£9.95, The Wine Society In the second of my two summer rosé roundups, I applauded the more interesting textures making rosés ever more versatile wines at the table. This Portuguese star is exactly the kind of wine I was talking about. It draws you in with lightly floral cherry and raspberry aromas, then delivers the same breezy fruit on the palate with almost chewable, textured roundness and dry, salty, mineral length. Really delicious. It's made from Tinta Roriz (aka Tempran

£12, Tesco I'm posting this a day early in case anyone is still looking for a red wine for Christmas Day. I've chosen a full-bodied, approachable, barrel-aged Spanish red that could accompany beef, lamb, pork or game, as well as goose, turkey or duck, or vegetarian dishes such as mushroom and chestnut Wellington and vegetable and cheese pies and gratins. It could also stand alongside hard cheeses such as cheddar and Manchego, but I would spare it the stilton. It's made from T

£8.50 on offer, Sainsbury's The name of this wine is so long I couldn't fit in its designation, Vino de la Tierra, but that's what it is: a Tempranillo from an estate in the Vino de la Tierra (IGP in eurospeak) of Castilla, south of Madrid. As well as being certified organic, the vines are cultivated biodynamically – the various vineyard tasks timed according to the phases of the moon (hence Entre Lunas – 'between the moons'). It's a full-bodied, velvety red that has been age

Clams and Galician blond breed beef (Rubia gallega) at Asador Etxebarri, where everything is grilled over wood fires, using different woods. Roda owner and founder Mario Rotllant isn't afraid to serve his red wines with fish and seafood. Or, for that matter, with desserts The text of this article was first published in The World of Fine Wine issue 60 Three decades is both a long time and a short time in the life of a wine producer starting from scratch and aiming for the star

£14, Sainsbury's This has been aged in oak – and not any old oak but "lightly toasted, hand-cleft French new oak barrels from the very best cooperages in France," according to the bodega – but as it spent only eight months in the barrels it isn't either a Rioja Crianza or a Reserva, both of which have to be at least a year in oak. It's certainly none the poorer for that. What the oak provides here is a lightly oaky backdrop and polished texture to support the glossy blueberry

£12.95, Great Western Wine There are some Riojas that wouldn't be up to Christmas lunch, but this has what it takes – and not only to stand up to the cacophony of trimmings and accompaniments that cascades around the traditional turkey but to stand up to a rib of beef with creamed horseradish (more cream/crème fraiche than horseradish, please) or a multi-cultural vegetarian or vegan fest. With roast goose I prefer more mature reds (my matching wine to goose principles are her

£14.95/£13.50, Lea & Sandeman At the annual tasting last week of The Bunch group of six independent wine merchants, of which Lea & Sandeman is one, most of the 60 wines had been made by women: it was this year's theme. I could have chosen any number for this slot, and no doubt will in the weeks to come, but this one, made by a woman, Sandra Bravo, wasn't one of the 60 (how contrary can I be?). Another of her Riojas was shown, the glorious 900-bottle Camino de Santa Cruz, but

£25–£29, Laithwaites, Swig, Armit Vina Ardanza is one of the true classics of Rioja. It's been around for 76 years and each vintage has the same overarching style – generous, inviting, elegantly oaky and spicy – but varying according to the growing season. 2009 was a hot, dry year, which isn't necessarily a good thing, but in this case September rains came at the right time to slow the pace of ripening and give succulent, sweet, spicy red fruit, nutty roundness and polished t

£12 (on offer), Sainsbury's Textbook Gran Reserva from CVNE, one of Rioja's most admired bodegas. Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (you can see why it's known as CVNE, pronounced 'coonay') has long since perfected a style that blends modernity with the best of classical approaches: in this case, combining ripe, dark fruit with two years' ageing in French and American oak barrels followed by three years in bottle. The result is a balance of sweet, velvety fruit with cream

£11, Tesco (25% off when you buy 6: £49.50) Wire-wrapped bottles divide Spanish red wine drinkers into those who run a mile and those for whom they beckon invitingly. If you’re one of the runners, I'm with you. Much as I try not to have preconceptions, I can't help associating wire-nets with old-fashioned, oak-dominated reds. How wrong can I be? This is an oaky Rioja – it's a Gran Reserva, matured in oak for two years – but it’s also a dark, plummy, full-bodied Rioja made by

£7.99, Co-op Running With Bulls is one of the new breed (excuse the pun) of Australian wines made from non-traditional grape varieties. Across Australia, winemakers have been trying to get out of the Shiraz-Cabernet-Chardonnay straightjacket for a decade and more – not least because of climate change – but planting new vineyards or replanting existing ones takes time wherever you are – and money. The added obstacle in Australia is that imported cuttings have to go through yea

£7.99 in a 6-bottle mix This was so nearly a £15 red, but someone at the winery felt inspired to add some grapes from outside the designated Toro region to give the wine a bit of extra freshness and someone decided to send it outside the region for bottling, neither of which is an option for DO (denominación de origen) wines. So it has ended up as a bargain Vino de la Tierra. It has the power of a Toro, the chocolaty spice and smoothness of maturation in oak barrels and a hea

£12.95, FromVineyardsDirect This week’s wine is a comforting, oak-matured red for wintery weather and warming food. It’s a limited production from two of Rioja Vega’s oldest vineyards (mainly Tempranillo planted more than 50 year ago) made in a deliberately modern, full style to bring out vibrancy as well as richness – dark, glossy black fruit shot through with liquorice, spice, dark chocolate and toasty oak and a seductive cappuccino creaminess. While it’s a good match for r

£9.99, Waitrose until 20 September (then £13.49); £9.99 for 6 bottles, Majestic; £14, Tesco and Ocado The winemaker of this multi award-winning Rioja Reserva says that it could be cellared until 2024, but it’s so deliciously drinkable now you would need to be impressively self-disciplined, or buy a lot of it, to keep it that long. That said, the current special offer price of £9.99 in Waitrose (25% off, until 20 September) and Majestic’s six bottle price (also £9.99) does mak

£12.99, or £9.74 in any 6-bottle mix, Majestic Everything a Rioja Reserva should be and an ideal red with which to greet the new year: full and velvety with sweet berry, coffee, spice and cedar flavours wrapped in oak, but not swamped by it. Background: it was made at La Rioja Alta's Torre de Oña winery in the Rioja Alavesa area where it spent 20 months in oak, 70% of it French, 40% of it new. More importantly, it's a match for almost any roast or grilled meat, duck or game b