Every wine has a time and a place. I'm not particularly into Rosé wine but every now and then on a hot summer day I end up quite fancying a glass. At this time of year however with the wind battering the door and your car windscreen under an inch of ice there is only one option; a big hearty glass of red!

My wine drinking tends to follow this type of seasonal pattern. Come March I'll probably drop down to a slightly lighter red before drinking a lot more white over the summer (assuming of course we get one).

I've had a quick scour of the local and national wine shops for particularly interesting winter reds which I've set out below.

Turkey Flat Butcher's Block Red 2009 - £12.49 from Connolly's (McLaren Vale Australia) - a real personal favourite this with vibrant dark fruit flavours and a hint of spice. This is a classic Aussie blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre and it works very well. Good enough to make you happy that it's winter! This is a very easy drinking red which always puts a smile on my face.

Viñalba Malbec Reserva 2009/2010 - £7.99 from Majestic (Mendoza, Argentina) - this is usually £10.99 per bottle but at present it's on offer at Majestic where you save £6 if you buy two bottles. I generally need no excuse to buy a second bottle of this. Malbec is one of my favourite winter wines and it's not hard to see why it's becoming increasingly popular. This is full of plumy flavours with a hint of chocolate. A lot of wine for the money!

Some Young Punks 'Passion Has Red Lips' 2010 - £11.89 from FindWine.co.uk (Clare Valley, Australia) - wine should above all else be good fun. The chaps at Some Young Punks winery in Australia clearly agree with their eye catching labels and modern names. This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz which is both full of fruit flavours yet also elegant. A very well made wine from a brilliant winery!

I'd love to hear what you think of the above so feel free to get in touch!

Richard Saxton AKA "The Graped Crusader"
www.thegrapedcrusader.co.uk