Casillero del Diablo Carmenere Red Wine 75cl

Plush, plummy, and just spicy enough to keep you coming back, this Chilean Carménère is the kind of dry red that makes an ordinary dinner feel upgraded. If your usual pick is Malbec or Merlot, this sits right in that comfort zone, but with a slightly more herb-and-pepper twist.

Carménère is basically Chile’s signature red grape, and it loves giving you dark fruit plus savoury edges without turning your mouth into sandpaper. Translation, you get flavour for days, and it still plays nice with food.

• Appearance: Deep ruby with a dark, inky centre
• Nose: Ripe plum and blackberry, with a flick of black pepper and a subtle green-herb note
• Palate: Dark fruit up front (think plum jam and black cherry), medium acidity, and soft, velvety tannins that don’t bully your dinner
• Body: Medium to medium-full, cosy without feeling heavy
• Finish: Lingering fruit and spice, with a gentle cocoa-like echo

Food pairing: Pour it with chimichurri steak, smoky beef burgers, or mushroom pasta with parmesan (the savoury notes love anything grilled or umami-heavy).

This is also a smart “no-stress red” to bring to a braai or a casual hang, because it’s bold enough for red wine people, but friendly enough for anyone who’s still finding their feet with dry reds.

Want a quick serve tip? Give it 10 minutes in the glass before you start, it opens up fast and gets fruitier and rounder as it breathes.

If you’ve been buying Malbec for that dark-fruit hit and you want something just as satisfying but a bit more savoury, Carménère is the move. Same comfort, more personality.

Fun Fact: Carménère is originally from Bordeaux, but it pretty much ghosted France after the 1800s and became a Chilean star, which is why Chile is where you’ll find some of the best versions today.