Fruity Reds

It boasts an intense, dark ruby colour. The wine is made with wild yeast, undergoing spontaneous fermentation and aged for 12 months in barrels. A flagship blend of red varieties with an unexpectedly complex aroma of dried plum, blackcurrant, blackberry, and strawberry. This medium-bodied wine features a rich berry flavour and a lingering, warm aftertaste.

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir

Country: Ukraine

Region: Kyiv, Odesa

ABV: 14%

Food pairing: red meat dishes such as steaks, ribs, various types of ham, and smoked meats

"BIOLOGIST craft winery” from the Kyiv region creates unique and unmatched wines. They have rented vineyards in the Odesa region (the majority of nowadays wines are made from these grapes) and a 1.5-hectare vineyard in the Kyiv region, which is experimental and biodynamic.

A new Cellar Door Wines favourite! The lesser known Susumaniello grape is native to the South Italian region of Puglia. We love it for its rich aromas of blackcurrants, cherry and cranberry. On the palate it has ripe black cherry fruit with savoury notes of black olive and tomato with a sweet cocoa powder finish.

Country: Italy

Region: Puglia

Grapes: Susumaniello

ABV: 13%

Food pairing: Rich stews, beef lasagne or roast lamb or lamb tagine with Mediterranean grilled vegetables.

A silky fruit forward red with red and black fruit and a hint of peppery spice.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grapes: Merlot (35%), Shiraz (32%), Cabernet Sauvignon (19%), Malbec (7%) and Petit Verdot (7%)

ABV: 

Dornier is a family owned winery that is situated in the Golden Triangle area of the
famous Upper Blaauwklippen Valley in Stellenbosch - their prestigious neighbours are
De Trafford, Keermont and Waterford, so they are in fine company.
The property was home to one of the first wineries in Stellenbosch, having been
completed in the late 1600s, as well as an historic Sir Herbert Baker home.
The winemaking philosophy at Dornier is to produce premium quality wines, with minimal
intervention in the winery, that are expressive of the unique terroir of the Golden Triangle
and showcase the complexity and finesse of the noble grape varietals planted on the farm..

A very convincing, fresh, expressive bouquet with pure brambly, briary black fruit and freshly tilled earth. The palate is medium- bodied to full with crisp black cherry and blueberry fruit. The tannins are fine and edgy, while the finish is beautifully composed and contains Margaux- like femininity. This is extremely well-crafted Cabernet Franc, with a surfeit of personality.

 Country: Chile

Region: Maipo Valley

Grapes: Cabernet Franc

ABV: 14.5%

Canadian ex-ski coach, Derek Mossmann Knapp, is the enfant terrible of the Chilean wine scene. He set up Garage Wine Co. with his wife Pilar Miranda and Dr. Alvaro Pena in 2001 with the intention of being the polar opposite to the big, established companies that dominate the Chilean market.

Ruby red in colour with flecks of garnet. Aromas of sweet spice: cinnamon, black pepper and cloves, supported by a ripe red fruit, black cherry and plum fruit. Complex, concentrated, yet elegant tannins, with a fresh minerality.  

Country: Bulgaria

Region: Struma Valley

Grapes: Early Melnik

ABV: 14%

Food Match: Roasts, game, saddle of venison, intense mature cheeses. 

Vibrant aromatic of blueberries and black plums with a hint of toasty oak. The generous, rich palate is packed full of juicy red and black fruits and underpinned by a fine tannin profile. A balanced wine with a persistent fruit finish.

Country: Georgia

Region: Kakheti

Grapes: Saperavi

ABV: 13%

Food Match: Red meat dishes, Stews and casseroles or mature cheese.

Georgia is considered to be the ‘cradle of wine', as 8,000 year-old indigenous Rkatsiteli grape seeds have been found in clay vessels.

This wine has an attractive shiny light ruby colour. It is both refined and very frank on the nose and palate. It opens to aromas of red fruits. Its silky tannins support the balance of a wine, such that it can be kept for some time (5 to 7 years) while remaining pleasant in its youth.

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Grapes: Pinot Noir

Food Match:  Serves well as an aperitif for fresh and savoury tapas, soft-boiled eggs or roasted fish.

Maison Chanzy is a highly respected Burgundian producer, their wines are a classical demonstration of premium vineyard sites in Côte Chalonnaise, Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits.

Their range has been carefully engineered by winemaker Max Blondelle, whose primary task is to create wines that eloquently communicate their respective terroir, whilst remaining hands-off in his approach. As such, Chanzy are one of the few Burgundy producers to achieve Haute Valeur Environnementale level 3; the most highly regarded certification for agriculture in France.

Pinot noir is the heritage of Red Burgundy. The Pinot Noir grape was born in Burgundy and has carried the name since 1375. Pinot Noir is the hereditary source to all of the great red wines from Burgundy vineyards. Pinot Noir is jealously desired, but it is fragile and it requires very careful care during its vegetative period.

Coming from Puglia’s cooler northern shores, Caiaffa's Nero di Troia has notes of red and dark fruits; blackberries, and dark cherry, with a smoky undertone. The palate is medium-bodied and bright with an almost creamy, velvet-like texture. This is a real easy-drinker, ever so moreish!

Grape: Nero di Troia

Counrty: Italy

Region: Puglia

ABV: 13%

A Rhône Valley style shows wonderful black fruit perfumes of super-ripe black-cherry with background hints of pretty white-flower jasmine. Fine French oak contributes with gentle vanilla and cinnamon spice. The palate is plush and velvety – the shiraz 95% shows as blackcurrant with dark berry richness and cassis adding a dense yet satiny gloss. Viognier 5% is about opulence with luxuriant polished softness with extra elements of flower and spice. Co-fermenting has gifted an extra degree of lift and length to the palate, combining the flavours for a great young drinking style.

Country: Australia

Region: Hunter Valley, NSW

Grapes: 95% Shiraz and 5% Viognier

ABV: 14.5%

Food Match: Chinese spare ribs, beef stir fry or barbecued fish.

These thoughtful, hand-crafted wines hail from the Hunter Valley with a nod in part to the great Rhône Valley wines of Hermitage and Cote Rôtie. For those who may have tasted any legendary Hunter Shiraz wines of the 40s, 50s and 60s, tasting many of the modern Hunter wines can be a depressing experience but Keith Tulloch is very different, adding to that great legacy with a series of wines that uniquely capture the exotic spice and hedonistic pleasure of dense and rich Shiraz fruit. These are sensuous, subtle wines with the velvety texture of fine burgundy.

Complex, concentrated and elegant with aromas of black and red fruits alongside hints of vanilla and pepper.

Country: France

Region: Languedoc, Terrasses du Larzac

Grapes: Grenache (45%); Syrah (40%); Carignan (10%); Mourvedre (5%)

ABV: 14%

Food match: Côte de boeuf

Domaine Les Caizergues

The wine is named in memory of Francois Traucat, the celebrated 16th century Nimes gardener, who was responsible for the intensive cultivation of the mulberry tree across the Languedoc and thus the expansion of sericulture in the region.

Oaked red wine, quite fruity. A mix of red and dark fruit on the nose. The palate is smooth and structured with a lingering finish. 

Grape: Pinot Noir

Country: South Africa

Region: Elgin

ABV: 14,5%

Vegan

Bright, lifted, fresh aromas of red and dark fruits. On the palate it is slightly creamy yet very fresh with a hint of spice on the finish. Lovely balance, very bright and easy. 

Grape: Primitivo 

Country: Italy

Region: Puglia

ABV: 14%

A delicious, medium-bodied, rustic yet smooth red made with native grapes Alfrocheiro and Baga. On the palate there are notes of stewed red berries, red fruit leather, spice and earth.

Country: Portugal

Region: Lisbon

Grapes: Alfrocheiro and Baga

ABV:13.5%

Delicious, ripe, Georgian red, packed full of red cherry and mulberry aromas and flavours, with hints of vanilla. Soft and supple rounded tannins with a long, juicy finish.

Country: Georgia

Region: Kakheti

Grapes: Saperavi

ABV: 13%

Food Match: Red meat dishes, Stews and casseroles or mature cheese.

Georgia is considered to be the ‘cradle of wine', as 8,000 year-old indigenous Rkatsiteli grape seeds have been found in clay vessels.

Medium in body, easy-drinking red wine. Full of red fruit character (pomegranate, cranberry) with a hint of spice. 

Grape: Cinsault

Country: South Africa

Region: Western Cape

ABV: 13.3%

A beautifully made medium bodied red from Greece from indigenous varietal Koiniariko. Aromas of sweet spice, black pepper and crushed strawberries. Black cherry and supple tannins on the palate with a long, soft finish.

Country: Greece

Region:  Macedonia, Thrace near Drama

ABV: 13%

Grapes: Koiniariko 

pronounced keen-ee-YAR-iko

Food match: This versatile, medium bodied red will go well with soft cheese and cured meats, salads and grilled meat or roast chicken.

We love these organic, low intervention wines from ancient terroir with a touch of New Zealand magic. Expressive and unique you've got to try them!

Long skin maceration, giving concentration and complexity. Finally, 18 months in French and American oak, which adds volume and polish.

Country: Spain

Region: Rioja

Grapes: Tempranillo, Graciano

ABV: 14,5%

Organic

Pinot Noir is one of Romania’s greatest hidden secrets. Probably the only place in the world that can do this grape variety justice at such brilliant value. The nose is full of summer fruit aroma’s, strawberry, blueberry, and the palate is light and crisp and refreshing with notes of raspberry and cranberry. Serve well chilled at a summer bbq.

Country: Romania

Region: Recas and Minis

ABV: 12.5%

Grapes: Pinot Noir

Food match: Greek salad, grilled fish, potato salad

As you walk through the rolling vineyards of the 700 hectare Cramele Recas estate, two things are inescapable. The first is the scale of the transformation that Englishman Philip Cox and his wife Elvira have managed to achieve, replanting 700 hectares of decrepit vineyards and replacing them with immaculately tended sites the equal of anywhere else in the world. The second is that if you didn't know where you were, you'd be convinced you were in Tuscany or any other "Classic" wine producing region. And, to a certain extent you are, Romania has a history of wine making stretching back millennia and it was this potential that has driven this dynamic duo to dedicate their lives to driving forward Romanian wine making to it's current state of rude health. A 20 million euro investment in the vineyards and brand new winery.

A silky and juicy red wine. An aroma of red berries with wild thyme that take you to notes of liquorice, raspberry leaf, cherry and herbs. 

Country: Italy

Region: Veneto

Grape Variety: Corvina 30%, Corvinone 30%, Rondinella 30%

ABV: 12.5%

Food Match: BBQ meats, pasta bolognese and antipasto

Blue and black fruits, with meaty, spice notes and smoky oak complexity. Intense, savoury wine, with a dense ferrous palate, and sustained finish. Drink now or keep for up to 20 years.

Country: Portugal

Region: Douro Valley

Grapes: Touriga Franca (99%)
Tinta Roriz (1%)

ABV: 14.5%

Quinta da Pedra Alta 'Rio' Tinto is an intense, savoury Douro red, made from parcels from the Quinta's lowest elevations close to the river (Rio).

Light, raspberry colour, almost looks like a rosé in the glass. Full of redcurrants, raspberries, crushed ripe strawberries and watermelon on the nose and palate. Lovely freshness and length on the finish,

Country: France

Region: Coteaux du Pont du Gard

Grapes: Grenache and Syrah

ABV: 11.5 %

Food Match:

 Organic

Gorgeous, natural, silky red made from native Portuguese grapes, the nose could be mistaken for Pinot Noir with it's elegant floral perfumed notes with hints of herbs and ripe crushed strawberry.

Country: Portugal

Region: Bairrada

Grapes: Baga

ABV: 12%

The notes of dark fruit and spices on the nose. The tannins are firm and are carried by dark, inky fruit and fresh acidity. It would show best after some time in bottle and being decanted.

Country: South Africa

Region: Western Cape - Durbanville / Stanford

Grapes: 100% Pinotage

ABV: 12%

Wonderfully light, full of wild strawberry, bitter red cherry and raspberry aromas and flavours.

Country: Germany

Region: Kaiserstuhl, Baden

Grapes: Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir)

ABV: 13%

Perfect with roast pork loin stuffed with garlic, onions and sage.

Located between the Rhine River and the Black Forest, Burkheim produces lush and minerally wines that are ideal companions to a wide range of modern cuisine. Bercher produces Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), Weisburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris). All the wines go through extended lees-aging and have a wonderful aging potential.

A brilliant ruby red colour, the aromas hinting at currants and cassis with notes of herbs and bitter cherry whilst the palate is elegantly structured, with characters of red currant, and ripe cherries. A long, sophisticated finish. This wine is drinking beautifully now, but will evolve nicely over the next 2-5 years. 

Country: Italy
Region: Marsala, Sicily
Grapes: Perricone
ABV: 13.5%

On the west side of Sicily close to Marsala, Caruso Minini have their 4th generation vineyards and winery.