A spectacular, dark, swarthy grenache blend

2008 Ctes-du-Rhne, Cuve Les Trois Soeurs, Domaine Les Grands Bois, Southern Rhne, France (£7.95, www.fromvineyardsdirect.com ).

I tasted through From Vineyards Direct's range of wines at its offices in the City a few weeks ago and I was very impressed with the taste and prices of its wines. This is a company that seems to do exactly what it says on the letterhead.

One of the newest wines on its short but punchy list is this spectacular, dark, swarthy grenache blend. There isn't a wine to touch this red at the sub-eight-quid mark this season.

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Not only is the nose worthy of a far smarter appellation (like Gigondas, Cairanne or Vacqueyras), the palate is liquid velvet with charry, smoky notes and dense bramble fruit. The balance is so complete that there is little or no obvious tannin on show and yet it will surely live for five years if it gets the chance.

At this everyday price you can feel safe in going long on this wine because it will never let you down and, given a swirl around a decanter, it could even step up to posh dinner party duties without giving any secrets away. Hurry though, because I am on the war path for a few cases, too!

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year.

Matthew Jukes has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006.

He has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website.

Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy. His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.