The best red wines from The Spring Tasting 2024

Having listed the best white wines from this year’s Spring Tasting, now we reveal the top-performing reds, featuring a wide range of bottles from Spain, Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile and Italy.

INVICTUS

• Producer: Tenuta Montemagno
• Region: Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOCG, Piemonte
• Country: Italy
• Vintage: 2021
• Grape varieties: 100% Ruché
• ABV: 14.5%
• Residual sugar: 3.78g/l
• Closure: Cork
• Approx. retail price: £40
• Medal: Gold

A perfect springtime red from the little-known Ruché grape from the Castagnole Monferrato DOCG in the Piedmont. Reminiscent of Pinot Noir, with pretty, ripe crushed strawberry and fleshy cherry flavours, it’s a fairly light and easy-drinking drop, although it also shows some Nebbiolo like firm fine tannins, and alcohol warmth. There’s also a pleasing pepperiness too, not unlike a fine Grenache. In short, this is a persistent and lively red with a core of delicious sweet berry fruit and a pleasantly, dry, mouth-watering finish. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

FÉLIX SOLÍS THE GUV’NOR VIP 2023

• Producer: Félix Solís
• Region: La Mancha
• Country: Spain
• Grape variety: 100% Tempranillo
• ABV: 14.0%
• Approx. retail price: £11.99

With a number of wineries (and DOs) in Spain, Félix Solís has numerous options. This is a real hidden gem from La Mancha. Deepish ruby in colour, the wine shows vibrant summer pudding fruit with smoky wood and a violet accent. Just dry, the mid-weight palate is sweet-fruited and balanced by fresh acidity, velvet-textured tannins and integrated alcohol. Still young, the wine has good length and would work well with tapas, cheeses, olives and jamón Ibérico or other cured meats. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

KERINGER SYRAH 100 DAYS SYRAH 2020

• Producer: Weingut Keringer
• Region: Burgenland
• Country: Austria
• Grape variety: 100% Syrah
• ABV: 15.0%
• Approx. retail price: £18

Keringer, based in Mönchhof in Burgenland, near Neusiedlersee, with that sea’s moderating influence, demonstrates that this part of Burgenland can produce high-quality red wines. The ‘100- days’ wines remain on their skins for at least 100 days, so have long maceration for extraction, resolution and integration of tannins and flavours. This Syrah is exemplary, with a deep ruby colour, just starting to show a little garnet on the rim. Blueberries, red fruits, cranberry and Victoria plums are overlaid with gentle, smoky tobacco leaf and cigarbox notes. Sweet-fruited, the integrated flavours are framed by crisp acidity and grippy tannins with pepper, all spice and cinnamon adding interest. A youthful wine, it would pair with chicken livers in herb-spiced red wine sauce even now. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

REMÍREZ DE GANUZA GRAN RESERVA

 

• Producer: Bodegas Remírez de Ganuza
• Region: Rioja
• Country: Spain
• Vintage: 2011
• Grape varieties: 86%, Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, 2% Viura, 2% Malvasia
• ABV: 15%
• Residual sugar: 2.2g/l
• Closure: Cork
• Approx. retail price: £90
• Medal: Gold

An outstanding Gran Reserva Rioja from the great bodega that is Remírez de Ganuza, this delicious, mature and refreshing red is a rare example of a fine wine that has been released at its peak after more than 10 years of slow evolution. The result is a Rioja with stewed cherry and blood orange fruit flavours allied to notes of cedar, dark chocolate and sweet balsamic, with a lovely, persistent and layered finish, featuring fine dry tannins, zesty acidity and warming alcohol. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

HARE’S CHASE VIGILANCE SHIRAZ 2021

• Producer: Hare’s Chase
• Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
• Country: Australia
• Grape variety: 100% Shiraz
• ABV: 14.5%
• Approx. retail price: £27

In the sub-zone of Maranga in the Barossa Valley, Hare’s Chase is producing fantastic wines. This finequality Shiraz is deep ruby-purple in hue, showing dark berry fruits, black pepper spice and a gentle floral lift with gentle cedar wood adding interest. Vibrant flavours on the palate are supported by lovely, velvet-textured tannins and brisk acidity. An intriguing wine that is integrated and layered. Superb length. This is a wine that would match sweetbreads in an ‘interesting’ sauce, but rib-eye grilled medium-rare would also work. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

WEINGUT JORDAN ZWEIGELT RESERVE 42 2019

• Producer: Weingut Jordan
• Region: Niederösterreich
• Country: Austria
• Grape variety: 100% Zweigelt
• ABV: 13.5%
• Approx. retail price: £32

The number 42 is the answer to the question about the meaning of life, at least in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. According to the Jordan story, 42 is the answer to the question for the perfect ripening and maturation time for a galactic Zweigelt. From grapes grown in deep loam, loess soils, this intense wine benefitted from 42 months in oak barrels. Jordan could well be correct: the wine, with its deep ruby colour and dried cherry, cranberry and red currant fruits overlaid with smoke, tobacco and hints of leather, is an uncommonly good visit. The palate is dry, with juicy fruit balanced by bracing acidity and linen-textured tannins with a spicy mid-palate and very good length. Complex and well-flavoured, this wine is a good match for red rice with gently-spiced langoustines or perhaps a home-made lasagne. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

PATA NEGRA RIBERA DEL DUERO CRIANZA

• Producer: Vina Arnaiz
• Region: Castilla y Leon
• Country: Spain
• Vintage: 2020
• Grape varieties: 100% Tempranillo
• ABV: 14%
• Residual sugar: <7g/l
• Closure: Cork
• Approx. retail price: £11.50
• Medal: Gold

For a wine region famous for making Spain’s most expensive reds, this bottle from Ribera del Duero is a bargain at a little more than £10. Made by Vina Arnaiz for the Pata Negra brand, it’s typical of a red from this Spanish wine region, with lots of rich ripe dark cherry and blackberry fruit, and toasty oak flavours, even a touch of coconut too. Juicy, warming and tannic, but with a cleansing acidity, this generous drop is surprisingly drinkable, as well as refreshingly affordable. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

VIÑA POMAL GRAN RESERVA RIOJA DOCA 2015

• Producer: Bodegas Bilbaínas (Viña Pomal)
• Region: Rioja
• Country: Spain
• Grape varieties: 90% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano
• ABV: 14.5%
• Approx. retail price: £35

Viña Pomal is the iconic brand of Bodegas Bilbaínas, founded in 1901 in Haro’s Station Quarter. The opulent winery and its historic buildings are built above 3,400sq m of underground cellars. This Gran Reserva is in quite a traditional style, with an evolved ruby-garnet hue, red and black summer pudding fruit, dried plums and vanilla oak. The palate shows juicy flavours with an earthy edge, balanced by crisp acidity and satintextured tannins. Very spicy (cardamom, all spice) on the finish, this wine is a good pairing for sautéed chicken livers in a herbed red wine sauce, served on tagliatelle or Southern grits. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

LIPINSKI FAMILY WINES PINOT NOIR 2021

• Producer: Lipinski Family Wines (Big Head Wines, Inc)
• Region: Four Mile Creek VQA, Niagara, Ontario
• Country: Canada
• Grape variety: 100% Pinot Noir
• ABV: 12.6%
• Approx. retail price: £75

Andrzej Lipinski came to Canada as a mechanic/construction worker in 1989 and worked in and around wineries fixing and building whatever was needed. In 1993/94 he helped out as a cellarhand in one of the wineries and took to winemaking immediately. The focus is on ‘quirky’ whites and fine-quality reds and sparkling wines. This wine from the Lipinski Family Estate vineyard is a delight. Mid-garnet in hue, the wine exhibits red cherry and strawberry with gentle smoke and a hint of sous-bois. Sweet-fruited, mediumbodied, the concentrated plummy flavours are balanced by racy acidity and supple tannins. Afloral lift on the finish adds interest. An elegant wine for roast quail, or sautéed pigeon breasts with a plum sauce. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

THE SPRINGER

• Producer: Hare’s Chase
• Region: Barossa Valley
• Country: Australia
• Vintage: 2021
• Grape varieties: 100% Shiraz
• ABV: 14.5%
• Residual sugar: 0.48g/l
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: £23
• Medal: Gold

An impressively powerful and complex barrel-aged red for sub £30, this Barossa Shiraz from Hare’s Chase delivers a lot of wine for the money. Flavour-wise it has all the hallmark appeal of a top red from this famous Aussie region, from juicy ripe blackberry and sweet blueberry notes to dark chocolate and vanilla, along with a hint of dried herbs, black pepper and a finish with plenty of dry tannins. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

VIK A

• Producer: VIK
• Region: Millahue, Cachapoal Valley
• Country: Chile
• Vintage: 2022
• Grape varieties: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Carmenere
• ABV: 14%
• Residual sugar: 3.4g/l
• Closure: Cork
• Approx. retail price: £22
• Medal: Gold

A youthful and layered Cabernet-Carmenere blend from the Chilean rising star that is Vik. Mingling with subtle notes of capsicum and green pepper are flavours of concentrated cassis, roasted coffee and cedar, with a chalky taste and texture to the finely tannic finish. Lingering, layered, with plenty of powerful dark fruit, there’s a cool nettle-like note to this complex and impressively-affordable red wine too. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

POGGIO ALLE MURA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO DOCG

• Producer: Banfi
• Region: Tuscany
• Country: Italy
• Vintage: 2019
• Grape varieties: 100% Sangiovese
• ABV: 14.5%
• Residual sugar: 0.91g/l
• Closure: Cork
• Approx. retail price: £58
• Medal: Gold

A magnificent, barrel-aged, single-vineyard Brunello from Banfi in a wonderful fresh, fruity and taut, youthful state. While you could cellar this for a decade or more, should you choose to drink it now, expect a delicious mix of ripe Morello cherry and sweet blood orange, along with a hint of prune, then cedar and tobacco, followed by a mouth-coating mass of dense, fine, dry tannins. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

LA PIU BELLE

• Producer: VIK
• Region: MILLAHUE, CACHAPOAL VALLEY
• Country: Chile
• Vintage: 2021
• Grape varieties: 76% Carmenere, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
• ABV: 14%
• Residual sugar: 2.24g/l
• Closure: Cork
• Approx. retail price: £60
• Medal: Gold

Giving good proof as to the quality potential of Carmenere in the Cacahoal valley is this delicious Carmenere-dominant blend from Vik. A textbook style, there’s fleshy ripe sweet dark cherry fruit mixed with forest fruits, complemented by notes of capsicum, nettle, roasted coffee and a touch of toast and dark chocolate too. Persistent, with a lovely fine chalky dry tannic finish, this is a finely-structured, fleshy red in a wonderfully-quaffable state now, but with the potential to cellar. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

MODUS PRIMO

• Producer: Ruffino
• Region: Toscana
• Country: Italy
• Vintage: 2019
• Grape varieties: Sangiovese: 35, Merlot: 37, Cabernet Sauvignon: 28
• ABV: 16%
• Residual sugar: <1g/l
• Closure: Cork
• Approx. retail price: £70
• Medal: Gold

This fascinating and refreshing varietal mix from Chianti’s Ruffino brings together the great grapes of Tuscany and Bordeaux to yield a wine of class and personality. The flavours are myriad, comprising stewed cherry and ripe blackberry notes, some fresh tangerine too, then plums and sweet balsamic, followed by tobacco and a touch of vanilla. A really fine wine with a cedary, grippy, dry edge and a complex, maturing medium-weight mid-palate fruit profile. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

BANFI POGGIO ALLE MURA RISERVA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2018

• Producer: Banfi
• Region: Brunello di Montalcino
• Country: Tuscany
• Grape Variety: Sangiovese
• ABV: 15%
• Approx. retail price: £100

A stunningly complex wine, with intense and layered aromas of black cherry, blackberry, vanilla, pepper and a hint of black tea. There are firm but beautifully aligned tannins, with lovely depth and concentration on the palate. The finish is long and surprisingly elegant for such a big wine. This would be perfect for a bistecca Fiorentina, a Tuscan ribollita, or simply some aged hard cheese and a roaring fire. (Siobhan Turner MW)

LEGARIS ALCUBILLA DE AVELLANEDA 2020

• Producer: Legaris,
• Region: Ribera del Duero,
• Country: Spain
• Grape Variety: Tempranillo,
• ABV: 14.5%,
• Vintage: 2020,
• Approx. retail price: £40

The deep purple colour is matched by complex and intense blue and blackberry fruit, with hints of cinnamon, cloves and raspberries. The fruit is intense but pure on the palate, with fine, high acidity. The tannins are firm but well-managed – grippy but not rough – and the high alcohol is well-integrated and balanced by the intensity of the other elements. This is a bold wine – it needs roast meat or (since it is also vegan) a deeply savoury wild mushroom stew. (Siobhan Turner MW)

TENUTA MONTEMAGNO SORANUS 2018

• Producer: Tenuta Montemagno,
• Region: Barolo DOCG,
• Country: Italy
• Grape Variety: Nebbiolo,
• ABV: 14%,
• Approx. retail price: £50

Some bright fruit overlaying very old-vine red fruit concentration on the nose, with hints of raspberry, cinnamon and cassis, roses and a burdock character. The palate is intense, spicy and rich with ripe black cherries, fresh acidity, high yet very well-integrated alcohol and very structured, firm, yet also elegant, tannins. Lovely with a roasted meat dish, but probably perfect with risotto Milanese, or a simple pasta with white truffles. (Siobhan Turner MW)

MARÍA

• Producer: Bodegas Remírez de Ganuza
• Region: Rioja
• Country: Spain
• Vintage: 2009
• Grape varieties: 90% TEMPRANILLO, 10% GRACIANO
• ABV: 15%
• Residual sugar: 2g/l
• Closure: Cork
• Approx. retail price: £170
• Medal: Gold

The top expression from the great Rioja producer of Bodegas Remírez de Ganuza, María is an exceptional wine in a fully mature state. Featuring notes of baked cherry and blackberry jam, mixed with flavours of sweet balsamic, cracked pepper, leather, and roasted coffee, this is a wonderful and complex wine, with a lingering freshness, and persistent flavours of tangerine and cedar. While there’s a warming finish, there’s also plenty of fine dry tannins to make your mouth water. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

RUFFINO ROMITORIO DI SANTEDAME 2019

• Producer: Ruffino,
• Region: Chianti Classico Gran Selezione,
• Country: Italy
• Grape Varieties: Sangiovese 90%, Colorino 10%,
• ABV: 15%
• Approx. retail price: £55

Very dark fruit on the nose – almost fruit cake-like, with baking spice and raisins, together with hints of black cherry, spearmint and liquorice. There is a lovely texture to the wine, with lots of spice and complexity on the palate, dense and firm tannins, and warming alcohol. The finish is long and luscious; just perfect with a bistecca Fiorentina, or roasted lamb with rosemary and garlic. (Siobhan Turner MW)

SANTA CAROLINA VSC 2020

• Producer: Santa Carolina,
• Region: Cachapoal,
• Country: Chile,
• Grape Varieties: 45% Petite Sirah, 25% Petit Verdot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Carmenere, 5% Malbec,
• ABV: 14.5%,
• Approx. retail price: £50

This is a big, bold wine, full of black cherry, blackcurrant, and rhubarb fruit with a touch of citronella paying tribute to the Carmenere, even if only 10% of the blend. Very skilfully crafted, with oak and alcohol both high but beautifully integrated, and firm, structured tannins well managed. This is not a subtle wine, but it is a delicious, fleshy and decadent one. If I had one caveat, it would be the weight of the bottle, which is extraordinary. Serve with meat, ideally barbecued. (Siobhan Turner MW)

LETH BLAUBURGUNDER 2021

• Producer: Leth,
• Region: Wagram DAC,
• Country: Austria,
• Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
• ABV: 13.5%,
• Approx. retail price: £25

A beautiful, elegant Pinot Noir. It has bright cherry fruit with a hint of raspberry and rhubarb on the nose, with some lovely hazelnut, clove and cinnamon oak spice. On the palate the fruit is juicy, complex and elegant, with fresh and wonderfully integrated acidity. This is a stunningly poised wine, perfect for pork loin with sage, or an organic chicken simply roasted with garlic and fennel. (Siobhan Turner MW)

KOELENHOF STELLENBOSCH 1679 THE LEGACY 2020

• Producer: Koelenhof Winery,
• Region: Stellenbosch,
• Country: South Africa
• Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon 50%, Merlot 13%, Petit Verdot 13%, Cabernet Franc 12%, Malbec 12%,
• ABV: 13.5%,
• Approx. retail price: £35

The wine has a spicy nose, with complex fruit aromas of red berries, lavender, blackcurrant and blackberries, a touch of tobacco leaf and a hint of plums, clove and cinnamon. It’s a classic Bordeaux blend with the elegance of the Old World and the fruit quality of the New – perfectly South African, in other words. This wine will be perfectly at home with a Sunday roast, but perhaps given its origins it might be happier with Karoo lamb, slow-roasted, with fine herbs. Really delicious, and has many years ahead. (Siobhan Turner MW)

RUFFINO ALAUDA 2019

• Producer: Ruffino,
• Region: Tuscany
• Country: Italy
• Grape varieties: 41% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot, 24% Colorino
• ABV: 15.5%
• Approx. retail price: £80

What a find, and further proof that Bordeaux grapes – particularly Cabernet Franc and Merlot – perform brilliantly in Tuscan soils. This top expression from Ruffino brings together Cabernet Franc and Merlot with native Tuscan grape Colorino to yield a wine of deep colour, warming alcohol and rich fruit – much more than one would find with Sangiovese-dominant reds – but still a typically Italian, firm tannic structure and fresh acidity. As for the flavours, there’s plenty of ripe fruit, with a lovely combination of fleshy red cherry, juicy plums and concentrated blackberry, along with some sweet balsamic notes and then a Bounty bar-like mix of chocolate and coconut from the 24 months this wine spends in new French oak. Delicious. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

Read more

All the medal-winning wines from The Spring Tasting 2024

The best white wines for spring

About the competition

With high-quality judges and a unique sampling process, The Spring Tasting Masters provides a chance for your wines to shine. The 2024 competition was judged on Thursday, 8 February at Great Scotland Yard Hotel, London, employing experienced judges. The top wines were awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze medals according to their result, and those expressions that stood out as being outstanding received the ultimate accolade – the title of Spring Tasting Master. This report features the medal winners only. Please visit the Global Masters website for more information or, to enter future competitions – giving you the chance to feature online and in print – please call: +44 (0) 20 7803 2420 or email Sophie Raichura at: sophie@thedrinksbusiness.com

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