Joelle Thomson's Amazing Value Picks: The late night reds pack

Night owls are spoilt for choice in this week’s line up of summery, dry and full bodied red wines. Not that there’s anything wrong with lighter reds but with wild spring weather still defining the season’s temperatures, it’s comforting to turn to a robust glass of deeply coloured, richly flavoursome red. So here, without further ado, are this week’s top drops. 2016 Hinemoa Moana Malbec Merlot 16.5/20, 3.5 stars Here’s a juicy little number from Omaha Beach north of Auckland. Malbec’s dry, dark and fruity flavours put forward big spicy flavours while Merlot’s softness rounds out the palate, adding flesh and a smooth finish. Drinks well now and in the near future. View here. Saluti Rosso Puglia 17/20, 4 stars This wine is made from grapes grown in Puglia, southern Italy, a climate so hot, arid and drenched in sunshine that it’s rare to find wines as full bodied as this fruity driven red with such modest alcohol as 12.5%. This makes for a medium bodied style which is still rich in fruit flavour - blueberries and wild berries give this stunning red its southern Italianesque style. Despite its fruity flavours, it’s dry in style and incredibly flavoursome. Great value for money. View here. 2017 La Grande Tour Reserve Speciale Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 16.5/20, 3.5 stars This classic southern French blend comes from the vast Languedoc wine region, which winds its way around the Mediterranean coast north of Spain to Provence. Pronounced blackcurrant flavours highlight the strength of Cabernet’s characterful presence in this southern French blend. It’s dry with a medium body and moderate finish. An accessibly medium bodied red wine from the Pays d’Oc in southern France. View here. 2017 Western Cellars California Red Zinfandel 16/20, 3 stars This big soft Zinfandel is rich in colour, aroma and flavour with ripe black fruit characters offering a great gateway into the wonderful world of big reds. View here. 2014 Mischa Estate Merlot 17.5/20, 4 stars Warm South African weather makes for ripe, soft, dark and juicy flavours in this Merlot, which has the X factor and next level written all over its smooth, characterful and juicy core of black fruit flavours. Drink now or soon and enjoy its lovely depth of flavour and aged characters. French oak maturation adds spice and depth to this wine. View here. 2018 Yalumba Y Series Merlot 17.5/20, 4 stars South Australia is home to some of the best value reds on the planet, thanks to its high sunshine, consistent warmth and long summers. This wine from the well known Yalumba Winery is a drink me now kind of red; smooth, dry, soft and fruity with notes of light spiciness adding complexity. It also ticks the vegan friendly box because, like all Yalumba wines, it has not had any animal products used in its production. View here. Joelle Thomson is a wine writer, journalist and author. She’s an avid lover of wine and currently writes for Capital magazine, Good magazine, NZ Winegrower, Drinksbiz, and her own site, www.joellethomson.com. She also teaches, works in radio, and more, so we've enlisted her help to sniff out our amazing value wines!