What to drink ... on wintry days

UNDER $20

Rolling Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre 2012, $19
Rolling is part of the Cumulus brand that grows fruit in Orange and the Central Ranges, and under this label the wines are for immediate drinking. The fruit for Rolling comes from the latter and has all the hallmarks of cool-climate shiraz, which is 40 per cent of the blend. So there is plenty of black pepper but the grainy tannins, floral notes and sweet fruit of the grenache, equal in the blend, kick in, while mourvedre adds gamey and earthy notes. Enjoy with roast vegetables and pepper steak. From cumuluswines.com.au.

UNDER $30

Matteo Correggia Roero 2010, $25
Anyone wanting to know what all the fuss is about with nebbiolo can start here. While the top nebbiolo wines, barolo and barbaresco, are quite tannic and acidic in their youth (and expensive), this is drinking beautifully now and is a bargain. It's pinot-esque, fragrant with cherry fruit and dried herbs, peppery and spicy, and medium-bodied with ripe tannins. It has plenty of tart fruit on the palate, so serve it with oxtail ragu and fettucine, as there's acidity to cut through the richness. Roero is in Piedmont, north-west Italy, where this nebbiolo fruit is grown. From the Prince Wine Store.

OVER $40

Willow Creek Pinot Noir 2011, $40
If, on a winter's night, friends turn up to share your hearty osso buco, pour them a glass of this excellent pinot noir. It's a perfect match. But don't be fooled by its pale hue: there's plenty of substance here, although it's a more restrained or delicate style of pinot. Love its heady fragrance of damp forest floor, fungi and the smell of beetroot that's just been pulled from the soil, plus there's a hint of pepper and Asian spice. It's medium-bodied with silky fine tannins, and plenty of zingy fresh acidity mingling with the cherry fruit. From Willow Creek, Merricks North.

SPLURGE

Henry's Drive Reserve Shiraz Padthaway 2009, $55
What's so good about this wine? It's unmistakably from Padthaway. And what does that mean? With shiraz, it has that brambleberry fruit plus choc-mint yet so much more. There are also Mediterranean herbs, eucalypt, kirsch, liquorice and ripe, plump plum fruit. The 2009 reserve is also full-bodied with luscious fruit, yet the tannins are surprisingly fine. Bound to warm anyone up on the coldest of nights, especially if served with some beef and black bean sauce and just the right amount of chilli. Go to henrysdrive.com.