A wine of ‘lovely structure’, said Stefano Barbarino of Chez Bruce Restaurant, finding it ‘quite peppery on the nose with a smooth, pungent, spicy background’, while Bleeding Heart Group’s Chris Delalonde MS noted ‘savoury, crushed red fruit and stone fruit aromas with spicy meat and tarry oak notes’.

£9.00 Berkmann Wine Cellars

Simone Fadda of Roka Aldwych enjoyed this wine’s ‘red and black fruits on the nose with herbal hints, then black berries and sweet liquorice hints on the palate’, while for team leader Andrea Briccarello it was ‘clean, juicy, soft and round, easy-drinking and a good by-the-glass option’.

£7.20 Berkmann Wine Cellars

Simone Fadda of Roka Aldwych liked the ‘vibrant bouquet of black and red fruits, blackcurrant and cherry, then a silky mouthfeel with firm tannins’, while Stefano Barbarino of Chez Bruce Restaurant felt it was ‘good to go with venison or beef, with its dark fruit, nice liquorice notes in the background and long finish’.

£27.22 Cantina Bolzano

Elisa Soggia of Kai Mayfair was taken with this wine’s ‘intense structure, full body and high tannin, balanced by lots of black plum and black cherry, cinnamon spice notes with tobacco and earthy hints, chocolate and leather with peppery spice’, while Mattia Mazzi of Lutyens Bar & Restaurants felt it was ‘built to last, still young but definitely approachable now, with concentration and minty freshness, succulent black fruit and graphite, firm yet very balanced’.

£32.38 Cantina Bolzano

Full-bodied and packed with flavours, revealing ‘blackberry, blackcurrant, black cherry, plums, violets’ on the nose, said Cristian Sánchez of Hotel du Vin Cambridge, as well as ‘clove spice and anise, leather and graphite, hints of vanilla, ripe tannins and a long, pleasant finish’. ‘A wine to enjoy with game or pâté,’ added team leader Laurent Richet MS.

£18.06 Berkmann Wine Cellars

‘An approachable style,’ began Stefano Barbarino of Chez Bruce Restaurant, who found it ‘delicate and floral on the nose, slightly less so on the palate – a wine for a feast’. ‘Plenty of blueberries and cherry notes, and a good smoky back-palate,’ added team leader Andrea Briccarello.

£7.95 Berkmann Wine Cellars

Cristian Sánchez of Hotel du Vin Cambridge enjoyed this wine’s ‘sweet black cherries, black plum, blackberry jelly and liquorice notes on the nose, clove and vanilla spice hints, good ripe tannins and high concentration of flavours, with lovely acidity and a long, sweet finish’.

£9.00 Berkmann Wine Cellars

While Elisa Soggia of Kai Mayfair highlighted ‘pronounced cherries and plum on this wine’, team leader Laurent Richet MS felt it would be ‘a lovely wine to showcase by the glass, with gentle aromas of spice and fruit – red, black and cherry – and hints of black pepper and sandalwood’.

£11.38 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

For Stefano Barbarino of Chez Bruce Restaurant this was ‘very floral on the nose, quite toasty on the palate but with nice freshness to match with food’, and he thought it ‘would be lovely with cheese’. Meanwhile Bleeding Heart Group’s Chris Delalonde MS found ‘spicy, savoury notes and chocolate aromas, but a savoury palate’.

£13.00 Jascots Wine Merchants

‘Great, deep and concentrated, but not in a too-much kind of way,’ began team leader Laurent Richet MS, who found it ‘balanced, well crafted, with dark fruit and meaty notes, delicate tannin, great for food with rich sauces’, while Mattia Mazzi of Lutyens Bar & Restaurants noted ‘distinctive pine needle and rosemary, fleshy style, fresh and charmingly fruit-forward, but with balance and nerve’.

£20.13 Bibendum

‘Light, crunchy and fragrant, the fruit is red and wild with a tendency to freshness rather than ripeness, but complexity and a charred aftertaste,’ began Mattia Mazzi of Lutyens Bar & Restaurant, with team leader Laurent Richet MS adding that it was ‘a dangerous wine, as you’d go for a second bottle!’

£8.75 Boutinot

£9.00 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£26.70 Bibendum

£18.12 Liberty Wines

£7.49 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£14.44 Berkmann Wine Cellars