If you have decided to give your Dad a bottle of wine for Fathers Day, then surely it must be a good red.

Think about it: would Dad really want a bottle of riesling, sauvignon blanc or – even worse still – Viognier to enjoy with his much-anticipated, as-requested, steak lunch or dinner? I didn’t think so.

Nonetheless, if you were still having any second thoughts at all about which colour or style to spring for, consider that it is red wine, with its higher levels of resveratrol – a natural phenol present on grape skins – that is in the news for its potentially therapeutic properties.

If that’s too much to get your head around, I say just grab a bottle of any of the following for Dad, and then stand-by to enjoy the happy, healthy smile which breaks out on his dial.

For some time now, Shiraz/Viognier has been a “thing”, with many of the cooler regions opting to add a very small amount of the white Viognier grape to their shiraz to add texture and perfume.

97% shiraz with 3% Viognier, from the 2017 vintage which was an absolute pearler for “The Valley”. Medium deep crimson appearance, the nose exhibits ripe dark fruit aromas. Plenty of richness and vitality on entry, those plush, ripe flavours are seasoned by some black peppercorn and spice notes. Medium length with easy-going tannins, this finishes nicely and politely. Eye fillet would pair well with this.

2018 Ministry of Clouds Grenache, McLaren Vale SA – RRP $40

Not a whole lot of doubt in my mind that grenache is the marquis variety of McLaren Vale’s, which – cue outrage from the Barossa Valley – is quite possibly the most successful area in Australia for growing that variety.

This is from the superb 2018 vintage; two different vineyards, one with vines of 80 years of age, the other of 22 years.

Super attractive dark red berry colour with real intensity at its heart. The nose leaps out of the glass with a panoply of small, “chilled” red fruits, floral aromatics, with an attractive back note of garrigue. The pleasure continues on the palate with those delicious red fruits breaking out into full party mode, dancing exuberantly with intense “chilled” red fruits leading to a long finish of super length and with persistent retro-olfactories. Absolute bargain.

There are lots of very easy-drinking pinot noirs being produced in Tassie, so good to see this wine takes things up a notch with elements beyond the simple “primaries”.

Cool, spicy cherry-cola and red fruit aromas, the light to medium bodied palate packs a punch beyond its weight division. Piquant sour cherry notes, backed up with a hint of damp forest floor, make for a palate which satisfies with both vigour and length. Unapologetically from the savoury school of pinot noirs, this would make a delightful partner for a wide range of dishes, from salmon with sauce vierge, to Peking and/or lacquered soy duck.

Dark, black red, showing some development at the meniscus. The bouquet has notes of roasted meats, dark chocolate, and with a background cedar/oak lift keeping it really fresh and up and about.

At eight years of age, the palate is showing plenty of liveliness and intensity – not at all brutish – with a pastry-shop full of flavours such as creamy blueberry tarts, chocolate macarons and orange rind / chocolate Jaffa characters that ride firm acidity and with those oak tannins to finish.

2012 was a slow, very low yielding vintage and that shows up in this wine’s concentration. Dad will find this perfect with a choice cut of steak, and the price makes this a very solid deal for a wine of this quality and age.

I’m a long-time fully paid member of the Massolino fan club, who are famous for their Barolo and other Nebbiolo wines. On the other hand, I’ve never really been all that enamoured of the Barbera grape variety, often finding the wines simply too coarse. And then this little gem comes along and blows that perception out of the water.

Deep red-crimson appearance, the bouquet is crammed full of cool, red and blue fruits with excellent back notes of spice, herb and even a touch of fennel-peppered salami. From the get-go, the palate delivers pleasure in spades. Those cool, crunchy fruit flavours exhibit excellent vigour and intensity, and the palate is attractively shaped with its easy-going muscularity.

There’s nothing remotely barbaric about this barbera, which discreetly and effortlessly carries its 14.5% alcohol, meaning it is really satisfying – and dangerously easy – to drink.

From one of the greatest domaines of Chateauneuf du-Pape (their 2016 Chateauneuf is an absolute pearler and still available at around $80) this is the petit-frère, which hails from the southern Rhône appellation of Lirac, approximately 10 kilometres west of big brother’s famous eponymous village.

This blend is 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre, aged 2/3 in tank and 1/3 in small French oak barrels (none new). The colour is dark red with a blackish centre, showing a little development at the rim.

The nose is very user friendly with excellent ripe fruit lift combined with more secondary characters reminiscent of a gently simmering beef stock. The palate features a ripe fruit attack on entry with those savoury elements joining in around half time and closing out with some nicely integrated tannins. Would work pretty nicely with steak au poivre.

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