Carignan

This powerful red from Spain's prestigious Priorat region showcases the area's unique llicorella slate soils, which force the vines to struggle and produce intensely concentrated fruit. The Black Slate series highlights individual villages within Priorat – this one featuring Gratallops, one of the region's most renowned areas. Celler Cecilio is one of Priorat's historic producers, with roots dating back to the 1940s. Their collaboration with importer Eric Solomon for the Black Slate series has created wines that perfectly balance traditional character with modern approachability. The old-vine Garnacha and Carignan that make up this blend deliver remarkable depth and complexity, capturing the essence of this special region. While Priorat has become one of Spain's most expensive wine regions, this bottle offers an authentic taste of its distinctive character at a relatively accessible price point.

Clavel Languedoc Le Mas is a robust red blend from Domaine Clavel, showcasing the terroir of Languedoc with balanced intensity. This southern French wine offers Mediterranean character with good structure and depth.

"Le Vin a Boire" translates simply as "wine for drinking" – a refreshingly honest name that perfectly captures the unpretentious nature of this delightful red blend. Luc Lapeyre crafts this wine specifically for everyday enjoyment rather than long aging, focusing on freshness and immediate pleasure rather than power or complexity. What makes this bottle particularly appealing is its genuine sense of place – it tastes unmistakably of the sun-drenched Languedoc with its garrigue herb notes and bright fruit character. Unlike more commercial productions that aim for a generic international style, this maintains its distinctive regional personality while remaining thoroughly approachable. The blend of Grenache, Syrah and old-vine Carignan creates a perfect balance between fruit, spice, and subtle earthiness. This is the kind of honest, straightforward wine that reminds us that wine is first and foremost meant to be enjoyed rather than analyzed – perfect for weeknight dinners or casual gatherings when you want something with character that doesn't demand attention.

Lioco's Indica is a love letter to old-vine Carignan and California's winemaking heritage. Sourced from ancient dry-farmed, head-trained vines in Mendocino County, this wine represents the new wave of California producers looking backward to move forward. What makes this bottle special is its combination of historical significance and modern sensibility. These old Carignan vines were planted by Italian immigrants decades ago, and Lioco treats this heritage with respect – fermenting naturally and aging in neutral oak to let the vineyard speak clearly. The name 'Indica' is a playful nod to Mendocino's other famous agricultural product, but there's nothing hazy about this wine's precision and focus. It delivers the kind of vibrant, food-friendly profile that made people fall in love with California wine before the era of overripeness and heavy oak. It's for those who appreciate wines of place rather than wines of style – a refreshing counterpoint to California's more bombastic offerings.

This charming red from southern France's Languedoc region delivers exactly what its name promises – a little star in your glass. Mas des Etoiles crafts this wine from traditional Mediterranean varieties grown on sun-drenched slopes where the cooling sea breeze keeps things fresh. Petite Etoile punches well above its weight with a balance of fruit-forward appeal and just enough complexity to keep things interesting. It's the kind of bottle that disappears mysteriously fast at dinner parties – probably because everyone keeps sneaking an extra splash when no one's looking. Perfect for weeknight dinners or casual gatherings where you want something that's simply delicious without requiring a dissertation on terroir.

Populis is part of California's natural wine movement, founded by three friends with a mission to make honest, accessible wines from organically-farmed old vines. Their rosé embodies the ethos of 'wine for the people' – unpretentious, delicious, and made with minimal intervention. This isn't your grandmother's White Zinfandel – it's a dry, purposeful rosé made from old-vine Carignan and Zinfandel grown in Mendocino County's Mediterranean climate. The team at Populis focuses on sustainable farming and hands-off winemaking, letting the quality of their carefully sourced fruit speak for itself. The result is a rosé with character and soul – the kind of wine that reminds us that California can do much more than just big, bold reds. Perfect for those who want to explore the exciting world of natural wine without diving into the deep end of funkiness.

Named after the Japanese concept of finding beauty in imperfection, Populis' Wabi-Sabi Red embraces the natural wine movement's appreciation for wines that express character rather than technical perfection. This blend of old-vine Carignan, Zinfandel, and Syrah captures the soul of Mendocino County in a bottle. The Populis team focuses on organic farming, native yeast fermentation, and minimal intervention in the cellar – letting the grapes tell their own story. The result is a red blend that's vibrant, juicy, and utterly drinkable, with enough complexity to keep things interesting but not so much that you need to overthink it. It's the kind of wine that reminds us that California can produce elegant, medium-bodied reds that work beautifully at the dinner table. Perfect for when you want something with a bit more personality than mass-produced wines but don't want to venture too far into the 'funky' end of the natural wine spectrum.

Rootdown's 'Es Okay' Red Blend is exactly what the name suggests – more than okay, actually, it's pretty darn delicious. This unpretentious blend brings together old-vine Zinfandel, Carignan, and Petite Sirah from Mendocino County, where a focus on sustainable farming and minimal intervention winemaking lets the fruit speak for itself. The winemaker takes a lighter touch with this blend, focusing on drinkability and balance rather than over-extraction or heavy oak – making it the perfect everyday red that won't pummel your palate into submission. It's the kind of wine that doesn't demand your full attention but rewards it anyway, pairing just as well with Tuesday night takeout as it does with weekend dinner parties. The playful name and approachable style belie the serious winemaking chops behind the bottle – because sometimes the best wines are the ones that don't need to show off.

The Pepper Pot is a Rhône-style red blend from the Swartland region of South Africa, produced by Sadie Family Wines. This medium-bodied wine offers a vibrant expression of the region with spicy notes balanced by fresh red fruit and an earthy character.

Lil Trouble might be the name, but this wine will solve more problems than it causes – namely, the problem of finding a versatile red that works with practically everything. Two Shepherds crafts this delightfully light-footed blend in a style that drinks somewhere between a rosé and a red. Made with minimal intervention and a light touch, this is the antithesis of those heavy, over-extracted reds that leave you feeling like you've been chewing on a tree. Instead, it's the kind of wine that disappears from your glass mysteriously quickly and leaves you reaching for more. Slightly chilled on a warm evening, it's the kind of trouble worth getting into – repeatedly.