These are the wines you want right now. As we slip into Autumn, it’s all about reds that hit that sweet spot, not too heavy, not too light, just right. This pack is built around drinkability without sacrificing quality, showcasing beautifully balanced wines with bright fruit, savoury edges and just enough structure to keep things interesting. It’s a spectrum of styles, from spicy, energetic Beaujolais and lifted Etna reds through to more serious, quietly powerful expressions like Mendoza Malbec and Rioja, all chosen for their immediate appeal and effortless drinkability.

We kick things off at home with two absolute legends. Clonakilla continues to set the benchmark for cool-climate Syrah in Australia, delivering poise, spice and finesse in spades. The O'Riada, a blend of sites and often with a from Clonakilla's flagship bottling in it has absolutely nailed it this year  - we are impressed. Yangarra, a McLaren Vale icon, shows just how good modern Grenache-led blends can be with its expressive and supple delivery crafted by a master of the art.

From there, Jean-Paul Thévenet’s Beaujolais and Benanti’s Etna Rosso form a brilliant pairing,  stylistically aligned in their vibrancy, perfume and tension, yet worlds apart in origin, with an undeniable sympatico that makes them sing together.

Rounding things out, Telmo Rodriguez’s LZ offers a wonderful village expression of Tempranillo, fresh, honest, and deeply drinkable.  This harks back to a time when Rioja was built around village expression rather than extended oak aging and hails a rediscovery of what the region used to make. Then it's Achaval Ferrer’s Malbec, a more robust but still beautifully balanced wine. The secret here is the blend of high-altitude sites across Mendoza, giving lift, energy, and freshness while still embracing the lush, generous fruit profile that defines great Argentine Malbec.

Well, I suspected I had a bad bottle of this prior per – HERE – and that certainly seems to be the case. This is excellent. 
This is bright and crisp, red fruits, quite spicy, dried roses and mint. It’s light in body with a grainy grip to tannin, redcurrant and raspberry, rosehip tea, fresh cranberry acidity, with a peppery finish of excellent length. Frisky, minerally, yet smashable, with some complexity built in. Classic Beaujolais. Very good. (94) GARY WALSH, The Wine Front

One of the original “Gang of Four” pioneering Beaujolais producers, Jean-Paul Thévenet is still producing some of the region’s finest examples. Working with old vines and minimal intervention, his wines are expressive, structured and age-worthy. Hard to track down and always worth it when you do.

The 2022 Etna Rosso wafts up with a perfumed blend of rosy florals and hints of juniper berry. This is vividly fruit-focused, with a wave of ripe wild berries and sweet spices that flow across a stream of brisk acidity. It leaves a staining of primary concentration and mildly grippy tannins to resonate as violet inner florals slowly fade. While more extroverted than expected, the 2022 is a total pleasure to taste and maintains fantastic balance. ERIC GUIDO, Vinous 

An iconic winery from Etna and one of the few with vineyards on all four slopes, Benanti has played a major role in the region’s rise. Considered a seminal, high-quality producer, they helped put Etna firmly on the global wine map. Their wines combine volcanic energy with elegance and structure.

Deep, bright red-purple colour with a floral, rose-petally nose that speaks of the fruit first and foremost. Intensely spicy and red fruited, with little or no oak evident, the palate full-bodied and stately with a good firm spine of tannins. A solid, full-bodied red that drinks beautifully now and will reward many years of ageing, building more detail as it matures. (Blewitt Springs) (94) HUON HOOKE, The Real Review

A blend of 67/17/16% grenache/shiraz/mourvèdre; separate ferments, with extended maceration for some grenache parcels, raised in old puncheons, foudre, ceramic eggs and amphorae. More grenache this year, and a little more heft. That word is inapt, of course, as this is bright-fruited, lithe and energetic, yet there’s a darker red tone to the grenache component. Darkly ripe raspberry, red plums, tart blackberry, black cherry, subdued ferrous notes, white pepper, mace and allspice. Tannins are uber fine, the profile open and engaging, the minor blending components providing a savoury bolster to the finish. (93+) MARCUS ELLIS, Halliday Wine Companion 

Another McLaren Vale icon and a Grenache specialist, Yangarra continues to set the benchmark for the region. With a focus on biodynamics and site expression, their wines combine depth, perfume and balance. This recent release GSM is one of the best we’ve seen and reinforces their standing as leaders in the Vale. 

The young red 2023 LZ is Tempranillo, Graciano and Garnacha from organically farmed vines. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in small concrete tanks for 15 days and matured in those concrete tanks for one year, a longer élevage for a smaller production. It's pure and fruit-driven, expressive (it has some full clusters, a little à la Morgon), with some herbal notes. It has contained ripeness, 14% alcohol, a juicy texture and mouthfeel and very fine, polished tannins. (92+) LUIS GUTIERREZ, The Wine Advocate

The 2023 LZ is a blend of Tempranillo, Graciano and Garnacha from Lanziego, aged for up to eight months in concrete. It delivers floral and fresh plum notes before the smooth, slightly plump texture defines a light character. Overall, there is enough energy, structure, purity and flavor here. JOAQUIN HIDALGOI, Vinous

With generations of winemaking behind him, Telmo Rodriguez continues to be at the forefront of the Spanish wine scene. This wine, one of his most well-known and well-loved exports, reflects his philosophy of site-driven wines. A pioneer of village blends before it was fashionable, he has helped reshape Rioja and Spanish wine more broadly.

SPECIAL VALUE - Given the fruit is off the estate and from three other properties, this is an excellent drink, in a finer style. A gorgeous purple-red hue and so fragrant with florals and red fruits (from raspberries to currants) all doused with baking spices and a sprinkle of black pepper. The palate is barely mid-weighted yet finely tuned with silty tannins and acidity that gives life. Up there as one of the best O’Riadas to date. (95) JANE FAULKNER, Halliday Wine Companion

O’Riada Shiraz is grown on both Clonakilla’s estate vineyard, and on three other Murrumbateman/Canberra District sites. 20% whole bunches, up to three weeks on skins, both free-run and pressings combined, into French oak for 12 months, 25% new

This is top notch. It has flavour and length, but it’s the spread of that flavour and the tannin that comes with it that makes you sit up and take notice. This wine is where the smart money’s going. Cherry-plum, five spice, anise, mint, dark soy and florals, with a talc-like feel to the tannin and a general feeling of etching. Super release of O’Riada. (95) CAMPBELL MATTINSON, The Wine Front

Tim Kirk continues to deliver some of the country’s greatest Syrah-based wines at Clonakilla. A cool-climate Syrah specialist inspired by the Rhône, his wines show perfume, spice and finesse. This is a producer that consistently sets the benchmark for Australian Shiraz in a more refined, medium-bodied style.

Made with grapes from Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, the 2022 Malbec Mendoza revives the plush Malbec profile that gained popularity in the U.S. market in the 2000s, now with added intensity and concentration from the vintage. It offers a rich fruit blend, from ripe plum to blackberry, with a subtle hint of oak and fine tannins on the finish. This is well crafted and enjoyable. JOAQUIN HIDALGO, Vinous

Much more nuance than their Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Deep blue-black fruit swathed in broad, inky, supple tannins. A hint of rosemary and violet. Textbook Mendoza Malbec. JancisRobinson.com

This wine is brooding with rich fruit, showcasing cherry, plum, and spice notes. Its juicy, persistent palate is balanced with savoury undertones and approachable tannins. DECANTER 

Achaval Ferrer helped put Mendoza on the map, producing wines that quickly gained international recognition. Today, it stands as one of the region’s classic examples, known for purity, intensity and site-driven Malbec. Their focus on old vines and minimal intervention has cemented their reputation as pioneers.