Wine Box: Coming off the wagon

Are you sticking to your New Year resolutions? Maybe one of them was to take a break from alcohol. If it was, you are probably dreaming of that first glass of wine and, maybe, hoping to enjoy some new flavours this year.

There are plenty of horror-story bottles out there which have a coarseness that will disappoint, but what I find appealing is the increasingly clever use of grape varieties and mixes - particularly in the New World. Some stylish wines are appearing from unexpected regions. This is a theme I'll return to but, meanwhile, here are a few reds, all goodies, you might try for that first, magical, fall-off-the-wagon glass.

Santa Julia, Bonarda Sangiovese 1999, Mendoza Argentina (Sainsbury's, £4.49, Waitrose, £4.49, Morrisons, £3.99). These vineyards, once desert, were brought to life by redirected Andes meltwaters. The Bonarda grape gives this lively red a rich blackberry flavour which mixes well with the more tannic Sangiovese. A gutsy brew with as much panache as a Patagonian polo pony.

Dominio Los Pinos Crianza, 1998 (Waitrose, £6.79). Spain now has a great diversity of red wines. Hence we can drink exciting, full-bodied reds like this, made from organic Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Monastrell grapes, grown in the wilds of Valencia. It has fine berry fruit expression, and some gentle oak-ageing gives softness in the glass. Classy stuff for the price.

Graham Beck 'The Ridge' Shiraz, Robertson, 1998 (Safeway, £13.99). We all know how to impress guests with more expensive wines first, bringing out cheaper concoctions when everyone's slightly merry. This is a good one to start the evening. Unusually for a South African red, it has a bottomless well of berry fruit and cracked pepper flavours. Full, stylish, complex and intense. A real find.

Chianti Classico Riserva, 1997, Villa Antinori (Majestic, Unwins, Waitrose, www.virginwines.com, £8.99). What's new about a chianti? Not much, other than the fact that Antinori slips in about ten per cent of Canaiolo grapes with the traditional Sangiovese. And 1997 was, in my view, one of the best Tuscany vintages in the past 50 years. Reason enough to try this soft, ruby red, almost chewy classic. Hits all the right notes with a power like Pavarotti.