Smooth? Check. Delicious year-round? Check. Priced affordably at under $25? Check. There’s nothing to dislike about La Crema’s pinot noir from Sonoma, which has emerged as a supermarket must-try in recent years. It’s elegant but approachable, distinct yet versatile and, most importantly, readily available to the masses. Enjoy the plushness of cherry, plum and pomegranate with a subtle hint of herbaceous tea leaf for a libation that tastes just as good on a neighbor’s porch as it does in a fancy restaurant.

A 100% wine of origin and blended from multi vineyards, this is a Chard that has been lightly touched by the winemaker, e.g. the fruits shine, the intervention is minimal or at least, the winemaker showed a discreet sleight (slight) of hand. Pretty toasted brioche flavors along with a saline tinge hint at Chablis, but the tropical fruits place this in the New World. A pretty Chard that will convince Chard deserters to come back.

Transparent shaded garnet. Sweet, decongestant nose – unmistakably Australian! Quite marked acidity. Refined tannins and marked freshness but no great persistence.

But from many a possibility from Yangarra’s range, the wine I’ve chosen as this week’s wine of the week is Yangarra, King’s Wood Shiraz 2020 McLaren Vale, which I reckon is the best-value of the Yangarra wines I’ve tasted recently… Transparent crimson. Mmm! [This is my favourite tasting note, by the way.] Very appealing nose that suggests northern Rhône Syrah with a really superior spine and line, great purity and a little saline touch at the end. Still with a little dry tannin on the end. This wine should run and run. Very fresh without being at all lean. So clean and healthy-tasting. Long. 17.5+/20 Drink 2024–2034

Tre Bicchieri 2023: the best wines of Tuscany

Yangarra has championed Grenache for some time, and this wine shows real class. This has sensitivity throughout, seamless with bright freshness balanced with spices and savoury notes. Cranberry and cherries, with some herbaceous notes together – as the wine opens up on the palate there is a wonderful, perfect mouthfeel – this really does show just how good Grenache can be and will evolve perfectly. From a vineyard planted in 1946. Check out the Yangarra Roux Beaute Roussanne 2015.

Pale ruby in colour. Blackberry and blueberry fruit with a loamy, sappy quality to the nose. Fine-grained but elevated tannin compared with the Seascape and Jennifer's, and a bit brawnier. Savoury, with a juniper bite. Ripeness and juiciness to the cherry fruit.(SCJ)

From the Tuscan winery of the hugely impressive stable of Jackson Family wines, this is a single varietal Merlot. Winemaker Lawrence Cronin, American-born but an Italian resident for the best part of three decades, has crafted a voluptuous wine. A blend of different micro-crus helps give real complexity. Blessed with silky tannins, it has structure from two-thirds new French oak, as well as glorious, intense plummy red fruit. Very long.

Medium lemon. Honeysuckle blossom, Meyer lemon curd and vanilla bean on the nose. On the palate, there's a parchment-like oak profile, a touch green. High acid. Fresh, citrusy finish, still with that papery oak note.

Pale ruby with a purple hue. Floral aromas and dark fruits – black cherry and black plum. On the palate, it's very tightly wound; would benefit from a year or two more in bottle. Lengthy.

Pale lemon. Vanilla blossom, Meyer lemon, yellow apple, honeydew melon, sweet white corn. Fresh, mouth-watering acidity, with quite a lot of oak impact – vanilla, spice, yellow apple, baked pear. Ripe fruit and a buttery, oaky style. Classic California Chardonnay. GV

Medium lemon. Yellow plum, honeydew melon and honeysuckle. Very spice- and yellow-plum-heavy on the palate, with notes of crème brûlée and orange peel. Refreshing acidity but the oak is quite heavy and sticks out.

Pale ruby with a purple hue. Toast, vanilla bean and blackberry/blueberry fruit. Large, with plenty of oak spice. Bright, juicy acidity. The Saralee's is more my speed – delicate and floral – but if you like more richness, this is well built. Clean acid line through the finish on all the 2021s.

Pale lemon colour. Lemon zest, white peach and blossom with a distinct flintiness and a Play-Doh salinity. Mouth-watering acidity but gentle and creamy mid palate. Peach pithiness and creamy lees quality to the finish. Very elegant, no rough edges, fine and cooling despite the relatively high alcohol. Graham cracker toastiness. Lighter than any of the other three Chardonnays I was shown and with more drive.

Pale lemon colour. Dense yellow peach, salinity, sweet marjoram and vanilla blossom – lots of concentration. Fresh acidity and textural roundness to the palate. Very long. Well-integrated, 30% new oak lends a bit of fatness to the texture and a touch of spice to the finish.

Pale ruby in colour. Ripe, floral nose with a savoury stemminess. Really bright acidity, tart red and black cherry and wet dark earth. Fine-grained tannin. Very crunchy – pomegranate, cranberry and tart red plum with lots of earth. An elegant, smoked-peat earthiness.

Pale lemon colour. Toasty, zesty, vanilla blossom, pear compote, crystallised ginger and citrus blossom. Fresh acidity, round and creamy but with plenty of acid to pull out a lengthy stone-fruit and spice-kissed finish. Still pretty tightly wound but with more concentration than the Stone Côte.

Pale lemon colour. Ripe peach, baked pear and yellow apple. A brawnier oak profile than the Stone Côte Chardonnay. Candied ginger. A touch phenolic and very ripe peach on the palate with plenty of acid. Alcohol feels a touch warm.

Medium purple. Denser than the Dina's. Deep black cherry and black plum with very ripe raspberry. Ripeness, weight and viscosity to the palate. Baked black plum on the finish.

Medium purple. Incredibly floral and grapey without as much spice as I'd usually expect from a Zin, a coolness despite the 15.3% alcohol. Raspberry coulis, black cherry and fennel-seed sweetness. Incredible concentration and well-balanced high acidity that lengthens the finish. Fine-linen tannin. There is a lightness to this that the Zin blend doesn't have. Gorgeous.

Pale ruby in colour. Much plumper fruit profile than Seascape, Jennifer's or the Russian River blend. Toasty cinnamon, black-cherry and chocolate aromas. Powerful palate with light earthiness, cocoa dust and fine-grained tannin.

Pale ruby in colour. Much darker fruit than the Seascape – black cherry, savoury potting soil and a crushed-gravel note. A juiciness that the Seascape didn't have and a broadness, but still with that peat, moss, smoky-savoury quality. Brooding and lovely with high, mouth-watering acidity.

The 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva possesses rich fruit aromas of ripe plum, floral notes of honeysuckle and earthy hints of forest floor. An incredibly silky palate carries through the beautiful balance of fruit and earth flavors - like eating wild blueberries off the vine - with dominate notes of bright red cherries and dark chocolate. The finish is long and intriguing, showcasing classic notes of orange peel with undertones of cedar and tobacco. The vibrant acidity suggests the wine will age gracefully for years to come and that 2018 will be remembered as a great year.

The Cabernet Franc grapes that are used in this stunning Italian wine come from the estate’s L’Apparita and Belvedere blocks which are known for their sandy soils with ample clay deposits. The winemakers were very happy with the 2017 season and harvest because the grapes got to spend more hang time on the vine, which allowed for riper flavors and balanced acidity. This wine introduces itself with aromas of red raspberry, black plum, and whiffs of eucalyptus that lead to flavors of black cherry, red plum, cigar box, and anise. The tannins are rounded and there’s a note of freshly ground white pepper in the finish.

Rollicking yet savoury – and wild strawberry-stashed – this classic, upbeat pinot noir is from a top cool-climate spot.