Orgullo Cabernet Sauvignon Tempranillo Petit Verdot 2016 La Mancha, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain 75cl

Orgullo comes from La Mancha, the vast, sun-baked plateau at the heart of Spain and, by area, one of the largest and most important wine regions in the world. It is a place of hot days, cool nights and wide-open vineyards stretching to the horizon.

The wine is a blend of local and international grapes: Tempranillo for red fruit and warmth, Cabernet Sauvignon for blackcurrant depth and grip, and a splash of Petit Verdot for colour and firm, dark tannin. The high, dry plains ripen the fruit fully, while the altitude and the big day-to-night temperature swing preserve a welcome thread of freshness and keep the blend from feeling heavy.

From the 2016 harvest, this is an approachable, fruit-led red made for enjoying now rather than for long cellaring.

Medium to full-bodied, it offers ripe dark and red berry fruit, a little sweet spice and a rounded, easy finish with gentle tannins. It is a genuinely versatile food red: pour it with grilled meats, burgers, meatballs, tapas, chorizo or a simple midweek roast, and it will not be out of place alongside a hard cheese either. Serve at cool room temperature, and give it half an hour open to let the fruit unfold.

An honest, everyday Spanish red that punches above its price. La Mancha has long been Spain’s engine room for value, and blends like this one show how well its ripe local fruit takes to a little international polish. If you like a warm, fruit-forward Rioja or a ripe Cabernet blend from the New World, this sits happily in the same slot, offering plenty of flavour without asking much of your wallet or your patience.