£6, Tesco A bargain from Madiran in the foothills of the Pyrenees in south west France, one of my favourite parts of the world and one for which the description La France Profonde could have been coined. The wines hereabouts are rarely less than distinctive, whether red, white, dry or sweet. Madiran is red and is made from the muscular local Tannat grape which has given the wines a reputation for being big, robust, sometimes even a bit brutal. Réserve des Tuguets shows a gent

£7–£9, Marks & Spencer Madiran from southwest France is definitely one of France’s wilder, more rugged red wines. If you’ve bumped into it before, you’ll know that it can be a bit of a bruising experience, but this one has been tamed just enough to make you feel you can drink it rather than carve it. It has the tannic grip to keep it real, but it’s been smoothed down around a core of rich, dark fruit and spice. The grape that gives Madiran its distinctive character is the loc