Drink Now Alt Reds

Carlos Serres is a bit of an OG - one of the few Rioja producers with a century of winemaking behind them. Carlos was actually named Charles, a French Winemaker who left Bordeaux, fed up with dealing with phylloxera riddled vineyards, landing in Spain. He founded the first winery in Rioja with export certification and applied French winemaking techniques to Rioja fruit. Pretty soon, there was a demand for Rioja in the rest of Europe and the US.

Carlos Serres Crianza is 100% Tempranillo and spends 14 months in a combo of French and American oak. Being 'Crianza', the wine has spent a year in barrel, and another on bottle prior to release. Typically aged in older oak, Crianza can have quite assertive tannins and fruit which is intense whilst retaining great freshness. This is a particularly good example, packed with red fruits, cherries, spice, oak and nervy acidity.

Superb, bright and zesty fruit with underlying power. No oak, here, so A-grade fruit is on display and sunning itself in a fairly impressive fashion. The first glass invited another.

A delightful, Italian inspired, medium bodied, three way blend of Montepulciano, Negroamaro and Aglianico. Superb fruits here, with cherries, plums, dried oregano, florals and cedar all playing a part in what is both a complex, beguiling and seamless red wine. A ripper, thoroughly deserving of its Gold and Top Gold medals at the Royal Adelaide Wine Show.

Mid-weight, easy drinking and varietal, this offers spice, cherries, violet, red fruits, beetroot, savoury characters and plenty of relatively fine tannins. It is super easy to drink but could be cellared for 5 years we reckon.

Serious old vine Grenache this, with a degree of intensity you don’t always find in Grenache. As per every vintage released so far, the '24 is bolstered by the inclusion of some powerful, low yielding old vine Shiraz. Red and black fruit perfume abounds. Tannins are plentiful and silky, the fruits black, flecked with clove and black cherry. Best enjoyed after decanting.