Red
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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Red
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Product Code: VIB117
Vicien, Malbec, Catamarca, 2017
“Is the 2017 the most delicious vintage yet of one of our best-selling wines - a wine we have been shipping for 14 years...? From vineyards over 5,000...”
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Product Code: GRV117
Château La Grave, Minervois Rouge, Tristan & Julien, 2017
“From halves of Grenache and Syrah, showing the strawberry sweetness of the former combined with the black fruit of the latter. So ripe and easy...”
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Product Code: ESZ118
Les Vignerons d’Estezargues, Cuvee des Galets, Cotes du Rhone, 2018
“Juicy, unfiltered blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah: raspberryish mouthful, mildly spicy and very moreish. A long term favourite at SVS. Now-2021”
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Product Code: VEG217
Vega del Rayo, Rioja, Vendimia Seleccionada, 2017
“A blend of about 95% Tempranillo and 5% Mazuelo, a cheerful, oaked (American and Russian) Rioja. Clean, raspberry, red and black cherry character,...”
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Product Code: MOP115
Domaine Monier Perreol, Saint Joseph, Terres Blanches, 2015
“A wine of such finesse, melding vanilla and clove oak aromas with silky layers of blackberry and blackcurrant. Great purity, length and perfume....”
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Product Code: BOR318
Bodegas Borsao, Garnacha, Joven, Campo de Borja, 2018
“Bodegas Borsao is a big co-operative, marketing wines from over 600 growers whose land undulates across the Moncayo hills. Garnacha (Grenache), the...”
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Product Code: LAH118
El Lagar de Isilla, Ribera Del Duero, Roble, 2018
“A best-seller here, 95% Tempranillo with 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, given precisely 122 days (it says so on the label) in French and American oak...”
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Product Code: LAH314
El Lagar de Isilla, Ribera Del Duero, Reserva, 2014
“100% Tempranillo, including some parcels 80-90 years old; in French barrels for 18 months. Pure, lifted red fruit perfume on smart oak. Currently...”
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Product Code: CAE412
Carinae, Malbec, Hommage, Mendoza, 2012
“Amazing old-vine Malbec from 93 year old vines in a high altitude vineyard at Calle Cobos, Perdriel in Luján de Cuyo, just south of Mendoza; tiny...”
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Product Code: BAJ317
Château Barrejat, Madiran, Cuvée des Vieux Ceps, 2017
“Old vines indeed, over 80 years and some pre-phylloxera, so perhaps over 150 years old: 80% Tannat plus the Cabernets, well-oaked. Inky purple....”
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Product Code: CLB616
Francoise & Denis Clair, Hautes Côtes de Beaune Rouge, 2016
“From 35 year old vines on clay soils above Maranges, unoaked, a pure wine for lovers of old-fashioned fresh Burgundy....”
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Product Code: PON617
Ca’ di Ponti, Nero d’Avola, IGT Sicilia, 2017
“Brambly fruit. Honest, mildly rustic and characterful, better with food. Now-2019”
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Product Code: DGA217
Domaine du Grand Arc, Corbieres Rouge, Reserve Grand Arc, 2017
“One of our staples at SVS, about 50% Carignan, with 35% Grenache and 15 % Mourvedre, a splendid barrel-aged wine which can be drunk young or kept....”
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Product Code: LAH416
El Lagar de Isilla, Ribera Del Duero, Crianza, 2016
“92% Tempranillo from 50-70 year old vines, with Cabernet and Merlot, given fourteen months in French oak. Showy and extrovert, showing intense black...”
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Product Code: BAD816
Badenhorst Family Red, Swartland, Coastal Region, 2016
“71% Shiraz, 13% Grenache, 11% Cinsault and 5% Tinta Barocca, given a very long post-fermentation maceration. Crafted for perfume, suavity and...”
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Product Code: GRC315
Château Les Gravières de la Brandille, Cuvée Prestige, Bordeaux Supérieur, 2015
“From 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, and a selection of older vines on prime gravel and clay soils, this has spent 12 months in oak barrels,...”
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Product Code: BAD618
Badenhorst, Secateurs Red, Coastal Region, 2018 (screwcap)
“The latest vintage is unusual in being based on 82% Cinsault, with 10% Shiraz and 8% Grenache, just rounded by big old oak vats. The Cinsaut makes...”
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Product Code: FON116
Domaine Fontanel, Côtes du Roussillon, Rouge, 2016
“From Syrah, Grenache and Carignan grown on schist near Maury, unoaked and a classic Roussillon red, with those characteristic notes of spice, tar and...”
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Product Code: CNV117
Conviviale, Primitivo, Salento, 2017
“Gutsy grape of Croatian origin (aka Tribidrag), genetically identical to Zinfandel. Bittersweet black fruit, generous, punchy and bold. Now-2020”
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Product Code: FAB816
False Bay, Pinotage, Western Cape, 2016 (screwcap)
“Bittersweet raspberry and bilberry fruit, bold and juicy, with just a smidge of tannin. Now-2020”
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Product Code: LEQ616
Lequin-Colin, Bourgogne Pinot Noir, 2016(screwcap)
“All the wine goes into barrel, 10% new. More sophisticated than usual in this vintage, fresh and zesty …”
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Product Code: BDU615
Château Beauregard Ducasse, Cuvée Albert Duran, Graves, 2015
“Gruff M. Perromat’s top wine, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with a little Petit Verdot, well-oaked. First impression is of great mass; then it...”
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Product Code: KRO2NV
Krohn, Port, Rio Torto Reserva, NV
“The small house of Krohn is perhaps better known for excellent colheita tawnies, but this superior Ruby struck us as great value. From the classic...”
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Product Code: PLA116
Château La Plaige, Bordeaux Supérieur, 2016
“Charmingly labelled wine - which we have shipped many times before. It's a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon in the superb 2016...”
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Product Code: GRC115
Chateau Les Gravieres de la Brandille, Bordeaux Superieur, 2015
“"And one from the right bank, a sort of baby Pomerol with a medicinal hint and great richness. Drink over the next few years. …”
