The next wine is certainly Australian – Trimboli ‘Salvatore’ Malbec, Shiraz, Durif 2022. It says so on the label, but it has a perfume and flavourful palate that confirms it. Here, the Malbec takes the lead with a dusty terracotta perfume underpinned with succulent bursting dark blue fruits.Black pepper and crushed green herbs – even some balsamic gumminess. Tannin forms the spine, robust and grippy. Quite savoury and intense, it’s not just another big jammy red. Give it some air and it blooms into a quite complex finish with minerality and medicinal notes. Possibly one for the cellar? 91pts

Laithwaites have plenty of South Australian Shiraz on the site – and for good reason – it’s a popular type of red wine that generally pleases a crowd. Deep River McLaren Vale Shiraz 2019 shows that distinctive dark chocolate flavour that McLaren Vale Shiraz has – it is there on the nose, with blackberry, plum and liquorice. The vanilla-flecked toasty oak adds richness and depth, and the black pepper spiciness of the region is present and correct too. I get a flash of mint in the finish, which is another stylistic pointer. Sometimes you just want something bold, rounded and quaffable – this four-year old vintage is it. 90pts

Pigassou 2021 comes from the foothills of the Massif Central in France not too far from Carcassonne. The village growers take their local grape varietals – Marselan and Caladoc – to collective that makes the wine. It is quite robust and dark, with plum, boysenberry and cassis flavours. As you’d expect, it is also quite ripe – it reminds me of a rustic Côtes du Rhône red. There is plenty of supple tannin, hints of green herbs and quite a lot of red spiciness on the dry finish.

Le Prince de Courthezon 2022 is a Cotes du Rhone Appellation Controlée wine, so we are getting 80% Grenache and 10% each of Mourvedre and Syrah. A meaty 14.5% alcohol and a dense ruby colour in the glass – equal parts brooding and ripe on the nose. Plum flavours take the lead, alongside raspberry, cherry and cranberry. A tight, well-structured spine of oak, tannin and breezy acidity gets those ripe fruit flavours moving. The palate has a plush, spicy and peppery edge to it. A youthful, glossy but delicious finish. 91pts

When I lived in the UK, Coonawarra was one of the places that I could get wine from that sounded exotic and far away. Now that my home is a bit closer, I get to try the wines more often, and have become even more of a fan. Leconfield Coonawarra Merlot 2021 shows the classic, robust flavours of plum, mulberry, bramble and dried herbs that I’d expect. Quite full-bodied – you notice the oak certainly, but the tannins are silken and well-integrated. There is menthol, pepper and spice too in the mix. The finish is long, gentle and lush. 92pts