Wines of the week: Bodegas Tomas Cusine Vilosell 2008; Cordillera Reserva Privada; Cuvée Extreme, Côtes Du Roussillon 2009

Terry Kirby selects the best bottles to buy

Sunday 08 January 2012 01:00 GMT
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Sunday lunch

Bodegas Tomas Cusine Vilosell 2008

As the festive season fades from memory, we need full-bodied, warming wines to banish the January chills and remind us of sunnier climes. This complex blend of Tempranillo, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot is intense but flavour-packed, with big red fruits on the nose, firm and structured in the mouth, with tastes of cedarwood, hints of oak and a long, sweeter finish. Terrific with game casserole topped with parsley dumplings. £12.95, slurp.co.uk

Midweek meal

Cordillera Reserva Privada

If a fulsome white is required this month, this Chilean wine (from the well-regarded Spanish Torres stable) would be perfect with a smoked-fish pie, shellfish and vegetable dishes. The blend of slightly oaky Chardonnay, leavened with a splash of aromatic Viognier, delivers generous tropical and green-fruit flavours with a nutty, toasty, vanilla underpinning and some smoky, spicy, notes. £11.10, yorkshirevintners.co.uk; £11.46 (minimum purchase six bottles), vintagemarque.com

Bargain basement

Cuvée Extreme, Côtes Du Roussillon 2009

This time of year is good for bargain-hunters as supermarkets clear surplus stock. Here, we are back to robust reds, this time from the South of France, with a typical local blend of Syrah, Carignan and Grenache, aged a little in oak and bursting with spicy, herby flavours that would be perfect with a big bowl of pasta with meatballs after a cold journey home. £7.99 (reduced from £9.99 until 29 January), Marks & Spencer

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