Theatre Of Wine - Bold Wines For Cold Nights

As darkness falls at 4pm, we can't be the only ones finding ourselves drawn to the corkscrew at ever-earlier times of the day. With that in mind, we've selected some of our favourite comfort blanket wines - bottles that never fail to bring the goods. We kick off with the excellent Soave from Corte Giaccobe, bringing a bit of Italian glamour to the drear complexion of January, and then onwards to Xavier Guillaume's old vine pinot noir. The value for this wine is off the charts - you'd pay three times as much in Gevrey Chambertin and think you'd done well. Finally, we travel to the sun-soaked Roman terraces of Portugal's Douro valley where Quinta da Pedra Alta make a rich red based heavily on local touriga grapes, bursting with vibrant fruit, tea leaf spice and exotic bergamot to transport us to a happier place.