Sangiovese is a dry, medium-bodied red grape from Italy and the star behind some of Tuscany’s biggest names, including Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino. Expect cherry and red plum with herbs, spice and earthy flavours. Fresh, savoury and made for food, it’s brilliant with pizza, lasagne, spaghetti bolognese, tomato pasta, steak and roast meats.

Saint-Émilion is a rich, dry red from Bordeaux, France, usually led by Merlot with Cabernet Franc playing a major supporting role. Expect plum, black cherry and blackberry with herbs, spice and earthy flavours. Smooth but structured, it’s brilliant with steak, roast beef, lamb, beef stew, mushroom dishes and mature cheese.

Rioja is a dry, medium to full-bodied red from northern Spain, usually led by Tempranillo. Expect cherry, plum and blackberry with vanilla, spice, leather and savoury flavours, particularly in oak-aged bottles. Smooth, warming and seriously food-friendly, it’s brilliant with steak, roast lamb, chorizo, BBQ food, burgers and tomato-based dishes.

Priorat is a bold, dry red from Catalonia in northeastern Spain, usually built around Garnacha and Cariñena. Expect blackberry, black cherry and plum with herbs, liquorice, spice and a distinctive mineral edge. Rich, powerful and structured, it’s brilliant with steak, roast lamb, beef stew, BBQ food, slow-cooked meat and mature cheese.

Primitivo is a bold, dry red from Puglia in southern Italy, packed with ripe blackberry, black cherry and plum alongside spice, pepper and often a touch of chocolate. Rich, fruity and warming, it’s brilliant with pizza, lasagne, spaghetti bolognese, BBQ ribs, burgers, sausages and slow-cooked meat.

Pomerol is a rich, dry red from Bordeaux’s Right Bank in France, usually dominated by Merlot with Cabernet Franc often joining the blend. Expect ripe plum, black cherry and blackberry with spice, chocolate and earthy flavours. Smooth, plush and seriously elegant, it’s brilliant with steak, roast beef, lamb, beef stew, mushroom dishes and truffle pasta.

Pinotage is a bold, dry red and South Africa’s signature grape, packed with blackberry, black cherry and plum alongside spice, smoke and earthy flavours. Usually medium to full-bodied, it’s brilliant with steak, burgers, BBQ ribs, grilled sausages, roast lamb and smoky, slow-cooked meat.

Nero d'Avola is a bold, dry red from Sicily, Italy, packed with black cherry, plum and blackberry alongside herbs, spice and a touch of liquorice. Rich, smooth and sun-soaked, it’s brilliant with pizza, lasagne, spaghetti bolognese, steak, lamb, sausages and rich tomato-based dishes.

Nebbiolo is a dry, structured red grape from Piedmont in northern Italy, famous for making Barolo and Barbaresco. Expect red cherry and raspberry with rose, herbs, spice and earthy flavours, backed by high acidity and serious tannins. It’s brilliant with steak, roast beef, lamb, beef ragù, mushroom risotto and truffle pasta.

Monastrell is a bold, dry red grape from Spain, particularly at home in the warm regions of Jumilla, Yecla and Alicante. Expect blackberry, black plum and blueberry with herbs, black pepper and earthy spice. Full-bodied and powerful, it’s brilliant with steak, roast lamb, BBQ ribs, burgers, sausages and slow-cooked meat.

Merlot is a dry, medium to full-bodied red originally from Bordeaux, France, and now grown all over the world. Expect juicy plum, black cherry and blackberry with herbs, chocolate and gentle spice. Smooth and approachable, it’s brilliant with roast beef, burgers, roast chicken, pork, lasagne, bolognese and mushroom dishes.

Marselan is a dry, medium to full-bodied red created in southern France by crossing Cabernet Sauvignon with Grenache. Expect blackberry, black cherry and plum with herbs, pepper and warming spice. Rich and smooth with plenty of dark fruit, it’s brilliant with steak, burgers, roast lamb, BBQ food, sausages and rich tomato-based dishes.

Malbec is a bold, dry red best known from Argentina, particularly Mendoza, with rich flavours of blackberry, black plum and black cherry alongside cocoa, spice and violet. Full-bodied, smooth and made for big flavours, it’s brilliant with steak, burgers, roast beef, BBQ ribs, lamb and slow-cooked meat.

Grenache is a dry, medium to full-bodied red grape originally from Spain but now a star across southern France and beyond. Expect ripe strawberry, raspberry and cherry with herbs, pepper and warming spice. Juicy, generous and often high in alcohol, it’s brilliant with roast lamb, BBQ food, sausages, burgers, pizza and Mediterranean dishes.

Garnacha is a dry, medium to full-bodied red grape from Spain, packed with ripe strawberry, raspberry and cherry alongside herbs, pepper and warming spice. Juicy, generous and made for big flavours, it’s brilliant with roast lamb, chorizo, BBQ food, pizza, sausages, tapas and Mediterranean dishes.

Côtes du Rhône is a dry, medium to full-bodied wine from France’s Rhône Valley, with the reds usually built around Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Expect ripe cherry, blackberry and plum with pepper, herbs and warming spice. Rich but easy-going, it’s brilliant with roast lamb, sausages, burgers, BBQ food, pizza and slow-cooked meat.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a bold, dry red from the Southern Rhône Valley in France, usually led by Grenache alongside grapes such as Syrah and Mourvèdre. Expect ripe cherry, blackberry and plum with herbs, pepper and warming spice. Rich and powerful, it’s brilliant with roast lamb, steak, beef stew, BBQ food and slow-cooked meat.

Barolo is a powerful, dry red from Piedmont in northern Italy, made entirely from Nebbiolo. Expect red cherry and raspberry with rose, herbs, spice and complex earthy flavours, backed by high acidity and serious tannins. It’s brilliant with steak, roast beef, lamb, beef ragù, mushroom risotto, truffle pasta and mature cheese.

Amarone della Valpolicella is a rich, powerful and dry red from Veneto in northern Italy, made from partially dried grapes including Corvina and Corvinone. Expect black cherry, plum and dried fruit with chocolate, spice and tobacco. Full-bodied and warming, it’s brilliant with roast beef, steak, slow-cooked meat, lamb, mushroom dishes and mature cheese.