Society's Reds

A Wine Champion in 2023 following our extensive blind tastings. 'Fabulous purity` and ‘lipsmacking freshness` secured victory for this delightful 2022, primed, said Sebastian Payne MW, for a ‘delicious steak` and a high probability of finishing the bottle!

Soft, chillable and so easy to enjoy, this is a delicious ambassador for the quality, value and finesse South Africa`s reds can offer. The country`s signature grape, pinotage, is blended expertly with syrah and handled gently in the winery by the outstanding Radford Dale team, resulting in a joyful, cherry-scented Wine Champion. Radford Dale are a brilliant case study in pioneering sustainable practices, despite challenging circumstances. They employ practical low-intervention solutions in the vineyards such as encouraging raptors to manage pests, and creating a natural water purification system with reeds. They also run a trust using revenue from the sale of wines of the Land of Hope range to fully pay all educational costs for the children of their black employees.

Classic zinfandel from California, with cherry and sarsaparilla on the nose, wild strawberry and redcurrant coming through on the full yet soft palate and a hint of vanilla on the finish.

This friendly and fresh-tasting claret is one of The Wine Society`s most consistently popular wines. Supplied for over a quarter of a century by family-owned Maison Sichel, the bespoke blend varies from vintage to vintage, but merlot takes the lead role, and the wine is made without any oak to avoid masking its bright, red and black fruit flavours. This is made to be drunk young, on its own or with a wide variety of dishes. The new label for this perennial favourite shows three muses that can also be seen on the Grand Theatre opera house in Bordeaux itself. The 2022 is a blend of 58% merlot, 34% cabernet sauvignon, 5% cabernet franc, 2% petit verdot and 1% malbec.

This is the ideal introduction to Argentine malbec.It has a forthcoming floral aroma with some black-fruit character and a fresh, round and balanced palate. It's mainly from the Valle de Uco for aroma and intensity of flavour with some Agrelo fruit for richness. It is produced exclusively for The Wine Society by Dominio del Plata, a winery owned by one of Argentina`s most celebrated winemakers, Susana Balbo. A gaucho rides on a sheepskin covered saddle which is illustrated on the new label.

From a high-quality, coolish vintage, this is impressive cedary, fine-flavoured, partially oak-matured cabernet offering excellent value for money. Concha y Toro are a leader in more sustainable working practices in Chile, with strategies to reduce energy and water use, environmental projects including increasing biodiversity, and many local community initiatives.

This barbera is from the beautiful Cascinone vineyard in Piedmont, Italy. Bursting with ripe juicy red fruit, this medium-bodied red has had time in large old oak casks, softening the tannins

A 2024 Wine Championship winning combination of plump red and black fruits, juicy refreshment and a price described as ‘madness for this quality` when the winning bottle bag was undone. In a line-up of Portuguese reds that ‘showed what incredible value they are`, this member favourite really stood out.

Dark and brimming with hedgerow fruit and a touch of spice, this is a full-bodied wine from the rugged landscape of the Corbières in the south of France. Carignan is the principal element in the blend, which also includes grenache and syrah. An excellent choice for a wide variety of foods.

Deep in colour, with raspberry flavour and a touch of spice, this inexpensive red really overdelivers. From sun-soaked vineyards in southern Spain where the monastrell grape excels.

This is a lovely, supple syrah, brimming with ripe flavours of red summer fruit. Most of it comes from vineyards in Brézème, on limestone soils, a dozen miles or so from Crozes towards the south. A perfect little red for grills and simple meals.

Made for The Wine Society by Yalumba. The nose is juicy, generous and bright with blackcurrant notes. The palate is full-bodied and fresh, with black and red-fruit character and great structure.