all over the new world.
A word about ripeness, alcohol levels and climate change. Red wines, even more than white, are becoming more alcoholic. This is as a result of a number of different factors working together. First, consumers now seek riper wines - wines made from grapes which are picked properly ripe, with higher sugar levels which, once fermented out, become higher alcohol levels. (My theory as to why riper wines are so much more popular is related to us having become accustomed to higher sugar levels in a modern diet). Better management of the vines (in particular the "canopy" of the leaves) and more sophisticated weather forecasting has enabled growers to ripen their grapes better and pick at the right moment.
And on top of that is climate change. Thirty years ago reds from Bordeaux used to be bottled at 12-12.5%; since the hot 2009 vintage most examples show 13-14.5%, and some wines actually contain over 15% of alcohol.
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Organic / Biodynamic
Vintage
Raspberry and bilberry fruit, bold and juicy, with just a smidge of tannin which makes this...
OriginSouth Africa
RegionWestern Cape
ColourRed
ABV14%
Bottle75cl
CodeFAB820
GrapePinotage
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From vines averaging 25 year old vines in Maipú. Red and black-berried fruit, peck of spice,...
OriginArgentina
RegionMendoza
ColourRed
ABV14%
Bottle75cl
CodeDEN121
GrapeMalbec
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From parcels of old vines (70-80 years old) around the village of Mantanza de Soria this is 95%...
OriginSpain
RegionRibera del Duero
ColourRed
ABV14.5%
Bottle75cl
CodeLAH619
GrapeTempranillo & Albillo Mayor
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A barrel election of the vintage. Soft bricky tone. This opens out spectacularly, flamboyantly...
OriginItaly
RegionTuscany
ColourRed
ABV14%
Bottle75cl
CodeCDL416
GrapeSangiovese
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I Fabbri, Chianti Classico, Terra di Lamole, 2020
Medium bodied
"Delicious, all-the-boxes-ticked Chianti Classico. New leather, sour cherries, liquorice...
OriginItaly
RegionTuscany
ColourRed
ABV13.5%
Bottle75cl
CodeIFA220
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Save £9.30
Artisan Wines, Zweigelt, Neusiedlersee DAC, 2020
Medium-Bodied
The DAC of Neusiedlersee is only a decade old and little known in this country, but the...
OriginAustria
RegionNeusiedlersee
ColourRed
ABV13.5%
Bottle75cl
CodeART220
GrapeZweigelt
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Old vines indeed - planted from 1945 to1969. About 25% new oak. Ripe, open, but mildly sappy...
OriginFrance
RegionBurgundy
ColourRed
ABV13.5%
Bottle75cl
CodeFAJ519
GrapePinot Noir
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This is a well-sited vineyard: the upper part of Les Robardelles is actually 1er Cru and the...
OriginFrance
RegionBurgundy
ColourRed
ABV13%
Bottle75cl
CodeHUB719
GrapePinot Noir
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From four parcels, two in Bligny and two between Bligny and Pommard, given 12 months in barrel,...
OriginFrance
RegionBurgundy
ColourRed
ABV13%
Bottle75cl
CodeGUI120
GrapePinot Noir
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The Hautes Côtes - literally the higher slopes - has, with climate change, become a source of...
OriginFrance
RegionBurgundy
ColourRed
ABV13%
Bottle75cl
CodeCLB620
GrapePinot Noir
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Yann Chave, Hermitage, 2019
Full Bodied
Yann’s Hermitage, also in demi-muids, but 100% new, comes from plots in Beaumes (granitic)...
OriginFrance
RegionRhone
ColourRed
ABV15%
Bottle75cl
CodeCHA319
GrapeRhone blend
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Named after a type of sessile oak; from parcels of 58 year old vines on the very stony fields...
OriginFrance
RegionRhone
ColourRed
ABV15%
Magnum150cl
CodeCHA919
GrapeSyrah