Winter warmers: Olly Smith’s top 30 fuller-bodied wine buys

Lovely sweet core goes right through from start to finish. Does what Carmenère does brilliantly well, delivering similar sensibilities to evolving Bordeaux from a warm vintage but amped up in a quintessentially Chilean style. Lots of deep, dark fruit wafting out of the glass. Plenty of tobacco, blackcurrant fruit pastille underneath that, rippling with intense charisma. Gorgeous seamless crackle of pepper through it as well. Really alive. Silky voluptuous fruity palate with an impressive strata which feels somehow energised. A finish that’s very fine indeed with a wonderful spicy flourish. A good price for a great wine, harnessing a low-yielding plot of ungrafted vines planted in 1998 on the western side of the Valle de Cachapoal, this is great work from talented winemaker and prime vineyard hunter Rafael Urrejola.

For consistency as well as value, Beronia’s Rioja Reserva is one of those rare widely available wines that exceeds expectations and delivers more than the goods – it also conjures delight. With a sheen of voluptuous purity, the eighteen months in French and American oak coaxes a plush velveteen cushion for the fruit to retain a focussed core. The usual sweet spices are all evident, and with just a whisker of mellow warmth I’m happy to call this wine a modern classic. Created from vines with more than 40 years of age, winemaker and technical director Matías Calleja’s quest for excellence is one thing, but the dependable quality across his output is also remarkable. Pour this for a midweek treat or for a special occasion dinner – roast lamb is top of the list as a pairing.

Stunning fragrance. The warmth of summer coming through your glass, the scented garden - between lavender and rose and then really ripe strawberries laced with some heady spice. It’s really scented, complex and alluring. Very attractive, rather like the farm setting of this domaine which was brought to life in 1928 by the great-grandfather of current owner Thibaut Chamfort. 45 organic hectares certified since 2014, the result here is plump, voluptuous fruit tied together with a thread of fine grippy tannin. It’s impressive. To showcase the wine’s plushness I’m pairing it with a cottage pie. At this level, alongside a good price for the quality in the glass, this wine really shows, rather than just being burly and big in an obvious manner, seductive scents and fragrance are all part of the charm. And in this case, it’s proving irresistible.

Behold a quintessential winter warmer! Immense ripe fruit, still graced by a little hint of youthful cherry blossom but lots of very ripe strawberry, raspberry and blackberry prevail wafting up from the glass. Wait until you sip it, just an absolute canyon of fruit – and that would be a mega-canyon gargling all the blackberries there are. It’s brilliantly big. Warmth from the alcohol yes, but in a pleasing way along with prune-like intensity. Lavish texture with a bundle of spice on the finish and a twist of acidity to keep your attention hooked. This is a wine that without question needs food – lamb tagine would work with all that pruney opulence. Or if you’re considering a glass of port at the end of an evening maybe just have this instead. Feels like a real indulgence and wow is it a tasty one.

Such a slinky, silky and deliciously balanced blend. It’s magnificent with a roast and works superbly with turkey and all the trimmings too thanks to its graceful intensity. The previous three years of drought carried into this vintage with a smaller crop of high quality and the experience and expertise of winemaker Abrie Beeslaar shows in the handling and blending of 44% Pinotage, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. 3-5 days on skins in open fermenters at 28 degrees C with manual punchdown every two hours and 12 months maturation in second and third fill French Nevers oak barrels. What a wonderful wine to find in the supermarket.

The synergy Apostolos Thymiopoulos shares with the Xinomavro grape and Naoussa in Greece is a harmonious triumvirate that seems to gather more fans daily. To find a wine of this quality, widely available and for under £15 is indeed a boon for wine fans. This Xinomavro, from 25 year old grapes (40% from Trilofos village and 60% from high altitude - 500m - Fytia), has a thrilling balance between fruit, acidity and fine firm tannin thanks to the light touch of six months in oak. Very pale in the glass, if you’re a fan of Barbaresco from Piedmont or Pinot Noir from Alsace, this falls into that similarly ethereal world of elegance and poise. Evocative of rosehip and sundried tomato with cranberry bite and pomegranate depth, there’s an allspice intrigue to this captivating wine. Picture a cherry-coloured flare trailing over a bright winter sky and you’re on the way to this wine’s vibrancy. It’s delicious to decant with roast lamb but serve it with any tomato-based sauce dishes from aubergines to pasta, fish to ratatouille and delight in this brilliant Greek grape.

My one word review of this wine is “power”. All the usual Aussie Shiraz descriptors are here with spice and black fruit leading the charge, but what sets this wine apart is its long-lasting satisfying tarry depth. For £5.99 it’s never going to be the world’s finest wine, but bottom line, this wine is better than it needs to be for this price. So if you’re after a bargain for winter parties, simple casseroles, beefy dishes, TV dinners, this is the bottle. It’s also a fab all-rounder to have on standby for festive guests dropping by without worrying too much about how much you’re pouring – as long as you’ve got a few extra bottles on standby!

Aldi have done a great job here bringing maximum presence for a great price. Boosted in structure from the Ripasso technique, this is a wine with plenty of spicy intensity – think cloves and plenty of sweet cherry with almond-like flourish. There’s a bit of scent here too, just a hint of rose in bloom and it’s great value for a red with welly without being over the top on the booze. If it’s informal burgers (gorgonzola topping for me), or better yet a cheeseboard this is the bargain bottle for the job. Blended from 75% Corvina 20% Corvinone and 5% Rondinella, keep this congenially priced classic on standby to deploy with the next frosty blast.

Harvested principally from the east of Lodi on stony low vigour soil producing concentrated fruit, this winery is certified under the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance. With blueberry boldness and power rippling through the wine, winemaker Alicia Ysais chose to ferment at cooler temperatures to preserve fruity vim and aged this Zinfandel in both French and American oak to season. There is a certain jammy appeal here that works very well with charry flavours in dishes such as smoked or roasted meats - bangers and mash is a slam dunk for the full hearty effect.

A warming high street red with instant appeal thanks to the silky richness of partially dried grapes. If you’re a fan of Italian Amarone or Ripasso and looking for an affordable kitchen table alternative, this could be right up your street. Founded in 1882 based in the Chianti Classico region with fourth-generation Mario at the helm, Piccini produces 16 million bottles annually and the company owns seven estates across Italy. This non-vintage blend is cleverly constructed to deliver affordable grandeur and while it appears a touch pale in the glass, don’t be discouraged. This red has plenty of sweet fruitcake aromas and is gorgeously silky to sip with dried cherries and cranberries, a hint of sultana and a pleasing bite to the finish that falls somewhere between a sundried tomato and a cherry skin. Thanks to its lean intensity it’s great to pair with bold game dishes from wild boar to venison, also fab with a cheeseboard.

With five generations of Symington family know-how in its wake, this organic Douro red blended from 35% Touriga Franca, 25% Touriga Nacional, 20% Alicante Bouschet feels like a bright expression of the Douro’s capacity for intensity and elegance. Don’t for a second think you’re going to get “Port-lite” here, this is a uniquely crafted red blend in its own right. Attractive purple in the glass fading to vibrant crimson it’s very pleasant from off the bat with cherry and mulling spice and a tint of orange peel to entice on the nose. Cherry skin tang, spice on the finish, a warming crackle of white pepper it’s long and fine and will appeal to lovers of fine Italian wines with trademark lively acidity. Try Altano with Spaghetti Bolognese for an offbeat pairing that works a charm.