Red Wine in Stockport

Biodynamic Blaufränkisch from the Michlits family's mixed farm beside the Neusiedlersee, where cattle, grain and vines all run on one cycle. Light on its feet at 11.5%: sour cherry, black pepper and a cool chalky edge, dry and unforced. Give it twenty minutes in the fridge and treat it like a good Loire red.

Bright ruby with a youthful rim: juicy red cherry and plum, a light peppery spice and gentle herbal lift, soft tannin and a fresh, balanced finish. An easy, food-friendly red from Karl Fritsch's Wagram vineyards. Certified organic and biodynamic (respekt-BIODYN).

The polished, barrel-aged expression of Melnik 55, a modern Bulgarian crossing of the indigenous Broad-leaved Melnik with Valdiguié: deep ruby with violet nuances, ripe red fruits, black cherry and blueberry lifted by vanilla and spice. 24 months in French oak.

A sweet red from Mavrud grapes air-dried for three months before pressing. Dark and rich — prunes, blackcurrant, caramel and chocolate — held together by fresh acidity and soft tannins. No oak. Half bottle.

The château's flagship Boutenac, sold until recently as Cuvée Prestige. Carignan goes in whole-bunch and carbonic, the Syrah, Mourvèdre and Grenache the traditional way, all on wild yeasts with no added sulphur, then ten months split between tank and demi-muid. Dense and savoury — dark fruit, garrigue and crushed stone — with the polish that separates Boutenac from everyday Corbières. Certified organic.

A ripe but fresh Right-Bank-style red (the estate's "CDT" cuvée, labelled Vin de France): dark cherry, forest fruits, a hint of spice and dark chocolate, framed by fine, ripe tannins. Certified organic (Ecocert) and farmed biodynamically. Made by Corinne and Jean-Michel Comme.

Six hectares on the Figeac plateau, hemmed in on all sides by Cheval Blanc, Figeac and — over the Pomerol line — La Conseillante. Merlot with a third Cabernet Franc off gravel terraces, aged around a year in a third new oak, a third one-year barrels and a third concrete. Cherries, spice and sweet earth; broad but lively, with the moderate alcohol that made 2020 such a fine Right Bank vintage. Wine Advocate gave it 92 points and the Guide Hachette a star. Certified organic (Ecocert) since the 2012 vintage.

A light-to-medium-bodied natural red from south-east Sicily, concentrated yet delicate, with red berries and blood orange, floral and herbal notes, and a fresh, saline finish. Organic grapes.

Deep ruby to garnet, with cherry jam, dried fruit cake and vanilla. Concentrated and full-bodied from appassimento-dried grapes — ripe black fruit, coffee and toast over a warm, structured finish, softened by time in oak. Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG at 15%.

An easy-drinking Sicilian blend of Nero d'Avola and Merlot. Deep ruby with liquorice and raspberry — a great everyday red for pizza, pasta or a simple charcuterie board.

Brunello's younger sibling, and it drinks like it — pure Sangiovese from Flavio Fanti's vineyards on the southern side of Montalcino, fourteen months in French tonneaux and four more in bottle. Bright ruby with violets and sour cherry, soft-tannined and carried by the acidity that makes Montalcino such a good wine at the table. Ready now, but in no hurry.

High-altitude Sangiovese from the Monte Subasio park above Assisi, farmed without herbicides or pesticides. Bright red cherry with a savoury tomato-leaf edge, tannins already well integrated and fresh acidity keeping it lively — good with a light chill. Umbria IGT, imported by Les Caves de Pyrène.

A single-vineyard, low-intervention red from marl and sandstone soils. Morello cherry, redcurrant and dried herbs, medium-bodied with a long mineral finish.

Organic, dry-farmed bush-vine Cinsault from the Paarl-Swartland border. Wild florals, cranberry and cherry with a spicy, juicy finish — a crunchy, chillable red.

A classical Rioja Alta Crianza from Haro, made the old way: twenty months in barrel — six longer than the rules ask for — three-quarters American oak, then eight more months resting in the underground cellar before release. Plum and prune with sweet spice folding into something savoury, finishing clean and faintly saline off the calcareous soils. Bottled unfiltered, and worth decanting.

Intense cherry-red Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon grown at 1,000m on calcareous soils near Valladolid. Concentrated blackcurrant and dark fruit with cracked pepper and gentle oak spice — powerful but poised, finishing long and well balanced.

Deep ruby Rioja Alavesa from old-vine Tempranillo, Graciano and a splash of Viura, whole-bunch fermented with native yeast. Around eighteen months in French oak and foudre brings dark cherry, balsamic herbs and chalky, fine-grained tannin. Certified organic and biodynamic.

Bright purple Ribera del Duero from 40-year-old Tinto Fino on clay loam, briefly macerated then six months in French oak. Wildflowers and morello cherry on the nose, fresh acidity carrying muscular dark fruit to a lightly oak-spiced finish. A more approachable style of Ribera. Certified organic.

New-wave Rioja: Garnacha and Mazuelo from Tudelilla and Nájera blended with Tempranillo from Laguardia in Rioja Alavesa, raised in concrete so nothing gets between you and the fruit. Red cherry, redcurrant and dried herbs, fine-boned and mineral — Rioja as a blend of places rather than a stack of oak. Just 8,666 bottles made.

Sierra de Gredos Garnacha off granite soils around Burgohondo, some vines over 70 years old. Partial whole-bunch ferment in steel, unoaked, bottled unfined and unfiltered: ripe cherry, wild strawberry and mountain herbs with crisp, mineral-edged acidity.

Cherry red with violet tones, from old Bobal vines planted in 1941 in Manchuela: black fruit, cherry and redcurrant with a mineral edge, a fleshy palate, noble tannin and bright acidity. The 2022 vintage took a Silver medal (94 points) at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2024. Certified organic.

Light-bodied and vibrant with bright red cherry, herbs and a gentle freshness. Best served slightly chilled. A natural wine that punches well above its price, and great for Burgundy lovers. Certified organic.

Cherry-ruby in colour with an elegant, slowly unfolding nose of red berries, raspberry and minerals. Medium-bodied, dry and harmonious with silky fine-grained tannins and a long mineral finish. Spontaneously fermented and aged 12 months in barriques. A beautifully crafted Pinot from volcanic terroir.

Deep, dark and full-bodied with blackberries, black pepper and cloves. Alibernet was bred at the Tairov Institute in Odesa in 1948, crossing Alicante Bouschet with Cabernet Sauvignon, and has become something of a Slovak speciality: intense colour and a distinctly Cabernet-like character. For bold red lovers.

Everyday drinking at its best. Juicy red fruit, soft tannins and a smooth finish. Tempranillo is Spain's most celebrated red grape — think cherries, plums and a gentle earthiness. Brilliant value.

Single-vineyard Garnacha, whole-bunch fermented in concrete with zero added sulphites. Summer pudding and kirsch on the nose, juicy red fruit and Mediterranean herbs on the palate. Unfined, unfiltered and utterly natural.

The classic Southern Rhône blend — red berries, Provençal herbs and a warm, spicy finish. Generous and food-friendly. Perfect with lamb, charcuterie or a hearty stew.

Made from rare indigenous varieties found almost nowhere else. Rustic yet charming, with dark fruit, earthy depth and a lively finish. A real discovery for adventurous wine drinkers.

Corbières-Boutenac is one of the Languedoc's finest appellations. Deep garnet with rich dark fruit, garrigue and hints of dark chocolate. Full-bodied with well-integrated tannins, and a serious wine. Certified organic since 2006.

From Marlborough's cooler inland valleys, this organic Pinot Noir shows red cherry, raspberry and gentle earthiness with a long, silky finish. The Henri Bourgeois family brings Loire precision to the Southern Hemisphere.

Red Sancerre is a revelation — pale, delicate and perfumed with red fruits and flinty minerality from the famous flint and limestone soils of the Loire. Far lighter and more elegant than most red wines.

The 'King of Italian wines.' Tar, roses, dried cherry and leather, with the silky, approachable tannins that mark out the 2018 vintage. Open and generous, drinking beautifully now rather than needing years in the cellar. Worth decanting.

Gareth and Rainbo Belton's Sangiovese, made at Basket Range in the Adelaide Hills. Bright red fruit and red florals with dusty, chalky tannins and a lifted, puckering acidity. Old World in style, high-altitude Australian in origin. Minimal-intervention winemaking. As good as lunch wine gets.

Barossa Shiraz dialled down: fresh, peppery and medium-bodied with blackberry compote, black pepper and savoury herbs. Made by winemaker Xavier Goodridge from naturally fermented, sustainably farmed fruit, with just a touch of sulphur at bottling.