Wine O’ Clock Giles Luckett may have discovered his ‘producer of the year’

In his Wine O’ Clock column, Giles Luckett talks ‘big, bold and brimming with fruit and spice’…

First up, the Messer del Fauno Aglianico 2024 (Ocado £13). I love a good Aglianico, and this is the best I’ve tasted this year.

With its bouquet of cherries, prunes, almonds, and damp undergrowth and rich, plump palate of black cherries, stewed black fruits, wild herbs and cocoa, this is everything you could wish for in this southern Italian wine. Give a couple of hours open and serve with hearty foods such as spiced sausages, casseroles and cheeses.

Wine O’ Clock with the Lynn News. Photo: iStock

Waitrose’s Lost and Found Vidoc (Waitrose £9.25) was a great find. Vidoc isn’t a grape I’ve come across before, and my research revealed it to be ‘vigorous, fertile with a horizontal to drooping bearing’.

Well, that clears that up. In the glass, it’s rather more forthcoming. Soft and fruit-driven, plums, black cherries and blueberries set the tone on the nose and in the mouth. Medium-bodied, but with a lovely persistence of flavour, this is one of those wines that’s the perfect accompaniment to your latest Apple TV show.

And, speaking of perfect, Perfect Cellar’s wines have caught my attention again. This time it’s their Lou Miranda Fierce III Shiraz (£22.46). Lou Miranda is a family-owned estate and this Barossa belter combines tradition with modernity to startling effect.

Big, bold, and brimming with fruit and spice, there’s subtlety here too. Behind the mass of spiced berry fruits and mint-tinted vanilla are flavours of black pepper, green pepper, sage and loganberries. Pair this with pasta, seared red meats, or roasted veg.

I’ll finish this week with a 2025 discovery and a winery that is likely to be my producer of the year (you heard it here first!).

The Esporao Monte Vehlo (Noble Green £10.90/£9.90 on a mixed six) is seriously good. I remember everyone in my early trade days getting as excited about Portuguese wines as they were about the miracle that was the fax machine.

Excitement around wineries like Esporao has continued to grow and with good reason. This lovely red is juicy, offers ample black fruits, a supple, easy-going texture, while dry, savoury notes to the finish add complexity.