Robert Oatley Semaphore Series Shiraz, McLaren Vale, Australia 2021 (£10.50, The Co-op) Like all businesses, the wine trade tends to obsess about novelty. There’s a habit, exacerbated by press and influencers, of always looking for the next big (or, for the fashion-conscious, small) thing, which in wine generally translates into talking up bottles made from lesser-known grape varieties or from smaller, or less-established wine regions. The Society’s Australian Cabernet, South Australia, Australia 2021 (£8.50, thewinesociety.com) The main challenger to the Rhône varieties (shiraz and grenache) in Australian reds is the world’s most widely planted wine grape variety: cabernet sauvignon. There’s value to be found, too, though, not least in the gloriously pure, ripe cassis stylings of The Wine Society’s great-value own-label blended by the excellent family producer Yalumba from vineyards around South Australia. Follow David Williams on Twitter @Daveydaibach

Source: The Guardian November 26, 2023 16:41 UTC