Southern France's Languedoc region is a treasure trove of good value, well-ripened reds. And the grapes are often almost identical to those of the southern Rhône – here we're talking about Grenache and Syrah, although there are plenty more like Carignan and Cinsault that also shine. Thanks to the sun-filled Mediterranean climate, varied soils and drying wind, the Languedoc is an excellent region for making really appealing, warm-fruit wines. Using a blend of Grenache and Syrah, this appealing red combines juicy blackberry and raspberry fruit with ripe tannins, long sweet spice and liquorice notes. With its soft, velvety texture, this goes with just about anything – from pizza and pasta to grilled meats. It's great on its own too and top choice at a barbecue.

Andrew Margan grew up in Sydney but his parents planted a vineyard in Pokolbin, Hunter Valley in 1965, next door to the Tyrrell’s winey HeI was lucky to have legendary wine grower Murray Tyrrell mentor him. After working for a while at Tyrrell's, and in France, Andrew Margan and wife Lisa established Margan Vineyards in 1996. Today it incorporates 2 of the 2nd generation, Alessa and Ollie, as viticulturist and winemaker respectively. Andrew continues to oversee the viticultural and winemaking side; Lisa, the tourism and restaurant. The quality of the estate's output is extremely high, both with traditional Hunter varieties, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Semillon, and with the new and pioneering, such as Albabrino and Barbera. The Hunter has several sub-regions and Broke Fordwich, where the estate lies, is one of them. It was designated, registered and protected as a GI (Geographic Indication) region in 2003, the second in Australia to do so. This is an excellently balanced Single Vineyard Shiraz.

Shiraz and Grenache blend beautifully in many of the warmer parts of South Australia. This AAA is Paxton's 9th release, crafted similar to a Rhone-style wine yet it is packed with Au's Terroir. Bright with juicy red berry fruits and spices on the palate with well integrated oak and tannins, giving this wine a remarkable lengthy finish.

As Richard Baudains of Decanter notes, "Everybody's talking about how fantastic today's best Sicilian wines are." That's certainly true of this crisp, fruity Pinot Grigio from Scipione Giuliani, the genius behind the bestselling Il Papavero range. It's laden with sunshine crispness and light, bright fruit. A sensational match to fresh seafood!

Everyone loves good Rioja. Now take a step up to Reserva level. This is from the 2012 vintage, officially classified as ‘very good’. It was aged for at least a year in barrel and two in bottle to produce a Rioja of perfect balance and depth. Pagos de Tahola comes from the Chavarri family – Francisco and daughter Ruth form a winning partnership with winemaker Miguel Lopez Nuñez. Their exemplary wines are based on exuberant fruit harvested from mature vines in some of Rioja’s highest vineyards then infused with the signature fragrance of quality French and US oak. Rich aromas of dried berries and vanilla, hallmark red berry and sweet spice flavours and silky texture – impressively smooth. Serve with Spanish style rice dishes or grilled meats.

The 2015 Shotfire Quartage is comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot. These are the classic grapes of France’s Bordeaux region, but this is definitely a Barossa wine – there’s no mistaking those intense, ripe fruit flavours. The fruit comes from three of Thorn Clarke's prime Barossa vineyards: St Kitts in the northern part of the Barossa, Kabininge on the Barossa floor near Tanunda, and Milton Park in the Barossa’s elevated Eden Valley. It's rich and full-flavoured, a lavish melange of ripe red and black fruits, delicious spice and creamy, toasty oak on a long, luscious finish.