Wine Basics
Popular grapes & styles
Other grapes/styles: carignan, tannat, Valpolicella ripasso
Cabernet Sauvignon
Where you'll find it: Worldwide, but most famously Bordeaux, Australia, California and Chile
Flavours:
Old World:
New World:
Blackcurrant
Mint
Tobacco
Style: Serious, brooding and complex.
Food: Meaty, umami flavours like beef or mushrooms.
Drink it here: In classy surroundings with your favourite company.
View our cabernet sauvignon range
Zinfandel
Where you'll find it: California, USA, or Italy (where it is known as primitivo)
Flavours:
Sweet/Sour Cherry
Cranberry
Blackberry
Chocolate
Style: Bold, rich and generous, and generally higher in alcohol.
Food: Red-meat curries or turkey and the trimmings.
Drink it here: To warm up on cold winter evenings by the fire.
View our zinfandel range
Malbec
Where you'll find it: Most famously Argentina, but also Cahors in South-West France and the Loire where it is called cot.
Flavours:
Brambly Fruit
Spice
Leather
Style: Rustic, deeply coloured and rich.
Food: Game, or spicy grilled beef, sausages or vegetables.
Drink it here: At a summer barbecue, even if it rains!.
View our malbec range
Syrah / Shiraz
Where you'll find it: Widely grown, but especially Rhône (particularly north), Australia, South Africa and New Zealand
Flavours:
Black Pepper
Plums
Blackcurrant
Spice
Style: Dark, elegant and concentrated
Food: Peppered steak, wild mushroom linguine, or venison
Drink it here: Friday night dinner with friends
View our syrah / shiraz range
Grenache / Garnacha
Where you'll find it: Southern Rhône, Languedoc-Roussillon, Spain, Australia
Flavours:
Raspberry
Sweet Spice
Herbs
Style: Heartwarming, full-bodied and hot.
Food: Herby Mediterranean stews and comforting meat or vegetable pies.
Drink it here: When you're dreaming of your next sunny holiday.
View our grenache / garnacha range
Rioja
(made with the tempranillo grape, among others)
Where you'll find it: The Rioja region in northern Spain
Flavours:
Style: Traditional: Fragrant, silky and delicate
Modern: Rich, rounder and structured
Food: Roast lamb, Manchego cheese.
Drink it here: On summer Sundays with good company.
View our Rioja range
Other grapes and styles
Other grapes and styles
Carignan/Cariñena: A dark, full-flavoured Spanish grape from the region of the same name, but also widely grown in southern France.
Tannat: Deeply dark and brooding southern French grape used to make Madiran, and also earning a reputation in Urguayan reds.
Valpolicella, ripasso-style: Made with the corvina grape in Italy's Veneto region in 'ripasso' styles of Valpolicella the wine is passed through barrels containing the skins and lees of recently made Amarone wine.
What makes a red wine full-bodied?
Alcohol
A wine's alcohol level contributes to its mouthfeel and weight. Grapes grown in hotter climates tend to have higher sugar levels and therefore make wines with higher alcohol.
Tannin
Tannins come from the skin, seed and grapes, as well as oak barrels, giving red wines grip and structure, and ageability.
Dark fruits
Fuller-bodied wines tend to have darker fruit flavours, like brambly blackberry, dark cherry and blackcurrant.
Positive health benefits?
Some studies have shown fuller-bodied reds contain antioxidants that might provide cardiovascular health benefits!
Food Matching
Rich Stews & Curries: These full-blooded reds amp up the spice factor in chilli-heavy foods, so beware ? mildly spiced chillies and stews will love the bold tannins and fruitiness here though.
Hard Cheeses: Manchego, Cheddar, Parmesan... these all have the power to take on the big tannnis and flavours of these brooding reds.
Sunday Roasts: From lamb shanks to beef Wellington, these rich wines have the wow-factor needed for a special Sunday lunch.