Silky, Raspberry Reds

These wines are mellow, perfumed reds with a gentle raspberry, strawberry or cherry fragrance and flavour. The Pinot Noir grape produces the greatest examples of this style, and gives wine a silkiness of texture no other grape can imitate.

The best examples of this silky red wine come from Pinot Noir's home ground: Burgundy (Bourgogne). Nearly all red Burgundy is made from Pinot Noir, with the best wines maturing to develop aromas of truffles, game and decaying autumn leaves.

The New World also produces some very fine examples of this style; especially the Californian vineyards of Carneros and Santa Barbara, and Matinborough and Central Otago in New Zealand.

In general, cheap Pinot Noir is rarely worth buying, but both Chile and Somontano (Spain) have some very tasty budget examples.

Although Pinot Noir wine is the epitome of this style, red Rioja and Navarra (also from Spain, but made from grapes such as Tempranillo and Garnacha), are soft and smooth with a fragrant strawberry quality. This quality also appears in the lighter Cotes du Rhone-Villages from France. However, none of these other wines capture the silkiness of Pinot Noir.

For less than £5, try:

• Cono Sur Pinot Noir, Rapel Valley (Chile): A fresh, strawberryish, fruit-dominated red.

For around £5 to £10, try:

• Louis Latour, Marsannay Rouge (Burgundy): This wine offers an intense bouquet of red fruit and a mouth-filling, silky palate with a distinct gamey character.
• Fairleigh Estate Pinot Noir, Marlborough (New Zealand): Delicious berry fruit and subtle spicy aromas with well balanced tannins.
• Estancia Pinot Noir (California): Luxurious cherry and raspberry flavours and a rich, silky mouth feel.

For around £10 to £20, try:

• Marie-Louise Parisot Gevrey-Chambertin (Burgundy): A lovely wine with ripe black cherry fruits and gamey, earthy undertones.
• Saintsbury Pinot Noir, Carneros (California): Wild complex aromas display wonderful red cherry, redcurrant, mocha and sandalwood characters alongside a perfectly balanced and seamless palate.
• Quartz Reef Pinot Noir, Central Otago (New Zealand): Generous and vibrantly fruity, with rich plum and spice flavours, with an aromatic bouquet of spices and herbs.

To push the boat out (over £20), try:

• Louis Jadot Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru Les Lavieres (Burgundy): With ripe black cherry fruit and a twist of earthy liquorice flavour.